WhatsApp marketing done right: opt-in, templates and safe numbers

The free app works well for a shop or clinic that mostly replies to customers. Its broadcast feature only reaches people who have saved your number, which acts as a natural brake on spam. Once you need automation, CRM integration or messages to thousands of opted-in customers, you need the Platform.

The Platform is accessed through Meta's Cloud API, usually via a Business Solution Provider that gives you a dashboard. You get a verified business profile, message templates, sending analytics and the ability to automate replies, at a per-message cost.

WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in before you message someone, and expects you to state clearly that they are agreeing to messages from your business over WhatsApp. Good places to collect it are checkout pages, enquiry forms, in-store QR codes and the WhatsApp chat itself, as long as the wording is explicit.

Keep a record of when and how each person opted in. Data-protection laws such as India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the UK and EU GDPR also expect consent to be clear and provable. Take legal advice if you operate across several countries.

• An unticked checkbox that names WhatsApp specifically
• Your business name shown at the point of consent
• What you'll send: offers, updates, reminders
• How to stop: a simple reply such as STOP
• A stored record of date, source and wording

Each new message from the customer resets the window. Inside it, you can send any relevant reply, including images, documents and product links. This is where most support and sales conversations should happen, and service replies are generally not charged.

To contact someone who hasn't messaged recently, such as a cart reminder, an appointment confirmation or a festive offer, you need a template. Templates are submitted for review, can include variables such as name or order number, and can carry buttons for quick replies or links.

Categorise honestly. A “Your order has shipped” message is utility. “Your order has shipped, and here's an offer on your next purchase” is marketing, because promotional content changes the category. Meta reviews templates and can recategorise them if the content doesn't match.

Since mid-2025, Meta charges per delivered template message rather than per conversation, with rates that vary by category and country. Utility templates sent inside an open service window are generally free. These rules have changed several times, so check Meta's current pricing page before you budget.

The Platform shows a quality rating for your number and for individual templates. Watch both weekly. If a template's quality drops, stop sending it and work out why: wrong audience, too frequent, or content that feels irrelevant.

Messaging limits also cap how many unique people you can start conversations with in a rolling period. They rise as you send good-quality messages over time. Trying to bypass them with extra numbers or unofficial tools is exactly the behaviour WhatsApp looks for.

Meta also limits how many marketing templates a person receives from businesses overall, so some messages may not be delivered if a customer has had many recently. That's another reason to send fewer, better messages to people who are likely to care.

Segment before you send. A jewellery store in Jaipur should send a bridal collection launch to people who enquired about bridal pieces, not to every customer. Relevance protects your quality rating more than any timing trick.