WhatsApp marketing questions: templates, campaigns and CRM answered
WhatsApp marketing means sending Meta-approved template messages to contacts who have opted in, through broadcasts, newsletters or click-to-WhatsApp ads, never through bulk-sender apps or unofficial WhatsApp mods, which breach Meta's policy. On Convo360, WhatsApp Studio handles template creation and approval, broadcasts with retry, and contact segmentation, while CRM pipelines track every lead a campaign brings in, all under your own Meta Cloud API number.
- Marketing messages need both a Meta-approved template and the recipient's opt-in; there is no legal shortcut around either.
- Grey-market bulk-sender tools and modified WhatsApp apps breach Meta's policy and risk a permanent number ban.
- Campaigns run through WhatsApp Studio with contact groups, tags, scheduling and automatic retry for failed sends.
- WhatsApp per-message fees are billed by Meta, not the platform vendor; BYOK means zero added markup.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads and broadcasts are different channels: one opens new chats, the other reaches your existing list.
WhatsApp marketing basics
What is whatsapp marketing software?
WhatsApp marketing software is a tool that lets a business send Meta-approved template messages to opted-in contacts, manage a contact list with tags, and run scheduled broadcasts with automated replies. On Convo360 this lives in WhatsApp Studio and the Contacts module, connected to your own Meta Cloud API number under a bring-your-own-keys model.
What is a whatsapp crm?
A WhatsApp CRM tracks a contact's conversation history, tags, custom fields and sales-pipeline stage against their WhatsApp number, so marketing and sales work off the same record. Convo360's CRM pipeline sits next to WhatsApp Studio, so a campaign reply can move a lead into a pipeline stage automatically.
What is a whatsapp newsletter?
A WhatsApp newsletter is a recurring update, such as new arrivals, offers or event reminders, sent to a broadcast list of contacts who opted in, using an approved Marketing template rather than a plain text message. It works like an email newsletter, except every send still needs Meta's template approval and prior consent.
What is a whatsapp campaign?
A WhatsApp campaign is a planned send of one approved template to a chosen contact list or segment, usually with a schedule, retry logic for numbers that did not receive it the first time, and delivery tracking. In Convo360 you build a campaign in WhatsApp Studio by picking a template, a contact group and a send time.
Is click-to-whatsapp ads different from broadcast?
Yes. Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook or Instagram drive someone who taps the ad straight into a WhatsApp chat with your business, opening a fresh conversation window: it is an acquisition channel. A broadcast instead pushes a template to contacts already on your list. See our guide on click-to-WhatsApp ads automation.
Templates and approval
What is a whatsapp template message?
A template message is a pre-written message format, with optional variables like {{1}} for a name, that you submit to Meta for approval before sending it outside the 24-hour customer-service window. Templates are the only way to start or continue a conversation once a customer has not messaged recently, so every marketing or reminder message must be one.
What is a whatsapp marketing template vs utility template?
A Marketing template promotes offers, sales or new products and needs the recipient's opt-in; a Utility template supports an existing transaction, such as an order update or appointment reminder. Meta reviews the wording and can reject a Utility template that reads promotional. Getting this right matters for compliance and cost.
How do i get a template approved by meta?
Write clear, non-misleading copy with no all-caps shouting or requests to contact you off-platform, choose the correct category, submit it through WhatsApp Studio's template composer, and wait for Meta's review. Convo360 lets you create, submit, search and track templates without leaving the platform; the full process is in our template approval guide.
Does whatsapp marketing need a blue tick?
No. The blue tick is Meta's verified-business badge and a trust signal, but it is not required to send marketing templates, run campaigns or use the WhatsApp Business Platform. You can run fully compliant WhatsApp marketing without one.
Compliant bulk sending
Is bulk whatsapp messaging legal in india?
Sending bulk WhatsApp messages is legal only when done through WhatsApp's official Business Platform (Meta Cloud API) with approved templates and recipient opt-in. Using unofficial bulk-sender apps, modified WhatsApp clients or scraped number lists to blast messages breaches WhatsApp's policy, and typically gets the sending number banned.
Do i need customer opt-in before sending marketing messages?
Yes, always. Meta requires clear opt-in before you send a Marketing template. Capture consent at sign-up, checkout or a lead form, keep a record of it, and always honour STOP or opt-out requests: Convo360's Contacts module tracks DND and opt-out status automatically. Read more in our compliance overview.
Is there a bulk whatsapp sender that is legal to use?
The only legal way to send WhatsApp messages in bulk is the official WhatsApp Business Platform, using approved templates sent to opted-in contacts, not grey-market bulk-sender tools or modified WhatsApp apps, which breach Meta's terms and risk a permanent ban. Convo360 connects to your own official WhatsApp number under this compliant model.
What happens if customers mark my messages as spam?
Repeated spam reports or blocks lower your number's quality rating with Meta, which can get your templates paused, hold back increases to your messaging limit and, if it continues, lead Meta to rate limit your sending. Sending only to opted-in contacts, using accurate template categories, and respecting opt-outs are the main ways to protect your rating.
What is the 24-hour customer service window?
Once a customer messages you, you can reply freely with any message type for 24 hours. After that window closes, you can only reach them again with a Meta-approved template; this is why templates matter for both reminders and marketing. This window applies no matter which broadcast tool you use.
Running campaigns and tracking results
Is there a whatsapp broadcast list size limit?
WhatsApp does not publish one universal broadcast cap for Business Platform sends the way the personal WhatsApp app limits its own broadcast lists. API-based sends are instead governed by your business portfolio's messaging limit, which Meta raises as you send at volume with good quality. Convo360 groups contacts into broadcast lists of any size and paces sends within your current Meta-assigned limit.
Can i schedule a whatsapp campaign in advance?
Yes. In WhatsApp Studio you pick a template, choose a contact group, and set a future send date and time; the campaign fires automatically at that slot without you needing to be online.
Can i retry failed broadcast sends?
Yes. Some sends fail due to a temporary network issue or an invalid number. Convo360's broadcast campaigns include retry logic that re-attempts failed messages, and you can see a delivery breakdown of sent, delivered and failed contacts for each campaign.
Can i track open/click rates on a campaign?
You can see delivery and read status (sent, delivered, read) for each broadcast, plus clicks on any buttons or links inside the template, through Convo360's campaign view. WhatsApp does not expose a separate open-rate metric the way email does; read receipts are the closest equivalent, and only when the customer has not disabled them.
How much does a whatsapp marketing conversation cost?
WhatsApp per-message fees are set and billed by Meta, not by the platform you use; they vary by category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication, Service) and by country. Convo360 is BYOK: you connect your own Meta Cloud API number and pay Meta directly, with zero markup added. See our detailed cost breakdown for the full picture of typical spend.
CRM, segmentation and click-to-WhatsApp ads
Can i segment contacts by tags for campaigns?
Yes. Convo360's Contacts module lets you organise contacts into groups, add tags and custom fields such as city, order value or last purchase, and import lists via CSV, so a campaign can target a specific segment instead of your whole list.
What is click-to-whatsapp ads automation?
It is connecting a Facebook or Instagram click-to-WhatsApp ad so that when someone taps it and lands in a WhatsApp chat, an AI or guided bot greets them instantly, asks qualifying questions and saves them as a CRM lead, instead of a human noticing the new chat late. Read our full guide on click-to-WhatsApp ads automation.
Can i run a whatsapp crm pipeline alongside marketing campaigns?
Yes. Leads who reply to a campaign or an ad-driven chat can be saved straight into Convo360's CRM pipeline, with stages such as New, Contacted, Qualified and Won, keeping their tags and custom fields intact, so your sales team follows up on warm responses without re-entering data. Start on the 14-day free trial to try it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is whatsapp marketing software?
WhatsApp marketing software lets a business send Meta-approved template messages to opted-in contacts, manage a tagged contact list, and run scheduled broadcasts with automated replies, usually connected to a Meta Cloud API WhatsApp number.
What is a whatsapp crm?
A WhatsApp CRM tracks a contact's conversation history, tags, custom fields and pipeline stage against their WhatsApp number, so marketing and sales teams work from the same record instead of separate spreadsheets.
What is a whatsapp newsletter?
A WhatsApp newsletter is a recurring update such as offers or event reminders sent to an opted-in broadcast list using an approved Marketing template, similar to an email newsletter but inside WhatsApp.
What is a whatsapp campaign?
A WhatsApp campaign is a planned send of one approved template to a chosen contact list, usually with a schedule, retry for failed numbers, and delivery tracking so you can see what happened.
Is click-to-whatsapp ads different from broadcast?
Yes. Click-to-WhatsApp ads open a fresh chat when someone taps a Facebook or Instagram ad, acquiring new conversations, while a broadcast sends a template to contacts already on your existing list.
What is a whatsapp template message?
A template message is a pre-written format submitted to Meta for approval, used to start or continue a conversation once the 24-hour customer-service window has closed, since free-form replies are not allowed then.
What is a whatsapp marketing template vs utility template?
A Marketing template promotes offers or new products and needs opt-in; a Utility template supports an existing transaction like an order update. Meta reviews wording and can reject a Utility template that reads promotional.
How do i get a template approved by meta?
Write clear, non-misleading copy, avoid all-caps and off-platform contact requests, pick the correct category, and submit it through WhatsApp Studio's template composer, then wait for Meta's review before it can be used.
Does whatsapp marketing need a blue tick?
No. The blue tick is Meta's verified-business badge and a trust signal, not a requirement for sending marketing templates or running campaigns on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Is bulk whatsapp messaging legal in india?
It is legal only through WhatsApp's official Business Platform using approved templates and opt-in. Unofficial bulk-sender apps or modified WhatsApp clients breach WhatsApp's policy and usually get the sending number banned.
Do i need customer opt-in before sending marketing messages?
Yes, always. Meta requires clear opt-in before sending a Marketing template. Capture and record consent at sign-up or checkout, and always honour STOP or opt-out requests from contacts.
Is there a bulk whatsapp sender that is legal to use?
The only legal option is the official WhatsApp Business Platform with approved templates sent to opted-in contacts, not grey-market bulk-sender tools or modified WhatsApp apps, which breach Meta's terms and risk a ban.
What happens if customers mark my messages as spam?
Repeated spam reports lower your number's quality rating with Meta, which can get templates paused, hold back increases to your messaging limit and, if it continues, lead Meta to rate limit your sending. Sending only to opted-in contacts protects your rating.
What is the 24-hour customer service window?
It is the 24-hour period after a customer messages you during which you can reply freely with any message type. After it closes, you need a Meta-approved template to message them again.
Is there a whatsapp broadcast list size limit?
There is no single published cap for Business Platform broadcasts; sends are governed by your business portfolio's Meta-assigned messaging limit rather than a fixed list size like the personal WhatsApp app's 256-contact limit.
Can i schedule a whatsapp campaign in advance?
Yes. You choose a template, a contact group and a future send date and time in WhatsApp Studio, and the campaign fires automatically at that slot.
Can i retry failed broadcast sends?
Yes. Some sends fail from a temporary network issue or invalid number. Broadcast campaigns can include retry logic and show a sent, delivered and failed breakdown for each send.
Can i track open/click rates on a campaign?
You can see sent, delivered and read status plus clicks on template buttons or links. WhatsApp has no separate open-rate metric like email; read receipts are the closest equivalent when enabled.
How much does a whatsapp marketing conversation cost?
Per-message fees are set and billed by Meta directly, varying by category and country. On a BYOK platform you pay Meta at their rate with no added markup.
Can i segment contacts by tags for campaigns?
Yes. Organising contacts into groups with tags and custom fields such as city or order value lets a campaign target a specific segment instead of the entire contact list.
What is click-to-whatsapp ads automation?
It connects a Facebook or Instagram click-to-WhatsApp ad so an AI or guided bot instantly greets the person who taps it, asks qualifying questions, and saves them as a CRM lead.
Can i run a whatsapp crm pipeline alongside marketing campaigns?
Yes. Contacts who reply to a campaign or ad can be saved into a CRM pipeline with stages like New, Contacted and Won, so sales follows up on warm responses without re-entering data.
Related reading
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