WhatsApp Marketing

WhatsApp Marketing lets you message customers first on WhatsApp: send approved broadcast campaigns, run no code chatbot flows, and send Shopify or WooCommerce messages such as abandoned cart reminders and order updates. Replies land in your normal inbox, where the AI and your team pick them up, and every campaign reports clicks, orders, and revenue.

Where it lives and who can use it

Click WhatsApp Marketing in the sidebar. Owners and admins can create and send. Other roles can open the page but see a read only notice. The page has these tabs: Overview, Campaigns, Flows, Automations, Templates, Contacts, Segments, and Plan. The Plan tab shows the terms that apply to your workspace.

Before you start

1. Connect a WhatsApp number on the Channels page. See WhatsApp Business.
2. Make sure the number shows Managed under Your WhatsApp numbers on the Overview tab. Campaigns and automations are billed per message from your ZenTalk wallet, so they only run on numbers connected through ZenTalk. A number marked Own billing is billed by Meta to your own card and can still chat in the inbox; contact support to switch it, or rent a number on the Numbers & Wallet page.
3. Top up your wallet. The Wallet card on the Overview tab shows your available balance and has a Top up button.

The Get started with WhatsApp Marketing checklist on the Overview tab walks you through the same steps: connect a number, get a template approved, add opted in contacts, and send your first campaign.

The Overview tab

• Last 30 days: messages sent, read rate, reply rate, click rate, revenue, and ROAS.
• Top campaigns, Store automations, and Chatbot flows cards with a shortcut into each.
• Your WhatsApp numbers: each number with its billing badge, its Meta quality rating (green, yellow, or red), and its daily sending limit.
• Wallet: available balance, subscribed contacts, approved templates, and live campaigns, with Top up and New campaign buttons.

Templates

Meta only lets a business start a conversation with a template it has approved. Open the Templates tab and click New template, or click Sync from Meta to pull in templates you already have in WhatsApp Manager.

1. Under Basics, pick the WhatsApp number, type a Template name (lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores), and choose a Category: Marketing, Utility, or Authentication. Pick the Language and the Format: Standard message or Carousel (2 to 10 image or video cards).
2. Add an optional Header: text, an image (JPG or PNG up to 5 MB), a video (MP4 or 3GP up to 16 MB), or a document (PDF up to 16 MB). Click Upload file or paste a public https link.
3. Write the body, up to 1024 characters. Click Add variable to insert {{1}}, {{2}}, and so on, and fill in Sample values for review so Meta can see an example. The body cannot start or end with a variable.
4. Add an optional footer, such as Reply STOP to unsubscribe, and up to 10 buttons with Add quick reply, Add website button (up to 2), and Add call button (1). Turn on Track clicks on a website button so each contact gets a personal link and the campaign can count clicks and orders.
5. Click Submit for approval, or Save draft to finish later.

Not sure what to write? Click Write with AI for a first draft. The status moves from In review to Approved or Rejected, and you get an email at each step. Meta can also later mark a template Paused or Disabled if customers block or report it; you are emailed then too.

Contacts and opt in

Only message people who agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp. On the Contacts tab:

• Import CSV: map the phone, name, and tags columns (other columns become attributes you can use in messages), set a Default country code, say How did these contacts opt in?, and confirm consent.
• Add contact: add one person by hand.
• Anyone who messages your number is added automatically.

Each contact shows Subscribed, Opted out, or No opt in. A message that is only STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, OPT OUT, CANCEL, STOP ALL, or STOP PROMOTIONS opts the contact out, and START or SUBSCRIBE opts them back in. Opted out contacts are always left out of campaigns. On the Segments tab you can build saved audiences from tags, attributes, last message, opt in date, past campaigns, store orders, and chatbot flows.

Send a campaign

On the Campaigns tab click New campaign. The wizard has six steps:

1. Details: a Campaign name and the number to Send from. A number with a red quality rating shows a warning.
2. Template: pick an approved template. If its website button has a fixed link, click Make a tracked copy to get click tracking.
3. Audience: a Segment, one or more Tags, or Pick contacts.
4. Personalize: fill each variable from the contact name, phone, an attribute, a tracked link, or the same text for everyone, with a fallback such as there.
5. A/B test (optional): send up to 3 versions. Choose Test, then send the winner (a test group of 5 to 50 percent, the winner picked by read rate, reply rate, click rate, or revenue after 1 to 72 hours) or Split evenly.
6. Review and send: check the summary and the Estimated cost table, then click Send now, or pick a time under Schedule for and click Schedule.

Campaign results and retargeting

Open a campaign to see sent, delivered, read, replied, clicked, orders placed within 7 days, revenue, cost, and ROAS, plus a funnel from sent through ordered. You also get an Activity timeline, clicks per Tracked links, a Recipients list you can filter and Download list, and Button taps reported by Meta. For an A/B test, the A/B test results section has Pick winner now. The campaign report is also emailed to you.

Use Pause, Resume, or Cancel campaign while it is sending. ZenTalk pauses a campaign on its own if the wallet runs low or the number's quality turns red. Under Retarget, pick a group such as Read but did not reply or Clicked but did not order and click Start campaign to follow up with just those people.

Chatbot flows

A flow is an automatic conversation, such as a welcome menu or a lead capture form. On the Flows tab click New flow and pick a starter (Welcome menu, Lead capture, FAQ menu, Order status, Opt-in confirmation) or Start from scratch.

• Triggers: a keyword (exact or contains), the first message from a contact, a reply to a campaign within 3 days, or any other message.
• Messages: Message, Buttons (up to 3), List menu (up to 10), Question, and Template.
• Logic: Condition and Delay.
• Actions: Tag contact, Set attribute, and HTTP request.
• Hand off: Assign to team, AI assistant, and End flow.

Click Check to find problems, then Test to chat with the flow in a simulator. Nothing is sent during a test and delays are skipped. Click Publish to make it live and Pause to stop it. Runs shows every conversation the flow handled. If a person on your team replies in the chat, the flow steps aside.

Store automations

Open the Automations tab. If no store is linked yet, click Connect a store to link Shopify or WooCommerce (see Store). Available automations: Abandoned cart, Order confirmation, Cash on delivery check, Order shipped, Order delivered, Order cancelled, and Win back.

1. Click an automation card.
2. Choose Send from and the Template, then fill the variables under Personalize.
3. Set the Timing: 30 minutes to 1 day after an abandoned cart (1 hour by default), right away up to 1 day after an order event, or for Win back the number of days since the last order (60 by default).
4. Turn the switch on and click Save. Use Send a test to see the message on your own phone first.

The Cash on delivery check needs a template with two quick reply buttons, such as Confirm and Cancel, so the customer can answer with one tap. Recent sends lists what each automation sent.

When customers reply

A reply lands in the WhatsApp section of your Inbox, with the campaign or store message the customer is answering shown in the chat. A live flow gets the reply first. Otherwise the AI bot for that number answers, already knowing which offer the customer saw, and hands over to your team when a person is needed. See AI Sales Agent.

Sending limits and quality

Meta sets how many people each number can message per 24 hours. The Daily sending limit card shows your current limit. A business that is not yet verified with Meta can message 250 people a day; click Open Security Center to verify and move up to 1,000 and beyond. The limit grows as you send good messages and drops if many people block or report you, so keep campaigns relevant and send only to opted in contacts.