The short answer: a Click-to-WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with your business. It suits markets such as Egypt and the Gulf, where many people would rather message than fill in a form. It brings real leads only if the first message and the first reply are designed.
The click is the easy part. What the person sees next, and how fast someone answers, decides whether the conversation becomes a customer.
What you need
- A WhatsApp Business number connected to your Facebook Page.
- Access to the ad account and the Page.
- A person who answers in working hours, with a rule for the rest.
The exact steps in the ad platform change from time to time, and some choices, such as the campaign objective, may be named differently, so check the screens when you build.
The three messages
- The opening message. The text pre-filled in the chat when the person taps. Keep it short and natural, so it reads as something they would write.
- The automatic greeting. Sent as soon as the chat opens. It thanks them and asks the questions you need.
- The first human reply. A named person, quickly, picking up from their answers.
Use the greeting to qualify
A good greeting asks for the facts you need to decide whether this is a qualified lead. For a business that sells in bulk, that is the company name, the quantity, the date and what they want. Number the questions so they are easy to answer in one reply.
It also sets expectations. If prices are not in the ads, say when the quote will arrive and how.
Speed decides the result
People who message a business expect an answer soon. If the first reply takes a day, many have moved on. Decide who answers, in which hours, and what the automatic message says outside them.
Measuring it
- The platform shows conversations started per ad. Use it to compare ads.
- Count qualified leads in a sheet, using your written definition.
- If you want to know which ad each person came from, add a question to the greeting, or use a different opening message per ad.
Our guide to cost per lead versus cost per qualified lead explains why the second count matters.
Respect the rules
Messaging platforms have rules about contacting people who have not written to you first. A person who taps your ad has started the conversation, but outbound messages later have conditions. Read the current policy before you build a follow-up plan.
An illustration: a greeting that qualifies
Imagine a business that sells in bulk. When a chat opens, the automatic greeting says: thank you for writing, and to prepare a suitable offer please tell us the company name, the quantity, the occasion and the delivery date, the item you liked and whether you need the company logo printed.
The person answers in one message, and the human reply can start from facts instead of asking the same questions one by one. The greeting also acts as a filter: someone who only wanted to know a price for one item will usually say so.
Writing the opening message and the ad
The opening message should read like something a person would write, not like a form. Keep it short and relevant to the ad. The ad itself should say who it is for, state any minimum and show the real product. Our content and copywriting team writes both together, so the ad and the chat tell the same story.
A launch checklist for a WhatsApp campaign
- The business number is connected to the Page, and a test chat works end to end.
- The greeting is saved and asks the questions you need.
- One named person answers in working hours, and the automatic message covers the rest.
- The lead sheet exists, with a column for qualified.
- Each ad has an opening message that fits its promise.
- Everyone who will reply has seen the ads, so they know what customers are responding to.
Mapping the conversation before you launch
A click-to-WhatsApp campaign succeeds or fails in the conversation. Before launch, write the first five messages of an ideal exchange.
- The customer sends the opening message that the ad pre-fills.
- Your automatic greeting thanks them and asks one or two questions you need, for example the type of need and the timing.
- A person replies in working hours, using the answers, and offers the next step, such as a call, a quote request or a visit.
- If the customer goes quiet, a polite follow-up goes out after a sensible interval, within the rules of the platform.
- The enquiry is recorded in the sheet with its source and status.
Test the whole flow yourself on a real phone before the campaign starts. You will usually find something to improve: a greeting that is too long, a question that is unclear, a step where nobody knows who answers.
Preparing the people who reply
The ad only brings the customer to the door. The people answering decide what happens next. Brief them before launch.
- Show them the ads, so they know what the customer saw and what was promised.
- Give them saved replies for the common questions, written in a natural tone, and encourage them to adapt rather than paste.
- Agree the speed standard and how it will be checked.
- Agree the handover. Who takes over when a customer asks for a quote, a visit or a technical answer?
- Explain the sheet. Every conversation is recorded, because that record is how the campaign is judged and improved.
Good replies are warm and brief, and they answer the question asked before adding anything else.
Improving the campaign from the conversations
The conversations are a source of insight that no dashboard provides. Read a sample each week. Which questions come up again and again? Which ads bring serious enquiries and which bring casual ones? Where do conversations stall?
Use what you read to change the campaign. If many people ask the same question, answer it in the ad or the greeting. If one ad brings better conversations, make more like it. If people ask for something you do not offer, tighten the targeting or the wording so they do not arrive. Over time, the ads and the greeting should do more of the explaining, and the people replying should spend their time with customers who are close to a decision.
How we set it up
We design the three messages with the ad, agree who answers and set up the lead sheet before launch. If you are planning a WhatsApp-led campaign and want it to bring buyers, talk to us about it.