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WhatsApp marketing that starts conversations, not broadcasts

Marketing on WhatsApp isn't sending the same promotion to everyone in your contacts. It's having conversations that end in a sale. Here are the tools and where each one fits.

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IN SHORTWhatsApp marketing means using WhatsApp to attract, convert and keep customers. The tools range from broadcast lists and channels (free, one to many), through the catalogue and click-to-chat links, to campaigns on the official API with approved templates, and AI agents like MultiChats that hold a conversation with each person who writes in, sort them and follow up. Promotional messages generally need prior consent under PECR in the UK and the ePrivacy rules in the EU.

The tools, from simplest to most powerful

  • Broadcast lists in the app: one message to many contacts, delivered only to people who have saved your number. Free and limited.
  • WhatsApp Channels: one-to-many updates with no conversation. Useful if you already have an audience.
  • Catalogue and wa.me links on your website, ads and social profiles, so people can message you in one tap.
  • The official API through a platform: template campaigns approved by Meta, paid per message.
  • AI agents such as MultiChats: they reply to each person, sort them and follow up.

Why conversations outsell broadcasts

A promotion sent to everyone gets ignored, muted or, worse, reported, and that affects your number. A conversation with someone who asked about something specific ends in a sale far more often, because it answers what that person wants now. WhatsApp marketing that works for a small business is usually simple: get people to message you (ads, website, Google Business Profile) and reply quickly and well to every one of them.

Ideas that work in a small business

  • A WhatsApp button on your website and Google Business Profile, with a pre-written message.
  • Ads that open a chat instead of a form, answered straight away (replying to ad leads).
  • A follow-up on every quote two days later.
  • A message to past customers only when there's something genuinely useful for them, and only if they agreed to hear from you (winning back customers).
  • Tracking which wording and which time of day get replies.

Consent: PECR and ePrivacy

In the UK, PECR generally requires prior consent before you send marketing by electronic message, including WhatsApp. There is a narrow "soft opt-in" for existing customers who bought something similar and were given a simple way to opt out, every time. The EU ePrivacy rules work in a similar way, and UK GDPR or the EU GDPR applies to the personal data. MultiChats does not send bulk messages and is not built for writing to people who haven't contacted you. This is general information, not legal advice.

Look after your number

MultiChats links your number by QR code, like WhatsApp Web, not through the official API. Meta can restrict a number that sends in bulk, so we apply daily caps, pauses, varied wording and an automatic brake if messages stop being delivered. The risk is not zero, which is one more reason to keep WhatsApp for conversations rather than blasts.

What to measure

WhatsApp has one advantage over email: almost everything gets read. What matters is what happens next: how many reply, how many are interested, how many buy, by message and by time of day. MultiChats records it for each message and each number. For sales-focused automation, see WhatsApp sales automation.

Frequently asked questions

Is WhatsApp marketing free?

Broadcast lists, channels and click-to-chat links are free. Campaigns on the official API are paid per template message to Meta, plus the platform's subscription. MultiChats costs from €150 a month excl. VAT per number.

Can I send promotions to my customers?

To people who gave consent, or to existing customers under the soft opt-in when the offer is similar to what they bought, with an easy opt-out every time. Check the details for your case.

Does MultiChats send bulk WhatsApp messages?

No. It replies to and follows up with people who have contacted you, with daily caps and pauses to protect your number.

Are WhatsApp broadcast lists the same as bulk messaging?

No. A broadcast list only reaches people who have saved your number, which limits it to contacts who already know you.

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