Glossary / WhatsApp

Industry terms

Click-to-WhatsApp ad

A click-to-WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad that opens a WhatsApp chat with the business when someone taps it, instead of sending them to a website.

Also called: CTWA, ads that click to WhatsApp, WhatsApp ad

By Aulto · Last reviewed

How do you set one up?

In Meta Ads Manager, choose messaging apps and then WhatsApp as the place you want conversations to happen, set your budget, audience and creative, and prepare how you'll respond when chats come in.

Why use a chat instead of a website?

For many buyers in India, a WhatsApp chat feels easier than a form: they ask a question, get an answer and buy in the same place. The business also gets a conversation it can continue.

What do you need to plan for?

People who message you expect a fast reply, so have answers or automation ready. Messages after the conversation follow WhatsApp's usual rules, and Meta publishes its rates on its pricing page.

Example

A Surat saree seller runs an Instagram ad with a "Send message" button; shoppers land in a WhatsApp chat and ask for colours and sizes.

  • WhatsApp Business Platform

    The WhatsApp Business Platform (the WhatsApp Business API) lets businesses message customers at scale through software, using Meta-approved templates and opted-in contacts.

  • 24-hour customer service window

    On the WhatsApp Business Platform, when someone messages a business, the business can reply freely for 24 hours; after that it must use an approved template.

  • Message template

    A message template is a pre-approved WhatsApp message format a business must use to start a conversation with someone on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

  • D2C

    D2C (direct to consumer) is a brand that sells straight to customers, usually through its own website and social media, instead of through shops or marketplaces.

  • Release flow

    A release flow is a set of messages sent automatically around a release: an announcement before it, a reminder the day before, an out-now message and a follow-up.

  • WhatsApp Business app

    The WhatsApp Business app is WhatsApp's app for small businesses, with a business profile, catalogue, quick replies, labels and broadcast lists, run from a phone.

Sources

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