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How Ads that Click to WhatsApp boost marketing performance
Discover how click-to-chat formats like Ads that Click to WhatsApp work, top use cases and examples, and how analytics can help take help increase your marketing ROI.
Marketers are investing more dollars in digital advertising, making social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram an important way to connect with customers.
At the same time customers expect personalized experiences, conversational experiences, and instant access to brands.
And to top it all, business leaders are looking for return on ad spend, demanding ROI benefits from campaigns and proposing budget cuts.
Keeping all the above in mind, marketers have a (not-so) secret arsenal in their campaign toolkit, which helps them leverage customer data, connect social media platforms to more cost-effective chat apps, and take the consumer from awareness to purchase in one journey.
What’s that you ask? That marketing arsenal is Ads that Click to WhatsApp aka click-to-chat WhatsApp ads, or CTWA for short.
Before we get into how Ads that Click to WhatsApp work and the benefits, let’s cover the basics.
What are Ads that Click to WhatsApp?
Ads that Click to WhatsApp, in a nutshell, are promotions over Facebook and Instagram that direct customers to chat conversations over the messaging channel. They would appear on your audience’s newsfeed, stories, and Facebook Marketplace, with a call-to-action button that would prompt them to initiate a conversation with your brand’s official WhatsApp Business Account.
Ads that Click to WhatsApp is a click-to-chat format that allows businesses to add a call-to-action button on their Facebook and Instagram ads that get customers directly engaging with them over WhatsApp. With ads that click-to-WhatsApp you can simply connect your existing Facebook and Instagram posts and ads to your WhatsApp Business Platform account.
These ads are the same as the regular Facebook and Instagram ads but include a Send Message button that initiates a conversation.
For example: Imagine you’re running a coffee company, and you’re all set to unveil your exciting new range of dark roast coffee capsules. Your marketing team is gearing up to launch an Instagram campaign featuring vibrant carousel ads and stories. But you want to do more than just create awareness; you want your audience to engage, try out your products, and make a purchase.
That’s where Ads that Click to WhatsApp come into play. With these ads, your marketing team can literally strike up conversations with your customers over a cup of coffee. Just add a caption encouraging your followers and potential customers to chat with your brand over WhatsApp and include a CTA button that opens the WhatsApp app directly on their phone or desktop.
Once the conversation is initiated, you have the perfect opportunity to inspire them with more information, showcase your entire product catalog, share video demos, and send personalized promotions. You can even guide them through the purchase process. What’s more, you can integrate them into your loyalty program and maintain ongoing communication through the chat app, all without the need to repeatedly target them with additional social media ads. It’s a win-win solution for deepening customer engagement and boosting sales.
Ads that Click to WhatsApp engage customers at all funnel stages, from introducing someone to your brand to encouraging a repeat purchase from an existing customer. Bringing conversational marketing to life.
What makes Ads that Click to WhatsApp a marketer’s arsenal?
The secret behind what makes Ads that Click to WhatsApp is the very important d-word – Data.
What makes Facebook and Instagram popular amongst marketers in addition to the reach is the ability to target ads based on interests, age, gender, education, relationship status, and so much more. Going back to the coffee example: you can target your ad campaign on people interested in coffee, coffee shops and recipes.
And to add to it the reach:
2.8 billion
Facebook users
2 billion
Instagram users
1 billion
monthly Facebook Marketplace users
Now, with the above you’ve been able to precisely target your audience with personalized ads, giving them the option to click-to-chat.
Top tip: Did you know that conversations started via Ads that Click to WhatsApp are free for the first 72 hours? That means you can engage and re-engage with the customer at no extra cost, thereby saving you money (that you could use for another campaign).
Once they’ve entered the WhatsApp chat, as a marketer, you’ve got yourself a goldmine of data to play with:
- You know the entry point and exactly how they got there
- The intent behind initiating the chat, allowing for contextualized conversation
- The ad group that got them to see the ad and interact with it
- Through the WhatsApp conversation more nuggets such as interests, product preferences location etc.
- If they’ve made a purchase or not
These are all very handy pieces of first-party data that can be used to create or added to an existing customer profile in your customer data platform.
And to top it all, your marketer now has a single view of that customer’s journey, allowing them to stop targeting that customer with the Facebook and Instagram ad and continue the conversation over WhatsApp – thereby, saving marketing monies.
But data is just the tip of the benefits for ads that Click to WhatsApp.
What are the benefits of Ads that Click to WhatsApp and why should you use it?
According to Statista, the share of digital ad spending on mobile platforms is expected to reach 70% in 2026. This makes ads that click-to-WhatsApp an integral part of your conversational marketing journey. But it’s not devoid of benefits.
With click-to-WhatsApp ads your business benefits from:
- Boosting awareness: Start a chat and introduce your unique messaging to a whole new crowd with ease.
- Smart ad delivery: Fine-tune ad performance for your specific goals, like conversions or sales, using nifty algorithms.
- Igniting interest: Get people talking with engaging content that stirs curiosity about your offerings.
- Capturing 100% leads: Capture every lead with vital info like names and phone numbers – no leaks in your sales funnel!
- Increasing customer lifetime value: Increase your sales odds by engaging with customers right when they’re interested.
- Zero-cost re-engagement: Save money on re-marketing by reconnecting with leads at no extra cost within 72 hours.
- Measuring what matters: Go beyond conversions to understand your customers better and personalize like a pro. (PS with Infobip you can use our native customer data platform and customer engagement solution for hyper-personalization)
- Full funnel conversations: From product availability to quick purchase advice, your customers get the VIP treatment via business messaging.
- ROAS powerhouse: Combine Meta’s reach with captivating business messaging for ROAS greatness and 100% lead capture.
- Personalized data goldmine: Capture customer information at every point in the journey to tailor outreach leading to cheaper leads, and a robust first-party database.
- Ads performance overview: Signal conversions with Conversions API to be able to compare the success of Ads that Click to WhatsApp from a chat session, and decide on further investments.
With all these benefits, how do you measure the success of click-to-WhatsApp ads? Well, with Ads that Click to WhatsApp analytics, you can.
How to measure click to chat or Ads that Click to WhatsApp?
When we invest in an ad campaign, we want to know how successful it is. Knowing this tells us our return on ad spend (ROAS). And now your marketing team can tell you this, and more.
Businesses can now view end-to-end customer journey data in ads that click-to-WhatsApp campaigns.
This provides marketers the insights they need to optimize their campaigns by showing figures such as:
- Campaign name: Organize your campaigns by name.
- Amount spend: Keep track of costs and your ad spend.
- Impressions: See how many users have seen your ad in their feed.
- Clicks: Know how many users have clicked on your ad to start a chat.
- Conversations: How many initiated conversations resulted in a conversion.
- Conversions value: What is the value of the customer conversion.
- ROAS: A percentage value derived from the conversion value and amount spend.
The next thing you can do to boost your performance marketing is to enable Conversions API, a technology included in Meta Ads Manager that helps you optimize ad targeting, decrease cost per result and more accurately measure outcomes of all your campaigns.
What does Conversions API bring?
- Measure the true value of your ads: Using Conversions API in your campaigns is a straightforward way of collecting and comparing the metrics for ad campaigns that are leading the user to the web, app, and now business chats.
- Make informed decisions: Once all of that data is collected, it’s pretty easy to understand customer beavior, create more relevant content and make future decisions which will set up your next campaigns for immediate success.
- Qualifications for future ad performance and targeting improvements: the Conversions API is improving customer’s future ad performance for Ads that Click to WhatsApp that result in Purchase event. By analyzing the behavior and data of users who make purchases through WhatsApp chats, the system will automatically better target future ads to reach individuals most likely to make a purchase.
- Consistent reporting: Adopting the Conversions API will enable you to have consistent reporting between Infobip and Meta Ads Manager.
Top Tip: Get the inside scoop on metrics!
Infobip customers enjoy some exclusive metrics, and there are even more detailed ones in the works! These special metrics are tailor-made with our customers in mind. They’re your secret sauce for supercharging your marketing campaigns on WhatsApp.
Setting up Ads that Click to WhatsApp and Conversions API
To start creating ads that Click to WhatsApp, you first need to connect your existing Facebook Business page with your WhatsApp Business account.
- Log in to your Facebook Ads Manager account
- Choose your objective: connect and chat with potential customers or get more people to engage with your posts
- Create your ad: choose between a newsfeed post with a “send message” button or an Instagram story with a “swipe up to chat” call-to-action
You should also consider integrating other entry points such as widgets on your website or through traditional offline media to increase your chances of customers reaching out to you on WhatsApp.
How to create ads that Click to WhatsApp
Creating an Ad that Clicks to WhatsApp is simple if you follow these seven easy steps:
- Go to Ads Manager and select Ad Creation.
- Select “Create” and choose “Messages” for the ad objective.
- Choose the Facebook page linked to your WhatsApp Business account.
- Select your target audience and design your ad.
- Set WhatsApp as your messaging platform to add click to WhatsApp messaging.
- Set a default message that welcomes customers when they click to chat.
- Set your budget and launch your campaign.
Creating a campaign is easy enough, but you will want to keep in mind the top use cases and best practices for maximum impact.
How to enable Conversions API for Ads that Click to WhatsApp on Infobip Platform
Conversions API can be used by any business that operates outside of Europe, the United Kingdom and Japan, by following these simple steps:
- Log in to Infobip and go to Exchange.
- Search for Meta Ads Reporting for Infobip Business Messaging app and click Add.
- Click on Connect account
- Choose your Facebook page, Ad account, and Dataset id you want to use for tracking conversions.
- Once the connection is done, you will see your account connected in the Exchange app.
For further instructions refer to our Documentation page.
Top use cases and when to use Ads that Click to WhatsApp?
Ads that Click to WhatsApp are a useful addition to your social media promotion strategy that can help you engage customers during:
- Discovery phase: when introducing WhatsApp as a new communication channel or trying to reach out to new customers
- Announcement phase: when launching a new product or service to build traction and interaction around it
- Retention phase: to inform existing followers about WhatsApp as a support channel
- Urgency phase: reach wider audiences for time-sensitive campaigns
By creating attention-grabbing ads that compel customers to click-to-chat businesses can help customers learn about products and services with conversations that lead to conversions.
Lead generation and qualifying
Using ads that click to WhatsApp, marketers can easily target users who fit their ideal customer profile.
Target users based on the attributes that match your ideal customer base, or even lookalike audiences. Tap into a market of nearly 5 billion combined monthly active users on Facebook and Instagram.
Once users see and click on your ad, engage them right away with a chatbot that can ask leads qualifying questions and guide them through your marketing funnel towards an acquisition.
Encourage consideration
Sometimes, customers just want more information about a product before they commit to buying. Or they may be considering a few similar products and need help deciding.
When a potential customer interacts with your ad that clicks to WhatsApp, they can chat with a human agent or chatbot to find out more about a product or learn more about several products they may be considering. Then, based on their replies, you can easily recommend products that best suit your customer.
And if a customer opts into receiving messages after clicking on your ad, you can even send them proactive product updates they may have interest in buying.
Boost sales
Customers want fast and friction free experiences – which is exactly the kind of CX WhatsApp delivers.
Guide customers to your WhatsApp product catalogs with product-specific ads that click to WhatsApp. Customers can then explore product catalogs for similar products, or complete a purchase for the one they came for using stored customer information.
These are a few ways businesses can use click to chat ads. But how do you even set up ads that click to WhatsApp? We have you covered.
Best practices for Ads that Click to WhatsApp
Now that you know what they are, as well as why and how you should ads that Click to WhatsApp, here are some best practices to keep in mind.
Show value and present it visually
Make it clear that pressing on the CTA will lead users to WhatsApp chat, where they are the owners of the conversation. Use messaging UI, logos, stickers, emojis, or bespoke visuals to showcase that they can start the conversation but also choose not to reply until it’s convenient for them. Compared to live conversations, WhatsApp chatbots can reduce anxiety and increase customer satisfaction.
Say now
Call out the CTA in the content or post-copy. Motivate them to start the conversation with you now. Depending on the use case, you can use incentives to do this.
Target customers based on where they are in your funnel
Using advanced analytics, you can target customers based on how they match your ideal profile, as well as where they are in your marketing funnel.
Consider targeting potential customers based on how they’ve interacted with your social media. For instance, a customer who already follows you on Facebook is likely better suited to a consideration ad, while a new user would be better served with an awareness phase ad.
Use a chatbot and be always on
Customers click on ads to WhatsApp to chat – not to be greeted with a message telling them that no agents are available outside office hours.
To avoid losing customers at this stage, add a chatbot that can immediately provide the answers your customers came for.
Chatbots can work 24/7 to provide answers to simple questions, share resources related to customer questions, offer product recommendations, and much more.
In addition to providing immediate responses to customer inquiries, chatbots can also quality and in some instances convert browsers into paying customers – instead of leaving them waiting.
Upsell and cross sell with product recommendations
Once customers initiate a chat, they’re open to discovering more of what you have to offer.
Use the opportunity to offer substitute or even complimentary products.
Take advantage of WhatsApp product catalogs and help guide customers to even more satisfying experiences.
Always ask for opt-ins
Ads that click to WhatsApp are a conversation starter – but use them as an opportunity to continue the conversation beyond the customer’s initiation.
When customers engage, ask them for their permission to message them by doing the following:
- Clearly state your request: Meta requires businesses to state their name and ask for permission to message their opt-in request.
- Set expectations: Tell your customers what sort of messages they can expect – whether it’s special product offers, announcements, discounts, etc.
- Incentive: “What’s in it for me?” asked every customer ever. Make it worth their while and offer customers a discount for opting in to receiving messages from your business.
These are some best practices to keep in mind when launching your next click-to-chat campaign on WhatsApp.
Top Tip: Add the X-factor to click-to-chat campaigns
Did you know? Ads that Click to WhatsApp aren’t just for WhatsApp. You can dive into analytics that combine Facebook and Instagram ads, initiating chats on WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram Direct. Measure your ROAS and supercharge your campaigns effortlessly across the customer journey.
Ads that Click to WhatsApp allow businesses to engage their customers on the channel they’re at home on and engage where they’re comfortable chatting. Customers reach out on their own terms to start conversations, which makes it easier for businesses to boost sales and build lasting relationships.
Are you ready to take your marketing campaigns to the next level or want more information?
We have something for both.
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