Looking to send promotions, newsletters, updates and announcements to your customers with a WhatsApp bulk message? This blog is for you. In this first-hand guide, we will discuss why you should use WhatsApp API for bulk messaging. We will also show you how to create a WhatsApp bulk message list and how to send bulk messages on WhatsApp API using respond.io’s WhatsApp bulk message sender. Finally, you’ll learn the rules that govern WhatsApp bulk messaging as well as the best practices for sending WhatsApp bulk messages.
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What is a WhatsApp Bulk Message?
Simply put, WhatsApp bulk messages are messages sent simultaneously to multiple recipients on WhatsApp. Businesses can reach a large number of customers effortlessly, making it one of the best marketing and remarketing tools.
Benefits of WhatsApp Bulk Message
WhatsApp bulk messages provide numerous advantages that make them an attractive option for businesses to effectively interact with their target audience.
They come with the capability to share diverse forms of rich media and have demonstrated exceptional engagement rates surpassing those of emails. Plus, the opt-in model guarantees interaction with an interested and engaged audience. More on that later.
WhatsApp offers two bulk messaging solutions to cater to different business sizes and messaging needs — WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business Platform (also known as WhatsApp API). Let’s first talk about WhatsApp bulk messages on the WhatsApp Business App.
How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: WhatsApp Business App
In general, the WhatsApp Business App works for micro and small businesses. It’s free, easy to use and doesn’t rely on external software to send broadcasts.
Here’s how to send bulk messages on the WhatsApp Business App for free:
- Download and install the WhatsApp Business App on your device.
- Verify your number. Ensure that it's different from your personal number.
- Create a broadcast list containing up to 256 contacts.
- Compose your message and send it.
Keep in mind that the WhatsApp Business App is not a viable option for medium or large enterprises, as the app has a limitation of 256 contacts per bulk message or per broadcast list. If you are an SME or enterprise looking to send WhatsApp bulk messages, the best choice is WhatsApp API.
How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: WhatsApp API
Whatsapp API allows you to send bulk messages to a much larger audience without the 256-contact limitation. Plus, it comes with advanced features such as multiuser functionality and integration abilities.
You need two things to send a WhatsApp bulk message with WhatsApp API: A WhatsApp API account and a business messaging software like respond.io to send and receive messages. As an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), respond.io helps you easily acquire a WhatsApp API account directly from its platform.
<call-out> As a badged Meta Business Partner, respond.io has been vetted for its proficiency in managing Meta products. This endorsement guarantees top-notch support from Meta, making it an exceptionally well-regarded option as a platform for customer conversation software. <call-out>
WhatsApp API Bulk Messaging Policies
Businesses are required to use a message template to send a WhatsApp bulk message via WhatsApp API. You can send transactional, authentication or marketing content, but it must comply with WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy. Violation of this policy may affect your ability to send messages.
Now that you’ve learned the basics of WhatsApp bulk messaging, it’s time to choose a WhatsApp bulk messaging tool.
What to Look For in a WhatsApp Bulk Message Sender
Overwhelmed by too many choices of WhatsApp bulk message senders? When choosing a WhatsApp bulk message sender, focus on these important factors:
- Channels supported: An ideal bulk message sender would allow you to send broadcasts on multiple channels for omnichannel marketing
- Platform stability: A stable platform is crucial to maintaining consistent, uninterrupted operations
- Broadcast analytics: A good WhatsApp bulk message sender software should come with advanced analytical tools that make it easy to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
Next, we’ll review a few WhatsApp bulk messaging tools to help you make an informed decision.
5 WhatsApp Bulk Message Senders to Consider
We have personally tested five WhatsApp bulk message senders on the market. Here’s a round-up of what we have learned.
1. Wati
WATI is a bulk message sender that’s fully focused on WhatsApp. Lacking multichannel support, it doesn’t allow you to send bulk messages to customers on other popular messaging channels, including Telegram and Facebook Messenger.
Relying on a single messaging channel can be potentially problematic - you won’t be able to communicate with your customers if the channel goes down, and your audience is limited to only those active on that channel.
2. Trengo
Trengo is a WhatsApp bulk message sender built for small businesses with simple business processes.
While it supports bulk messaging on WhatsApp, Trengo doesn’t allow you to send bulk messages on other popular messaging apps such as LINE and Viber. This hinders you from reaching your customers in countries where LINE and Viber are popular.
3. Sleekflow
Like Trengo, Sleekflow is a WhatsApp bulk message sender designed for smaller companies. Having limited broadcasting capabilities, it doesn't support bulk messaging on Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Viber.
Plus, it tends to slow down and crash when processing a high volume of messages. To add insult to injury, its customer service team is only contactable on Mondays to Fridays, 9 am to 6 pm Hong Kong Time (HKT).
4. MessageBird
MessageBird is a WhatsApp bulk messaging solution initially developed for SMS. Despite supporting many popular channels, it only supports bulk messaging on WhatsApp and SMS.
Additionally, setting up WhatsApp bulk messages on MessageBird requires technical knowledge since it is not a native feature. The platform also experiences downtime 2 to 3 times a month, which can be disruptive to your business operations.
5. Respond.io
Respond.io is a full-fledged WhatsApp bulk message sender that comes with advanced capabilities that’ll boost the success of your marketing campaigns.
With respond.io, you can send targeted, focused WhatsApp bulk messages to a specific group of people. You may also schedule them for a specific date and time, or test them by sending them to yourself or a team member.
Omnichannel marketing is a breeze on respond.io - it allows you to send bulk messages on multiple channels in addition to WhatsApp. This includes popular messaging apps like Telegram, Facebook Messenger, LINE and Viber, as well as legacy channels such as SMS.
Respond.io also makes it easy to manage a massive influx of messages in response to WhatsApp bulk messages. Through Workflows, you can segment Contacts according to their responses and set up auto-replies to handle a high volume of responses effortlessly.
For a more conversational experience, use AI Agent to handle bulk message responses. After being trained with your knowledge sources, this virtual ally will compose immediate answers to common customer inquiries.
Other Reasons to Choose respond.io as Your WhatsApp Bulk Message Sender
Now, let’s explore other qualities of respond.io that make it an ideal WhatsApp bulk message sender:
- Robust platform stability: Being a highly dependable platform, respond.io empowers businesses to maintain consistent operations and handle high volumes of messages without interruption.
- Multichannel customer support: Respond.io’s multilingual, round-the-clock customer support is available on popular channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and more.
- Advanced analytics: Respond.io offers insights and data that will help you measure the success of your marketing campaign and improve your next campaign's strategy.
As we can see, respond.io is the best WhatsApp bulk message sender that supports bulk messaging on all the popular channels. Compared to other WhatsApp bulk message senders, respond.io also has better platform reliability and customer support availability.
<call-out> Srikandi, an authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer in Indonesia, is using WhatsApp bulk messages for a 125% rise in customer conversations. Read the whole story here <call-out>
Next, we’ll walk you through the process of sending a WhatsApp bulk message on respond.io.
How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp API with Respond.io
For a start, sign up for a respond.io account. You can start with a free trial and upgrade later to a plan that meets your business needs. Then, connect WhatsApp API and you’re good to go!
1. Import a Contact List
On respond.io the first step to sending a WhatsApp bulk message is to import a contact list to the platform.
Here are a couple of tips for importing Contacts: First, categorize the Contacts in the CSV file by assigning tags to them, such as new or VIP customers. For a smooth Contact import process, make sure that Contacts’ phone numbers are in the international format with country and area codes.
You’ll be notified via email once the import process is complete. Then, you can use the Tags to create a Segment in the Contacts Module. This will be the target audience for your bulk message. The next step is to create a Message Template.
2. Create a Message Template
To send bulk messages via WhatsApp API, you can only use WhatsApp message templates that have been pre-approved by Meta. Fortunately, you can create and submit message templates for approval directly from respond.io, making the process easy and convenient.
To create a message template on respond.io, navigate to Settings > Channels, and locate your WhatsApp API Channel. Then, go to Templates and click Submit Template. Next, give a name to the Message Template and fill in other required information. Finally, compose the message template and submit it for approval.
There are three statuses: Submitted, Approved and Rejected. If a message template is rejected, you’ll be able to find the reason for its rejection on the platform. You can edit and resubmit rejected message templates for approval.
Apart from this status, WhatsApp API provides another quality insight called quality rating. Being blocked by customers will cause it to drop. Check out these best practices for maintaining a high-quality rating.
Once an approved message template reaches a low-quality rating, it will be assigned a Flagged status. If the quality rating does not improve in seven days, the status will switch to Disabled and you can’t send or edit message templates during this time.
Businesses can create WhatsApp bulk messages with Interactive and Multimedia Message Templates. An interactive message template contains Call-To-Action or Quick Reply buttons, while a multimedia message template supports text, images, videos and PDF files.
After creating your message template, it’s time to put it to use and send a WhatsApp bulk message to your customers.
3. Create a WhatsApp Bulk Message
To create a WhatsApp API broadcast on respond.io, follow the steps below:
- Click on the Broadcast Module in the left navigation menu.
- Click on the Add Broadcast button at the top.
- Name your broadcast and click Create.
- Label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. This step is optional.
By default, a broadcast’s audience is set to all Contacts. If you’d like to limit your broadcast to a specific group of people, select the Segment from the drop-down list.
Benefits of Segmenting WhatsApp Bulk Messages
Segmenting a WhatsApp bulk message can enhance the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. It allows you to identify which customer groups are more receptive to your messages.
By comparing response rates and engagement levels across different segments, you can pinpoint the specific characteristics and preferences of each audience subset. This empowers you to create tailored messages that resonate with each segment, increasing the likelihood of capturing their attention and converting them into customers.
Once you have selected a Segment, choose the Specific Channel option. In the channel drop-down list, select the WhatsApp API account you’d like to use to send the broadcast.
Below, you’ll find a checkbox that you shouldn't ignore: Only send to contacts who interacted with this channel before. Check it only if you want to exclude your newly imported Contact list from the broadcast.
Finally, select the relevant message template and fill in the details. Once the WhatsApp broadcast is ready, schedule it for a specific date and time. To be safe, you can test it by sending it to yourself or a Contact of your choice.
Now that you know how to send WhatsApp bulk messages using respond.i0, let’s learn how to create an engaging WhatsApp bulk message.
Tips for Creating Engaging WhatsApp Bulk Messages
To create engaging WhatsApp bulk messages, consider the following tips:
Add Visuals
Enhance your WhatsApp bulk message by incorporating emojis, images, or videos. Visual elements make the message visually appealing and help it stand out.
Include a Call-to-Action
Prompt the recipient to take action by including a clear call-to-action in your message. This could be visiting a website, making a purchase or simply replying to the message.
Keep It Clear and Concise
Make your messages short and straightforward. At the same time, you should avoid using jargon that may confuse the recipient.
Be human
Use a friendly and conversational tone in your WhatsApp messages. This creates a more personable and relatable experience for the recipient.
Test Thoroughly before Sending
Before sending out your bulk broadcast messages, conduct thorough testing by sending test messages. Ensure that the formatting, content and overall appearance are correct. This step helps you avoid embarrassing mistakes or miscommunications and ensures that your messages convey professionalism and resonate with your audience as intended.
Personalize Bulk Broadcast Messages
By personalizing your messages, you can create a more engaging and tailored experience for your recipients. Personalization can help your messages feel more relevant and increase the likelihood of positive engagement.
WhatsApp API has several measures in place to prevent businesses from misusing its bulk messaging feature. Let’s take an in-depth look at them in the following section.
What You Need to Know Before You Send a Bulk WhatsApp Message
Sending bulk messages via WhatsApp is intended for retargeting existing contacts, not for cold outreach. You must obtain the contacts' consent before sending any messages. This requirement is part of WhatsApp's efforts to prevent businesses from spamming their contacts.
WhatsApp also has measures put in place to ensure that only high-quality bulk messages are sent. Therefore, businesses must follow WhatsApp's regulations to send bulk messages with WhatsApp API. When sending broadcasts, WhatsApp API users should be familiar with the following:
- WhatsApp Broadcast API messaging limits
- WhatsApp message template categories
- Phone number status and quality rating
Let’s explore them below.
Messaging Limits
The number of recipients you can send bulk messages to with WhatsApp API depends on your messaging limit. The higher your messaging limit, the more unique Contacts you can message in a rolling 24-hour period.
To send bulk WhatsApp messages to a large audience, you need to upgrade your WhatsApp messaging limit. Businesses need to fulfill certain criteria as outlined below to upgrade their WhatsApp messaging limit:
- Your business is verified in Meta Business Manager.
- Phone number status is Connected.
- Phone number quality rating is Medium or High.
- You have sent half the number of messages allowed in your current tier to unique customers over the past seven days.
WhatsApp Message Template Category
There are three WhatsApp Message Template categories, which are designed for different use cases:
- Authentication Templates
- Utility Templates
- Marketing Template
Learn more about the approved use cases of each message template category here.
Phone Number Status and Quality Rating
Phone number status and quality rating can affect your ability to send a bulk message on WhatsApp. To send bulk messages without restriction, a phone number’s status must be Connected.
When your phone number is reported or blocked, its rating drops to Low. Subsequently, its status turns to Flagged. While in the Flagged status, you can’t upgrade your number’s messaging limit. If the quality rating doesn’t improve in seven days, the status returns to Connected, but your messaging limit decreases by one level.
If your number reaches its messaging limit while having a poor quality rating, it will get a Restricted status. A Restricted phone number can only respond to inbound conversations. This means you won’t be able to send WhatsApp bulk messages to new unique Contacts.
To ensure a good quality rating, you should avoid getting marked as spam. Read on to find out how to avoid getting marked as spam when sending bulk messages.
WhatsApp Bulk Message Tips to Avoid Getting Marked as Spam
To avoid being marked as spam when sending bulk messages on WhatsApp, there are several strategies you can implement.
Familiarize yourself with WhatsApp Policies
Take the time to understand the WhatsApp Business Business Messaging Policy before sending bulk messages. By complying with these rules, you can maintain a positive reputation and avoid being flagged as spam.
Obtain Explicit Consent
Before adding recipients to your broadcast list, always ensure you have obtained their explicit opt-in consent. Clearly communicate the type of messages they will receive and provide an easy opt-out option. This helps to establish a foundation of trust and respect for their privacy.
Respect Opt-out Requests
Provide recipients with a simple way to opt out of receiving further messages. Ensure that their opt-out requests are promptly acknowledged and honored by removing them from your broadcast list without delay.
Monitor Feedback
Pay close attention to user feedback and responses. If recipients report your messages as spam, take immediate action to address their concerns. Actively engaging with your audience and promptly resolving any issues can help prevent further reports.
To gather feedback from customers and refine your messaging content and approach, consider utilizing surveys. Ask specific questions about their preferences, needs and opinions regarding your messaging content and approach. This method allows you to collect structured data and quantifiable insights.
Remember, gathering and acting upon customer feedback is an ongoing process. Continuously refine your bulk message content and approach based on the feedback received to ensure that your communication is always aligned with your audience's expectations and needs.
Be Transparent
Maintain transparency by clearly communicating the purpose and value of your messages. By being open and honest, you build trust and establish a strong relationship with your recipients, which ultimately enhances privacy protection.
Send Relevant and Valuable Content
It is crucial to send messages that are relevant and valuable to your recipients through WhatsApp bulk messages. Avoid bombarding them with frequent, generic, or irrelevant messages, as this can lead to being perceived as spam. Tailor your content to the specific needs and interests of your audience to increase engagement.
Avoid spammy content
Craft messages that are valuable, relevant, and not overly promotional. Avoid using excessive emojis, capitalization or misleading information. It's crucial to maintain a professional and trustworthy approach.
Timing matters
Consider sending messages at appropriate times to improve engagement rates. Avoid late hours or times when people are less likely to be active on their phones. By being mindful of the timing, you can increase the chances of your messages being marked as spam.
Optimize Message Length
Keep your messages concise and to the point. Long and wordy messages can be perceived as spam and might discourage recipients from engaging with your content. Make sure your message effectively communicates its purpose in a clear and concise manner.
Limit Frequency
Avoid excessive messaging that might overwhelm recipients. Respect a reasonable frequency for sending bulk messages, ensuring that recipients are not bombarded with an excessive amount of communication.
By implementing these strategies, you can significantly reduce the risk of being marked as spam when sending bulk WhatsApp messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the options for businesses to send WhatsApp bulk messages?
If you’re a small business, you’ll need the WhatsApp Business App. If you are a medium or large-size business, you should instead use the WhatsApp Business API and connect it to a messaging inbox. Regardless of your choice, you must also have a list of WhatsApp contacts.
How to write a bulk message on WhatsApp?
For WhatsApp Business App users:
- Open the app and tap on Broadcast Lists in the menu
- Tap New List and select contacts from your list
- Create your message and hit send
For WhatsApp Business API users:
- Open your messaging platform integrated with WhatsApp API
- Create a broadcast list or segment your contacts
- Type your WhatsApp template message and send it
What are the requirements for sending bulk messages through a WhatsApp broadcast list?
Bulk messaging with a WhatsApp broadcast list requires your contacts to have your number saved in their phones first. The person would not even receive your message if they haven't added you to their phone's address book.
What is the WhatsApp bulk message contact limit?
The broadcast limit on the WhatsApp Business App is 256 unique contacts per broadcast list. With WhatsApp API, it varies based on your phone number's messaging limits. However, upon meeting certain prerequisites, you can broadcast messages to unlimited contacts.
What are the requirements for obtaining consent and opt-in from recipients?
Before sending bulk broadcast messages, it is crucial to ensure that you have obtained the necessary consent from your recipients. WhatsApp requires that users have opted in to receive messages from your business or organization. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in your messages being reported as spam.
What is the limit on the number of messages that can be sent per day?
WhatsApp imposes a limit on the number of messages you can send per day, which varies depending on your tier.
We’ve covered everything you need to know about WhatsApp bulk messages. To get started with WhatsApp bulk messaging, sign up for a respond.io account or connect your WhatsApp API account now.
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Further Reading
We hope you find this first-hand guide to WhatsApp bulk messages helpful, especially for sending promotions, newsletters, updates, and announcements to your customers efficiently. Want to learn more about WhatsApp API? We recommend the following articles:
- WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign
- How to Get a WhatsApp API Account
- How to Use respond.io as a WhatsApp CRM
