Businesses must apply for a ‘Message Template’ from Meta before sending WhatsApp Broadcast, and the template can be selected and used for broadcast upon approval. Users who have adopted WhatsApp Business API through Omnichat can directly apply for a ‘Message Template’ in the backend.
What is WhatsApp Message Template？
Companies must use WhatsApp Message Templates which support multimedia content to proactively start business-initiated conversations with customers. Therefore, brands can enhance the reading experience, increasing message open rates, click-through rates, and reducing the chance of being blocked.
Moreover, variables can be inserted when applying for a Template, allowing brands to include more precise information in the broadcast.
Here’s a brief introduction to the structure of templates:
A WhatsApp Template Message consists of four sections: Header, Body, Footer, and Buttons.
Only the ‘Body’ section is required, while the other three sections are optional.
1. Header
The type of header can be set as either “Text” or “Media”.
- If you choose “Text,” you can insert a variable where needed. For example, “Dear {{1}}” : specific text will replace {{1}} during the broadcast.
- If you choose “Media,” you must select an image, video, or document further.
2. Body
The content is mainly for text and multiple variables can be inserted where needed.
For example, if you would like to set up a Message Template for a holiday campaign.
Original copy：
【Valentine’s Day Sale | Get Your Favourites at 15% Off】
Shop all your essentials in one place, from anti-pandemic supplies to skincare, makeup, personal care, and healthy foods. Plus, you can accumulate reward points with every purchase!
☑️ Enjoy a 10% discount on all online purchases, and get an extra $50 off on orders over $1000!
☑️ Get a 10% discount on all in-store purchases, and receive a complimentary gift with every purchase.
Event period：2/1-2/3/2023
Use variables to set up the following Template：
【{{1}} 】
{{2}}
☑️ Online store {{3}}
☑️ Store {{4}}
Event period：{{5}}
By using variables to replace key information, you can apply for a Message Template so the content can be flexibly used for different campaigns.
3. Footer
The footer can only include text without any variables or multimedia.
It is recommended to set general rules on your WhatsApp Business API account, such as:
- Input ‘Unsubscribe’ if you do not wish to receive this type of message.
- Input ‘Menu’ to return to the main menu.
4. Button
Buttons can more explicitly invite customers to reply to messages or take action, and there are two types to choose from:
- Call To Action: Allows customers to visit a designated website or make a phone call, with a maximum of one website button and one call button.
- Quick Replies: Customers click the button and reply with a specific term, usually used with ‘Keyword auto-reply’ or Chatbot, with a maximum of three quick reply buttons.
How to apply for WhatsApp Template Message？
There are three benefits to setting up Templates in the Omnichat backend:
- The button link of ‘Visit Website’ button can be reset for each broadcast, making the Template more versatile
- Quick Replies can be linked directly to your WhatsApp Chatbot in Omnichat
- In addition to Broadcast, Templates can also be selected for one-on-one message replies
Before starting to apply for WhatsApp Templates, please ensure that you have completed:
- Create an Omnichat account（Register now）
- Connect WhatsApp Business API with Omnichat（How to apply for WhatsApp Business API）
The following explains how to apply for a WhatsApp Template in the Omnichat backend:
1. Go to WhatsApp Template management page
Go to the Omnichat backend and click ‘Channels’ in the left main menu, then select ‘Social Channels Integration‘.
Select ‘WhatsApp’, Click the pencil icon for editing WhatsApp Template.
2. Add Template
After selecting ‘WhatsApp Template’, choose ‘Add template’ at the upper right hand corner.
Open a blank Message Template.
3. Fill in the Template information
Fill in the information according to the instructions.
Enter {{1}} {{2}} {{3}} (or click “Add Parameter”) and this field can be filled with appropriate information later. Only the title and content can use parameters.
- Name: Only lowercase English letters and underscores (_) can be used, and there should be no spaces. This name will appear in the interface for selecting the Template in Broadcast, so it should be easily recognisable when filling it out.
- Language: Choose the language to be used for your Template and Broadcast.
- Title: Optional. If you need to insert multimedia materials (such as images, videos, documents), put them in this field. If you choose the text format, you can only use one variable at most.
- Content: The main body of the template. ‘Add Parameter’ can be used to retain flexibility for key fields that may need to be changed. Note that there must be text or symbols between two parameters; they cannot be seamlessly connected.
- Footer: Optional. It is recommended to include frequently used items, such as ‘Enter “unsubscribe” to stop receiving messages’, ‘If you have any questions, please call XXXXXX.’ and ‘Enter OO to return to the main menu’, etc.
- Button: Optional. You can choose to go to a website, make a phone call, or reply quickly. If you choose ‘Go to Website’, please fill in a URL field with a random URL (such as your homepage) first, and it can be replaced when using Template Broadcast later. If you choose ‘Quick Reply’, the text you set cannot be modified later, but the action for the quick reply (such as triggering an automatic response or Chatbot) can be adjusted.
4. Add Sample
Add an example to let reviewers know what kind of content will be placed in your parameter field, which will increase the chance of approval!
5. Click ‘New Message Template’ and wait for review
After filling in the above information, click ‘Add Template Message’ at the bottom right corner, and then wait for WhatsApp’s official review.
On the Template Message page, you can see the review status of the Template. If it says ‘Approved’, you can use this Template to conduct WhatsApp Broadcast.
How to use WhatsApp Template for Broadcast？
1. Go to ‘Audience and Broadcast’, select the WhatsApp contact(s) you want to Broadcast to, and click ‘Broadcast Message’.
2. Select the message template, set the subject, sending time, and edit the message content.
- Subject: This field is only for backend viewing; customers who receive the Broadcast will not see the content.
- Sending time: You can choose to ‘Send Immediately’ or schedule it for a future time.
- Parameters: The content of the “Parameter 1,” “Parameter 2,” etc. fields will be sequentially placed in the positions of {{1}} {{2}}.
- Button: If it is a quick reply, you can select the WhatsApp Chatbot you have set up in Omnichat as the automatic reply that the customer will receive after clicking. If it is a ‘Go to Website’ button, you can fill in the landing page of this campaign.
3. Preview
4. Click ‘Next Step’ and confirm the broadcast message.
Apply the Message Template for starting WhatsApp Remarketing!
With rising advertising costs and difficulty in acquiring traffic, how to encourage existing customers to repurchase is a challenge for retail brands. Apply for WhatsApp Templates now and make good use of WhatsApp Broadcast to create more conversions from old customers!
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