How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp Officially [2024]

If you are a business, you know how important it is to stay on top of your customers' minds. One way to do this today is to reach them where they are most active: WhatsApp.

Many brands want to reach out to their customers on WhatsApp but don’t know how to do so. Maybe they have done it in the past but got blocked because they didn't adhere to Meta’s strict privacy policy guidelines.

If you are a brand that wants to send promotional messages to hundreds or thousands of its customers on WhatsApp, then this blog is for you.

What is WhatsApp Bulk Messaging?

Sending a message to 10 people manually is easy. But what if you have to send it to 1,000 or 1 million people in one go? That’d require a lot of manual labor and time, which can be drastically reduced if you use WhatsApp bulk messaging tools.

WhatsApp bulk messaging is a communication method brands use to send customers updates, marketing offers, and important announcements. Depending on the method, these messages can look like regular messages or have rich media and clickable buttons.

And the best part? You don’t have to save contacts to send these messages.

Why WhatsApp for Bulk Messaging?

WhatsApp has over 2 billion active users globally, and over 100 billion messages are sent daily.

It is difficult to shun a platform with the highest open and click-through rate among all social media platforms.

Mark Zuckerberg said at an internal company meeting in 2022 that business messaging "is probably going to be the next major pillar of our business.” The Meta boss seems very bullish on businesses communicating with customers on WhatsApp.

How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: Methods and Tools

There are three ways brands can send bulk messages to their customers:

1. WhatsApp Business App
2. WhatsApp Business API
3. Third-party tools

Let’s understand each of these methods in detail.

WhatsApp Business App

WhatsApp Business is ideal for small businesses that want to broadcast to a small audience but do not have the budget to pay for messaging or the platform fee.

It’s ideal for brands that rarely send promotional messages or information to their customers and have a small customer base.

Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

• Download and Install the WhatsApp Business App: Begin by downloading and installing the app on your device.
• Verify Your Business Number: Your business number should differ from your number.
• Create a Broadcast List: You can add up to 256 contacts to your broadcast list.
• Compose Your Message: Write your message and hit send.

However, since this is a free version of the app - it has its limitations:

• You can not add more than 256 contacts to your broadcast list
• You can’t personalize these broadcast messages.
• You can only send broadcast messages to people who have saved your business phone number.
• Rich messaging features like CTA buttons and quick replies aren’t available.
• There’s no analytics to track who opened, read, or clicked on your messages.

WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp Business API is for medium to big companies who want to broadcast to a large audience and get detailed analytics, have 2-way personalized conversations with customers using chatbots, and much more.

You can get an official WhatsApp API from a Business Service Provider (BSP) or Meta partners such as QuickReply.ai.

If you subscribe to a WhatsApp marketing automation tool like QuickReply.ai, you will get a WhatsApp software that helps you in bulk messaging, but on top of that, you also get:

• Broadcast Insights (who opened, read, and clicked)
• Save on wasteful spending by filtering non-engaging contacts
• Schedule broadcast
• Customer segmentation
• 2-way conversations using advanced chatbots

Benefits of using the official WhatsApp Business API

• Unlimited Broadcast Messages: Send as many broadcast messages as needed without limitations in one go.
• Personalized Communication: Customize messages using variables like names, dates, and coupons for a personalized touch.
• Multi-User Access: Allow multiple team members to log into the same WhatsApp Business account for smooth customer interactions.
• CRM and Business Tool Integration: Seamlessly integrate with CRMs and other essential business tools.

• Detailed Analytics: Access comprehensive analytics and reports to monitor message delivery and open and response rates.
• Chatbot Implementation: Chatbots can manage common queries and provide instant responses, reducing the load on human agents.
• Segmented Broadcast Lists: Create targeted broadcast lists based on customer demographics, behavior, or preferences.

💡 Note: The WhatsApp API itself is focused solely on messaging. It doesn’t include analytics, CRM integration, or 2-way chatbot capabilities. To access these features, you need a software solution like QuickReply.ai, built on top of the API. Alternatively, large companies may develop their in-house solution, but this requires significant resources.

Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools are also available on the market that can help businesses send messages in bulk, but since Meta does not officially recognize them, the chances of getting your business phone number banned permanently are high.

💡 Note: QuickReply.ai recommends sending bulk messages using WhatsApp Business App or Cloud API rather than a third-party tool.

How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp from Excel

A platform like QuickReply.ai is needed to send bulk WhatsApp broadcasts using data from an Excel sheet.

Now, there are two ways through which you can add a list to QuickReply.ai’s platform -

1. By uploading an Excel sheet
2. By choosing a Shopify segment (for e-commerce stores)

Step-by-step guide on how to send bulk messages on WhatsApp using an Excel sheet:

• Login to the QuickReply.ai dashboard
• Go to campaigns
• Click “Create New Broadcast”
• Name your Broadcast and select a category
• Select a template
• Click on “Select Recipients” and choose Upload sheet (excel)

• Upload media and variables
• Choose a bot to engage when the recipient replies
• Add UTM parameter to track links
• Use Skip rules (dead audience filtering) to filter out non-engaging contacts
• Select a date and time
• Add up to 3 retries (in case the broadcast fails due to Meta’s frequency capping update)
• Add a number to send a test message (optional)
• Click on schedule, and your bulk broadcast will be set up.

Best Practices for Effective WhatsApp Bulk Messaging

To stay in Meta’s good books and avoid getting your WhatsApp business number permanently banned, remember these things while sending a bulk message on WhatsApp.

Audience Segmentation

Sending a single message to hundreds or thousands of people may not be the best strategy for bulk messaging.

Instead, divide your audience into different segments and create campaigns around those particular segments.

It significantly increases your open and click-through rate (CTR) and saves marketing dollars.

QuickReply.ai allows you to segment your audience based on multiple variables. For example, if you are a Shopify store, it can segment your customers into frequent buyers, high-value customers, seasonal buyers, and more.

You can also use QuickReply.ai’s Dead Audience Filtering functionality to remove contacts who usually don’t engage with your messages while setting up the broadcast. This significantly improves Return on ad spend (ROAS).

Message Personalization

75% of consumers say personalized communications are key in choosing a brand and making future purchases.

The more personalized a message, the higher the chances customers interact with it.

With QuickReply.ai, brands can personalize the receivers’s names, products they abandoned/viewed, coupon codes, product images, and more.

Timing and Frequency

“I believe in moderation in all things, including moderation,”  said J.F. Carter. This line is true even for brands that think that since tools like QuickReply.ai allow them to send millions of messages per day, they should do it.

Make sure customers wait for your message rather than get annoyed by it. And that is only possible through moderation.

Regarding timings on when to send a bulk message, keep it around when people are more likely to use their phone, like late evening. This ensures you instantly get their attention.

Advanced Techniques for WhatsApp Bulk Messaging

Sending bulk messages on WhatsApp is more than just blasting a text to thousands of contacts. To truly make an impact, businesses need to use advanced techniques that maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Let’s understand how to take your WhatsApp bulk messaging to the next level.

Using WhatsApp API for Large-Scale Campaigns

When managing large-scale campaigns, the WhatsApp API is your go-to solution. Unlike the WhatsApp Business App with limitations, the API allows you to send messages at scale, handle complex workflows, and gain deep insights.

Understanding Tier Levels

The WhatsApp API operates on a tiered messaging limit system that determines how many unique users you can message daily. These tiers are crucial for scaling your campaigns while staying within WhatsApp's rules:

1. Tier 1: Send messages to 1,000 unique users daily.
2. Tier 2: Reach 10,000 unique users daily.
3. Tier 3: Message up to 100,000 unique users daily.
4. Tier 4 (Custom): For businesses needing even more reach, this tier allows messaging to over 100,000 unique users daily, subject to approval by WhatsApp.

These dynamic tiers can be upgraded based on your messaging quality and compliance with WhatsApp’s guidelines. Businesses that maintain high-quality interactions and low complaint rates can automatically move to higher tiers, allowing them to reach more users.

Integration with CRM and Marketing Automation

Integrating WhatsApp bulk messaging with your CRM and marketing tools makes your marketing data-backed and solid. With this setup, every message you send and every customer interaction automatically feeds into your CRM, helping you keep track of everything in one place.

For instance, when you send a bulk broadcast through QuickReply.ai, it automatically syncs data on who opened, clicked, and engaged with your message back to your CRM. This makes it easy to refine your customer segments and tailor future campaigns more effectively.

Suppose you run an abandoned cart campaign: You send a flash sale broadcast, and anyone who opens but doesn’t purchase is automatically added to a follow-up sequence.

Monitoring and Analytics

Monitoring performance is essential to make the most out of your WhatsApp bulk messaging campaigns - without it, you are just shooting in the dark.

With tools like QuickReply.ai, you can track key metrics that tell you how well your campaign is performing in terms of:

• Total Users Reached: The number of contacts who received the message.
• Delivery Rate: How many messages were successfully delivered
• Failure Rate: The percentage of failed messages due to invalid numbers or issues like Meta’s frequency capping.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): How many users clicked the CTA button.
• Skipped Contacts: The number of contacts skipped due to predefined rules (customizable on the QuickReply.ai dashboard)

If you are a Shopify store, you can dive even deeper and know about the following:

• Orders Placed
• Abandoned Carts
• Revenue Recovered
• Campaign Spend

How to Send Bulk WhatsApp Messages to 10,000 Contacts

Sending bulk messages to an extensive contact list, such as 10,000 people, can seem daunting. However, using a tool like QuickReply.ai makes it seamless.

You can upload an Excel sheet with 10,000 contacts and run a broadcast (as shown in the section “How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp from Excel” above), but there is a better and more effective way to do it.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Segment Your Audience: Break your 10,000 contacts into smaller, targeted segments based on behavior, demographics, or purchase history. This improves engagement rates and ensures your message is relevant.
2. Personalize Messages: Personalize each message using dynamic fields, making it feel more like a 1:1 conversation rather than a broadcast.
3. Schedule Smartly: Send your messages when your audience is most active to boost engagement.
4. Monitor in Real-Time: Monitor delivery rates, CTR, and other key metrics as your campaign unfolds.
5. Automate Follow-Ups: Set up automated sequences to follow up with those who engaged but didn’t convert, ensuring you maximize your results.

Legal Considerations for WhatsApp Bulk Messaging

User Consent and Opt-Outs

Obtaining user consent is paramount for WhatsApp bulk messaging.

WhatsApp’s Terms of Service explicitly state that you should only send messages to users who have opted to receive them. Failing to do so can lead to your account being flagged as spam or suspended.

Transparency is key. Ensure your messages identify your business and provide an easy way for recipients to opt out. This will keep you compliant and build trust with your audience.

Data Privacy

Compliance with regulations like GDPR is essential when handling customer data. This means ensuring that all data collected and used for WhatsApp messaging is secure and providing clear options for users to manage their preferences.

QuickReply.ai makes compliance easy with features like opt-in management and secure data handling protocols, ensuring that your campaigns are effective and legally sound.

Case Studies of Successful WhatsApp Bulk Messaging Campaigns

E-commerce Success with Amama Jewellery

Amama Jewellery, a leading e-commerce brand, partnered with QuickReply.ai to run a successful WhatsApp bulk messaging campaign.

The campaign targeted specific customer segments with personalized messages and offers.

Results:

• Increased Engagement: Amama Jewellery achieved a 70% open rate and a 45% click-through rate, significantly higher than industry averages.
• Improved Sales: The campaign led to a 23% increase in sales during the promotional period, generating a 12x return on investment.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: The timely and relevant updates sent through QuickReply.ai boosted customer engagement and strengthened their relationship with the brand, resulting in a 20% reduction in cart abandonment.

Let’s Wrap It Up

If you’re a small business with limited messaging needs, the WhatsApp Business App is a cost-effective and straightforward solution. It’s perfect for sending messages to smaller audiences and managing customer communication without much complexity.

However, the WhatsApp API is the way to go if your business is growing and you require more sophisticated features. When combined with tools like QuickReply.ai, the API offers a comprehensive solution that includes a CRM layer, granular analytics, and no-code workflows to manage complex campaigns effortlessly.

This setup ensures that you can scale your messaging, personalize communication, and track performance all in one place.

Want to see all this live in action? Book a demo with QuickReply.ai today.