How to send a WhatsApp campaign
Send an approved WhatsApp message to a contact list now or on a schedule, and track delivery. SMS and Email work the same way.
A campaign sends one message to many customers at once, for example a sale announcement or a new collection. You can send campaigns on WhatsApp, Email and (for stores in Bangladesh) SMS. This guide walks through a WhatsApp campaign. SMS and Email campaigns work the same way.
Before you start
- Connect a WhatsApp Business number and make sure it's active. See Connect WhatsApp Business.
- Have at least one approved WhatsApp template. Meta must approve every campaign message before you can send it. See WhatsApp templates and contacts.
- Have a contact list with phone numbers.
- Your plan must have WhatsApp messages left. Each message sent counts toward your WhatsApp quota.
- For Email campaigns, you first need a verified marketing email domain. See Custom email domain.
Steps
- In the sidebar, open Marketing → Campaigns.
- Click New Campaign, then choose WhatsApp.
Choose WhatsApp (1). - Step 1 – Select Contact List: pick the list to send to. To send to only part of the list, use Filter by tag.
- Step 2 – Choose Template: pick an approved template. Name variables like
{{first_name}}are filled in from each contact automatically. If the template has other variables (for example a discount code), type a value for each one in the Merge Fields card. If the template has an image or video header, upload it here.
Pick an approved template (1) and type a value for each Merge Field (2). - Step 3 – Select Sender Number: pick the WhatsApp number to send from.
- Optional: type a Campaign Name and notes for your team.
- To send later, tick Send later and pick a date and time (up to 30 days ahead).
- Check the Summary and the quota bar at the top, then click Launch Campaign (or Schedule Campaign).
Track your campaign
On Marketing → Campaigns you can see each campaign's Recipients, Sent, Delivered, Read and Failed counts. Open a campaign to see its Progress and Delivery Logs for each contact.
While a campaign is running you can Pause, Resume or Cancel it. When it's finished, paused or cancelled and some messages failed, click Retry failed to try those again.
Unsubscribes
Customers can stop your marketing messages by replying STOP (or “unsubscribe”) on WhatsApp. They get a confirmation, and EcomUp skips them in future campaigns automatically. If they reply START, they're subscribed again. You can see and manage everyone who opted out under Marketing → Unsubscribes, and add someone manually with Unsubscribe a contact.
Tips
- Each WhatsApp number has a daily send limit set by Meta. If your campaign is bigger, the screen tells you: the first part goes out today, and the rest is sent automatically over the next days.
- Use tags to send the right offer to the right people, for example only customers tagged “VIP”.
- Don't send too often. Customers who feel spammed will block you, and Meta may lower your sending limit.
Troubleshooting
“No active senders”
You don't have an active WhatsApp Business number. Connect and activate one, then come back.
“No approved templates”
Your templates are still waiting for Meta's review or were rejected. Create a template and wait for it to show APPROVED.
“Your plan has no WhatsApp quota remaining.”
You've used all WhatsApp messages in your plan for this billing cycle. Upgrade your plan to send more. The quota bar turns red when your audience is bigger than what you have left.
“No contacts with a phone number found in form” / “No contacts with a phone number found matching the selected tag”
The list (or the tag you picked) has no contacts with phone numbers. Add contacts or pick another list or tag.
“This template has a image header — add the image to send.”
The template needs a header image or video. Upload it in the template step.
“Campaigns can be scheduled at most 30 days ahead” / “Schedule time must be in the future”
Pick a time between a few minutes from now and 30 days ahead.
“Verify a marketing email domain before sending email campaigns.”
Email campaigns need a verified sending domain. Set it up under Marketing → Email domain.
Some messages failed
Common reasons: the number isn't on WhatsApp, or the customer has stopped marketing messages from businesses. Check the Delivery Logs, then use Retry failed if it makes sense.