WhatsApp Broadcasts to Opted-In Customers
A WhatsApp broadcast sends one approved message, such as a new collection, a holiday programme or a seasonal menu, to many customers at once. AeroChat sends it only to customers who opted in, as a marketing template. It then answers every reply from your catalogue or booking system, takes the order or booking, and logs the outcome in Mailchimp, Klaviyo or Brevo. Broadcasts are on Growth and up.
What happens today
Many businesses broadcast from the WhatsApp Business app on a phone. Lists are capped, opt-outs are tracked by memory, and every reply has to be answered by hand.
A good broadcast brings in hundreds of replies within an hour. Most are simple questions about price, size, stock or timing. The team answers the first few dozen, and the rest wait until the interest has gone.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- You choose the audience: customers who opted in to WhatsApp marketing, for example a segment you keep in Klaviyo, Mailchimp or Brevo.
- You send an approved marketing template from AeroChat to that audience.
- When a customer replies, AeroChat reads your Shopify catalogue or booking system to answer about price, sizes, stock or open slots.
- It takes the order or booking in the chat, and sends a payment link where one is needed.
- It writes the outcome back to the customer’s profile in your marketing tool: replied, ordered, booked or opted out.
- Requests it cannot settle, such as a large group order or a complaint, go to a person with the conversation so far.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer replies to our broadcast about the Raya collection (example), follow these steps.
- Answer questions about the products in the broadcast from our Shopify catalogue, including price, sizes and stock.
- If they want to buy, add the items to a cart and send the checkout link.
- Find the customer in Klaviyo (example) by phone number. If there is no phone number, ask for their email.
- Set the profile property “broadcast_raya” (example) to replied, ordered or not interested.
- If they say they do not want WhatsApp messages from us, confirm, and mark them as unsubscribed from WhatsApp marketing in Klaviyo.
- If they ask for more than 10 pieces (example) or have a complaint, hand the conversation to the sales team (example).
Do not offer discounts that are not in the broadcast. Reply in the customer’s language.
Connect the systems behind it
- Klaviyo: holds the opted-in segment and gets the result of each reply written to the profile.
- Mailchimp: the same job for audiences in Mailchimp, using tags for replied, ordered and unsubscribed.
- Brevo: keeps contacts and WhatsApp consent, and records the outcome of each conversation.
- Google Sheets: for a simple opted-in list kept in a sheet. Connect a Google account and AeroChat reads and updates it.
Shopify is built in for product, stock and checkout answers, and Airwallex payment links are built in on Growth and up.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
Every broadcast message is a marketing template, charged per delivered message with no free allowance and no volume tiers. The customer’s replies cost nothing. AeroChat’s replies are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and then charged per message. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards, and AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost. Sending to a smaller, better-chosen segment costs less.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
Replies to a campaign are handled the same way on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (DMs and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, web chat and email, with the same catalogue, booking and marketing connections.
Who uses it
- Fashion stores announcing new collections and restocks.
- Beauty stores announcing launches and restocks.
- Restaurants and caterers announcing seasonal menus and festive catering.
- Tuition centres filling holiday programmes.
Read more: WhatsApp marketing broadcasts.
Questions
Who can I send a WhatsApp broadcast to?
Only customers who opted in to receive WhatsApp messages from your business. Outside the 24-hour window that opens with the customer’s last message, only an approved template can be sent, and broadcasts are sent as marketing templates.
How many people can I broadcast to?
Meta sets a limit on business-initiated messages to unique customers in a rolling 24 hours. It starts at 250 for a new business portfolio, rises to 2,000 after verification, and then scales to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited based on message quality and use.
What does a WhatsApp broadcast cost?
Each delivered broadcast message is charged at Meta’s marketing rate for the customer’s country, with no free allowance. Replies inside the window are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and then charged per message.
Which plan includes broadcasts?
Growth and up. Growth has 2,000 AI responses and 10 seats with payment links and broadcasts, and Advanced has 5,000 and 25 seats. Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included.
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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: opt-in and opt-out handling and win-back and re-engagement.