How to use WhatsApp ad­vert­ising for your business

WhatsApp marketing has become a standard tool for many busi­nesses, es­pe­cially in customer service and e-commerce. The WhatsApp Business app has been available globally since 2018 and is con­tinu­ously being developed to meet the needs of busi­nesses.

An app on the road to success

According to the latest data, WhatsApp now has over 2 billion active users worldwide—including around 40 million in the UK (as of 2024). Every day, ap­prox­im­ately 100 billion text messages are sent through the messaging service. With avail­ab­il­ity in 180 countries and support for more than 70 languages, the app offers busi­nesses enormous potential for com­mu­nic­at­ing with customers.

While WhatsApp’s terms of service still prohibit com­mer­cial use of the standard app, the WhatsApp Business API enables official, privacy-compliant business com­mu­nic­a­tion. The business version of the app is designed to stream­line customer in­ter­ac­tions, separate personal and business contacts, and provide an official presence for companies.

With its growing focus on business users through WhatsApp Business, the messenger remains a key tool for companies in the digital com­mu­nic­a­tion landscape.

Why use WhatsApp marketing?

WhatsApp gives busi­nesses the op­por­tun­ity to connect with customers directly and per­son­ally. Instead of tra­di­tion­al ad­vert­ising, the focus is on customer service and support—and that’s exactly what most WhatsApp users want: a per­son­al­ised, one-on-one ex­per­i­ence.

WhatsApp also holds potential for community man­age­ment and employer branding. Through groups and broadcast lists, companies can share targeted content and strengthen customer loyalty with exclusive offers. It can even be used as an internal com­mu­nic­a­tion tool, serving as an al­tern­at­ive to platforms like Slack or Twist. In par­tic­u­lar, WhatsApp ad­vert­ising can be a valuable way to deliver per­son­al­ised offers and pro­mo­tion­al content directly to users who have opted in.

With tools like the WhatsApp Business API, companies can take their com­mu­nic­a­tion to the next level: Fre­quently asked questions can be answered auto­mat­ic­ally, and per­son­al­ised messages help build stronger customer re­la­tion­ships.

To succeed with WhatsApp, busi­nesses should focus on ex­clus­iv­ity and au­then­ti­city. The goal is long-term customer en­gage­ment and increased sales. And the odds are good—customers who share their phone number with a company on WhatsApp are typically already in­ter­ested in the product or service and tend to trust the brand.

That said, busi­nesses should proceed with care: Privacy concerns and the risk of coming off as intrusive call for a sensitive and re­spect­ful approach. Since WhatsApp is primarily used on mobile devices, the platform is es­pe­cially effective for reaching audiences who are often on the go.

How to get started by inviting customers to interact

Before jumping in, busi­nesses should develop a clear strategy for how they want to use WhatsApp for marketing. Speed and en­gage­ment alone—as with other social media platforms—aren’t enough. On WhatsApp, relevance and the right tone are key. To build lasting con­nec­tions, WhatsApp marketing should con­sist­ently offer real value that keeps customers engaged and en­cour­ages in­ter­ac­tion.

But first, you need to get customers excited about your WhatsApp presence. Effective in­cent­ives might include:

• Exclusive content
• Free giveaways as a thank-you for signing up
• White­pa­pers or ebooks
• Product samples
• Contests and com­pet­i­tions
• Exclusive vouchers and discounts

Legal guidelines for WhatsApp marketing in the UK

If you’re using WhatsApp for business in the UK, it’s essential to comply with both legal and platform-specific guidelines to avoid penalties, account sus­pen­sion, or harm to your brand. The UK follows the General Data Pro­tec­tion Reg­u­la­tion (GDPR), a com­pre­hens­ive privacy law that governs the use of personal data, including for marketing purposes on messaging platforms.

WhatsApp business and messaging rules

Since 2019, WhatsApp has pro­hib­ited the use of its standard app for sending bulk messages or pro­mo­tion­al content. Doing so violates WhatsApp’s Terms of Service and may result in a permanent ban. To use WhatsApp for business or marketing purposes, you must use:

• The WhatsApp Business app for small busi­nesses, or
• The WhatsApp Business API for medium and large-scale op­er­a­tions

These tools help ensure that your com­mu­nic­a­tions with customers are struc­tured, pro­fes­sion­al, and compliant with legal guidelines.

Key legal con­sid­er­a­tions for UK busi­nesses

In the UK, busi­nesses using WhatsApp for marketing must comply with the GDPR and other relevant consumer pro­tec­tion laws. Here are some best practices to stay compliant and build trust:

Get clear user consent (opt-in)

Before sending marketing messages, users must give clear and af­firm­at­ive consent (opt-in). While double opt-in is not legally required under the GDPR, it is a re­com­men­ded best practice for reducing com­plaints and remaining compliant with privacy laws.

Ensure that you document and store consent to protect yourself in case of any future disputes or inquiries.

Provide a clear privacy policy

Your business must provide trans­par­ency regarding:

• What user data you collect (e.g., phone number, message content)
• How you use and store that data
• Whether the data is shared with third parties (like Meta/WhatsApp)

This in­form­a­tion should be easily ac­cess­ible through a privacy policy linked in your WhatsApp profile, on your website, or in a welcome message.

Avoid un­so­li­cited contact

You should not upload contacts to WhatsApp or send messages to users who have not opted in. This includes avoiding the use of synced address books with non-con­sent­ing users. Always ensure that your contact list consists only of users who’ve given per­mis­sion to be contacted.

Include opt-out options

Users should always have the option to opt out of receiving messages. A simple opt-out message such as: ‘Reply STOP to un­sub­scribe at any time’ should be included.

Follow anti-spam and consumer pro­tec­tion laws

In addition to the GDPR, you must comply with broader UK laws, such as:

• The Privacy and Elec­tron­ic Com­mu­nic­a­tions Reg­u­la­tions (PECR), which covers marketing through elec­tron­ic channels
• The Consumer Pro­tec­tion from Unfair Trading Reg­u­la­tions, which protect consumers from unfair business practices, including un­so­li­cited com­mu­nic­a­tions

These laws regulate consent, trans­par­ency, and user rights, ensuring that your marketing com­mu­nic­a­tions are ethical and lawful.

WhatsApp marketing examples

Since WhatsApp updated its terms of service, sending news­let­ters is only permitted through the WhatsApp Business app or API. The standard version of WhatsApp is still limited to direct, one-on-one com­mu­nic­a­tion, and it’s important to note that the user must initiate contact. Reaching out to customers without prior consent is not allowed.

Depending on your industry and the type of products or services you offer, WhatsApp can support a wide range of customer service features that—when planned and executed properly—can sig­ni­fic­antly strengthen customer loyalty. Common examples of WhatsApp marketing in action include:

• Sharing general in­form­a­tion upon request
• Offering direct as­sist­ance with customer issues
• Schedul­ing ap­point­ments
• Booking and re­ser­va­tion systems
• Handling com­plaints and customer service inquiries

Ad­di­tion­al features with WhatsApp Business

Since its launch in 2018, WhatsApp Business has provided companies—es­pe­cially small and medium-sized busi­nesses—with a powerful new way to connect with customers. Available for both Android and iOS, the app allows up to five users to access a single business account. It enables companies to create an official business presence, separate customer messages from personal chats, and stream­line com­mu­nic­a­tion. Users maintain full control and can block unwanted numbers at any time.

A WhatsApp Business profile offers more features than a standard WhatsApp account:

• Business in­form­a­tion: Share details like your email address, phone number, website, and business hours.
• Legal dis­clos­ures: Helpful for meeting legal re­quire­ments such as including business dis­claim­ers and contact info directly in your profile.

When it comes to contact in­form­a­tion, even in the business version, storing customer phone numbers comes with legal re­spons­ib­il­it­ies. You should only store and contact users who have actively opted in or who have initiated the con­ver­sa­tion them­selves. Uploading or using numbers without prior consent may violate WhatsApp’s terms of service and ap­plic­able privacy laws.

WhatsApp Business supports companies with practical features, including:

• Quick replies and away messages: Fre­quently used messages can be saved and automated to stream­line com­mu­nic­a­tion.
• Labels: Organise chats and contacts using colour-coded labels to keep everything organised.
• Stat­ist­ics: The app provides insights into sent and read messages, helping you measure the ef­fect­ive­ness of your marketing efforts.

WhatsApp Business API

Busi­nesses can register to use the WhatsApp Business API, which is designed primarily for medium-sized and large companies. The API enables a range of advanced features, such as:

• Customer support: Integrate with CRM systems like Sales­force or Zendesk
• Trans­ac­tions: Handle bookings, invoicing, and shipping updates directly through WhatsApp
• Payment options: Use dynamic payment links for seamless online payments
• Auto­ma­tion: Deploy bots to gather feedback or manage leads auto­mat­ic­ally or use template messages for per­son­al­ised WhatsApp ad­vert­ising campaigns.

However, using the API requires working with paid providers such as Mes­sage­Bird or Zendesk. As a result, marketing via the WhatsApp API is not free.

Con­clu­sion: WhatsApp as a high-potential marketing channel

For many people, WhatsApp is an essential part of daily life—making it a powerful tool for busi­nesses to connect directly with customers. While the WhatsApp Business API and upcoming features like Status ads—and evolving tools for WhatsApp ad­vert­ising—open new op­por­tun­it­ies, the long-term success of this channel will depend on future de­vel­op­ments and strong real-world case studies.

Re­com­mend­a­tions for busi­nesses

1. Use WhatsApp Business tools: Always use the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API. These solutions offer advanced features and help reduce legal and com­pli­ance risks.

2. Ensure Privacy Com­pli­ance:

• Collect clear, af­firm­at­ive consent before sending marketing messages.
• Only use contact lists made up of users who have opted in.
• Be trans­par­ent with users about how their data is collected and used, as outlined in your privacy policy.

3. Review Your Legal Agree­ments: Ensure you have up-to-date agree­ments and privacy terms in place with WhatsApp (Meta), es­pe­cially if you’re using third-party providers or handling data that crosses in­ter­na­tion­al borders.