Click-to-WhatsApp ads: a setup guide for Indian businesses
Updated · Jawab team
Short answer
A click-to-WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with your business instead of a website. You set it up in Meta Ads Manager with the Engagement or Leads objective and WhatsApp as the destination. The ad gets the chat started; what converts the lead is an instant, useful first reply, which is where an automated WhatsApp inbox pays off.
Why they work in India
Most Indian customers would rather send a WhatsApp message than fill in a form or wait on a landing page. A chat also gives you the customer's number and a conversation you can continue, rather than a one-off form entry.
Set one up in Meta Ads Manager
- Connect your WhatsApp business number to your Facebook Page in Meta Business settings.
- Create a campaign with the Engagement (or Leads) objective.
- At the ad-set level, choose Messaging apps and select WhatsApp as the destination.
- Write a pre-filled message the customer sends with one tap, such as "Hi, I'd like to book a consultation".
- Target by city and radius around your business, then launch with a small daily budget and compare cost per conversation.
The first reply decides the lead
People tap several ads in a row and talk to whoever replies first. A lead that waits an hour has usually moved on. Reply within seconds, ask one or two qualifying questions, and offer the next step (a slot, a price, a brochure) in the same chat.
In Jawab, a flow triggered by the ad's pre-filled message replies instantly, asks the qualifying questions and hands the chat to your team with the answers already collected.
What the conversations cost
You pay Meta for the ad as usual. Conversations that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad also get an extended free messaging window from Meta, so the replies in that window don't add per-message charges. Check Meta's current pricing page for the exact window and rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need the WhatsApp API to run click-to-WhatsApp ads?
- No, the ads also work with the free WhatsApp Business app. But ad leads arrive in bursts and at all hours, so without automated replies and a shared inbox many of them wait too long for an answer.
- Which ad objective should I choose for click-to-WhatsApp ads?
- Use Engagement with WhatsApp as the messaging destination to maximise conversations, or Leads if you want Meta to optimise for people likely to complete a qualification in the chat.
- How do I measure which ads bring customers?
- Give each ad its own pre-filled message or tag, then track each conversation through your pipeline to booking or sale. In Jawab, a keyword flow can match each ad's pre-filled message, and every contact keeps its source and pipeline stage, so you can compare ads by customers won, not just by chats started.
More guides
- WhatsApp Business API pricing in India
- WhatsApp Cloud API vs the WhatsApp Business app
- How to get the verified badge (green tick) on WhatsApp Business in India
- WhatsApp chatbot or a human team inbox: which do you need?