Marketing use case: Use Click-to-WhatsApp Ads with ActiveCampaign

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Using Click-to-WhatsApp Ads with ActiveCampaign provides a powerful engagement tool with customers. It lets you interact in real time, improve customer satisfaction, and drive conversions. 

This article shows you how to create a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook that, when clicked, triggers a flow in ActiveCampaign with specific text. 

Take note

You must have Meta Ad account and a WhatsApp account connected to your Facebook page to use Click-to-WhatsApp Ads.

About Click-to-WhatsApp Ads

Click-to-WhatsApp ads are a type of ad on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram) that let leads and customers initiate a WhatsApp conversation directly from the ad.

Using this feature has several advantages, including:

  • Conversations started from these ads are free
  • You have a 72-hour window for conversations instead of the usual 24 hours
  • The conversions are genuine: you interacted with a real person, making it much less likely that a bot was involved
  • Data captured in lead forms or other Facebook ads is auto-filled with stored information, which might not be the customer’s most recent data

These ads appear on Facebook and Instagram and include a call-to-action button. When this button is clicked, a WhatsApp chat is initiated with your business. This enables immediate and personalized communication with potential customers.

For example, imagine a customer scrolling through Facebook and seeing an ad for a new product. They have questions and click the “Message on WhatsApp” button, which opens a chat with your business where they can get instant answers.

Set up Click-to-WhatsApp Ads

  1. Ensure your WhatsApp Business account is ready and connected to your Facebook page. 
  2. From your Meta account, navigate to the Ads Manager and click “Create” to start a new campaign. 
  3. Select “Messages” as your campaign objective. 
  4. Under the “Message Destination” section, choose “WhatsApp.”  
  5. Configure your audience by setting demographics, interests, and behaviors that align with your target market.
  6. Write compelling ad copy that encourages users to click and start a conversation. 
  7. Design eye-catching visuals that grab attention and convey your message effectively.

Learn more about setting up an audience on Facebook 

Integrate Click-to-WhatsApp Ads with ActiveCampaign

Once a customer clicks on the Click-to-WhatsApp ad, you can send them through a WhatsApp Messaging flow to automate the conversation. 

To set up this flow in your ActiveCampaign account: 

  1. Click WhatsApp > Messaging Flows
  2. Click “New Messaging Flow.”
  3. Complete the information requested under the “Details” tab.
  4. Under the “Trigger” tab:
    • Select “Marketing Meta Click 2 WhatsApp Ads” for “Trigger types”
    • Select “Click 2 WhatsAp Ads (Meta)” for “Trigger when a message comes in from a Marketing Campaign.” The text should be the one sent when the user clicks the WhatsApp ad button
    • Click the “Which messages should we match?” dropdown and select “Match only messages coming from an ad”
  5. Under the “Steps” tab, create the journey your customer should follow and configure the required flow steps. For example, you can:
  6. Once you’ve finished building your flow, click the “Publish” button

Measure the success of Click-to-WhatsApp Ads

Track important metrics to measure the success of your ads in your Ad account. This is accessible via Meta Business Manager. Metrics include:

  • Click-through Rate (CTR): Percentage of users who clicked the ad
  • Conversion Rate: Percentage of users who completed a desired action after clicking the ad
  • Engagement Rate: Level of interaction with the ad and subsequent WhatsApp conversation

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