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WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in the world. More than 100 billion messages are exchanged globally on WhatsApp every day. Because of its high reach and open rate, and the convenient tools it offers, marketers consider it one of the best channels for marketing communications.

Customer communication platforms such as Rasayel enable businesses to take full advantage of the wide range of possibilities that come with WhatsApp Business API - a software interface that allows you to send bulk messages, monitor the number of conversations and closing times, connect your business account to your omnichannel customer support inboxes, and much, much more.

In this article, you will learn what bulk messages are, how to send 1000 messages at once on WhatsApp, and why it’s an intelligent idea to integrate this feature into your marketing strategy.

What are bulk messages? #

Sending bulk messages is an excellent way for companies to quickly interact with their customers, without having to type each message manually. They usually do it to:

• inform customers about upcoming events, 
• introduce a new product,
• notify customers of store closures or store openings,
• share discount offers and coupons with new and existing customers,
• send personalized alerts on products that are back in stock,
• strengthen brand recognition, etc.

Bulk messages save you time and resources. WhatsApp allows you to create a pre-established contact list that you can use to send bulk messages. Thousands of companies are using this feature to promote their products and services, in no time at all.

It’s crucial to note that it’s not recommended to use the bulk messaging function on the WhatsApp Business app directly because the platform prohibits SPAM messages and you are running the risk of getting your account closed and your phone number blocked.

However, there is a solution to this. The option to send bulk messages for marketing purposes has recently been unlocked by WhatsApp through their WhatsApp Business API (WABA). This means that you can now connect to the WABA through Rasayel and start creating promotional campaigns.

Sending bulk messages with the WhatsApp Broadcast feature #

If you want to use the WhatsApp Business app to send bulk messages, you still can. The problem is, it has significant limitations compared to working with WhatsApp Business API. 

You can send messages only to a limited number of customers. 256 to be precise. Plus, they must have your WhatsApp Business number saved on their phones to receive your messages.

Once you send the message, each of these 256 customers will receive it, without knowing who the other recipients are.

Here’s a step-by-step guide for sending a bulk message with WhatsApp broadcast:

• Open your WhatsApp Business app.
• Go to Chat, click on Menu, and New List.
• Type out or search for the contact names of the recipients.
• Select the contact names by pressing on + button.
• Press OK.
• Press Create.

What are the drawbacks of the WhatsApp Business app Broadcast feature? #

WhatsApp equips you with the ability to reach a large number of people in the shortest amount of time. However, as we mentioned before, this feature does have a few significant drawbacks:

• All the contacts in your Broadcast list must have your number saved on their phones.
• You can only send bulk messages to 256 customers at once.
• You can’t integrate WhatsApp Business app features with your CRM.
• You can’t easily manage and get back to your broadcast message responses. 
• WhatsApp has a strict “no promotion” policy which means you are limited to non-promotional message content. Not complying with this policy can get your account suspended or, worse, kicked out of the messaging platform for good.

Making the right choice #

If you want to send WhatsApp bulk messages beyond the WhatsApp mobile app’s Broadcast limitations, you need to have a WhatsApp Business API account from a Business Solution Provider and a customer communication platform, such as Rasayel. 

This eliminates the risk of being banned by WhatsApp because building an audience with WhatsApp Business requires each user to opt-in to join your WhatsApp community anyway. By opting in, users technically give their consent to receive messages sent by your business account.

Companies must use a Message Template when sending a bulk message using the WhatsApp API. This is the only way to send promotional and transactional messages to your customers. However, they do have to comply with WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce policies. 

What is a WhatsApp message template? #

Businesses can initiate conversations with customers only by using a Message Template. They need to be created in advance as they must be approved by Whatsapp before they are sent.

If you want to know more about WhatsApp Message templates, I suggest you start here.

Sending WhatsApp bulk messages with Rasayel #

With Rasayel, you can send bulk messages to your customers, schedule messages, and send them out in a timely fashion to synchronize your marketing campaign activities. You can create message templates, use text, images, documents, and videos, and track results and analytics.

Here is a step-by-step guide to explain the process of creating a campaign with WhatsApp bulk messages on Rasayel:

1. Select “Campaigns”. Click “Create a campaign”

2. Enter the name of your campaign. It’s a good idea to make the name as descriptive as possible, while keeping it short and concise. For instance, use “Promotion July 2022 - 1st Batch” instead of “Promotion 1”. Then, select the WhatsApp number that you wish to send your message from. Click “Continue”.

3. Now you’ll need to define your audience. You can filter through your contact list using one or more of the following:

• Email address
• Phone number
• Created (Date)
• Tags
• Custom data attributes

In the following example, I’ve filtered the list using the following:

• Email address **contains “**rasayel.io”
• Tags is “partnerships”
• Rasayel customer is Yes

Any contact that matches those filters will be selected for the campaign. Select “Continue” when you’re confident with your list, and ready to compose your message.

4. Compose your message. You’ll need to select a WhatsApp template from the list.

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Since this message will go out to multiple users, you have the option to use data attributes for your template’s variables/placeholders. That will ensure that each contact receives a message that is relevant to them. In the following example, I’m using “User display name” for the first placeholder, and keeping the second placeholder static. You can also define a fallback text for attributes that may or may not exist for your contacts, as shown:

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5. When you’re done composing your message, click “Preview campaign”. You’ll see the following:

Preview mode gives you a summary of your campaign before you launch it, including a preview of how it would look on your contact’s phone. At this stage, you still have the option to modify your campaign.

6. When you’re ready, hit Publish! That’s it! A successful launch will return you to the main campaigns page, where you can track the progress of your campaign, including delivery and open rates. Keep in mind that for WhatsApp, some contacts might have their “read” indicators disabled. For those, you will only receive a delivery confirmation.

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Or you can try out an interactive demo to see how sending bulk messages work in action;

Scheduling WhatsApp bulk messages #

If you want to manage your marketing campaigns in a more organized way, scheduling bulk messages is a convenient feature. Not only will it bring structure to your overall marketing efforts, but it can drive more engagement and sales. 

WhatsApp Business accounts can send bulk messages to up to 100K recipients (based on their tier). They can automate one-time or recurring messages that arrive exactly at the right time. For instance, if you are a business owner, you may want to schedule specific messages for your customers such as payment reminders or subscription renewal messages, etc.

With this functionality, you can plan promotions, discounts, offers, etc. at predetermined timings. Combine this with a period when customers are likely to shop more (such as during Christmas or Thanksgiving), and you could dramatically boost your sales.

Recommendations #

Using this feature can enable you to reach your marketing goals. It’s convenient, easy to use, and can significantly increase the impact of your marketing strategy. However, we don’t advise using it without WhatsApp Business API. It can cause you serious problems and you might end up with a ban on your WhatsApp Business account. 

The right way of utilizing WhatsApp bulk messages is through WhatsApp Business API connected to your account with Rasayel. Not only will it make your marketing activities compliant with WhatsApp policies, but it will also help you run your campaign in a more structured and organized manner. Try it for free today!

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