Glossary · 35 terms
Growth & marketing
Marketing on WhatsApp done well: broadcasts and drip campaigns, Click-to-WhatsApp ads and entry points, segmentation and personalisation, testing, frequency and the metrics that show what is working.
Foundation· 15
Start here — the concepts everything else builds on.
- BroadcastOne approved template sent to many opted-in contacts at once, each receiving it as a private one-to-one WhatsApp message from the business.Read definition
- Broadcast List vs GroupA broadcast reaches many people as private one-to-one chats; a group is one shared conversation where every member sees every message.Read definition
- Click-Through RateCTRThe share of delivered or read WhatsApp messages whose button or link is tapped, the main measure of how compelling a message's call to action is.Read definition
- Click-to-ChatA wa.me link that opens a WhatsApp chat with a business number, optionally with pre-filled text, without the customer saving the number first.Read definition
- Conversion RateCVRThe share of message recipients or clickers who go on to complete a goal, such as a purchase, booking or sign-up, after a WhatsApp message.Read definition
- List BuildingGrowing an opted-in WhatsApp audience through website, checkout, ads, QR codes and in-store touchpoints while keeping each consent clean and recorded.Read definition
- PersonalisationFilling template variables and choosing content per recipient — name, order, city, product — so each WhatsApp message fits the person who receives it.Read definition
- Read RateThe share of delivered WhatsApp messages that recipients read, typically far above email open rates and understated when users turn off read receipts.Read definition
- SegmentationSplitting a WhatsApp audience into groups by attributes, behaviour and consent so each message goes only to the people it fits.Read definition
- UTM ParametersUTMTags added to a link's URL, such as utm_source and utm_campaign, so analytics tools credit visits from WhatsApp messages to the right campaign.Read definition
- WhatsApp ChannelsA one-way broadcast feature in WhatsApp's Updates tab that people follow without sharing their number, with no opt-in list and no one-to-one replies.Read definition
- WhatsApp Chat WidgetA button or pop-up embedded on a website that opens a WhatsApp chat with the business or collects opt-in, often with pre-filled text and tracking.Read definition
- WhatsApp Lead GenerationCapturing prospects via WhatsApp entry points such as Click-to-WhatsApp ads, QR codes, website widgets and Flows forms, then passing them to sales.Read definition
- WhatsApp MarketingThe practice of reaching and selling to customers on WhatsApp through list growth, ads, broadcasts, automation and measurement, all built on consent.Read definition
- WhatsApp QR CodeA scannable code that opens a WhatsApp chat with a business and pre-filled text, created through the Cloud API and put on packaging, counters or ads.Read definition
Practitioner· 17
What you need once you are running it day to day.
- A/B TestingSending two versions of a message, differing in copy, media or timing, to split audiences to find which performs better and whether the gap is real.Read definition
- AttributionLinking WhatsApp touchpoints such as ads, templates and chats to the revenue they produce, using click IDs, UTM tags and order data.Read definition
- Campaign AnalyticsThe per-campaign funnel of WhatsApp messages sent, delivered, read, clicked, replied and converted, used to judge one send and fix its weakest stage.Read definition
- Click-to-WhatsApp AdsCTWAFacebook and Instagram ads whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with the business instead of a website, turning an ad tap into a live conversation.Read definition
- Conversation AnalyticsAccount-level reporting of WhatsApp message volume, category mix, delivery and cost over time, used to forecast spend and monitor account health.Read definition
- Cost per Messaging Conversation StartedThe ad metric that divides spend by the number of new messaging conversations an ad starts, used to judge Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns.Read definition
- Customer Data PlatformCDPA system that unifies customer profiles and events from many sources into one view and syncs audience segments to channels such as WhatsApp.Read definition
- DeliverabilityThe share of WhatsApp messages you send that actually reach recipients' phones, and the account, template and recipient factors that decide it.Read definition
- Drip CampaignAn automated sequence of WhatsApp messages sent to each contact on a schedule after they enrol, stopping when they reply, convert or opt out.Read definition
- Frequency CappingA rule you set that limits how many messages each contact receives from you in a period, protecting engagement, opt-outs and your quality rating.Read definition
- Number Warm-upRaising business-initiated volume step by step on a new or newly upgraded WhatsApp number, so quality stays high and messaging limits keep rising.Read definition
- Re-engagementWinning back customers who have gone quiet with a targeted, useful WhatsApp template, the only message that can reach them once their window has closed.Read definition
- Reply RateThe share of recipients who reply to a business-initiated WhatsApp message, a signal of relevance that also opens a 24-hour service window.Read definition
- RFM SegmentationRFMScoring customers on how recently, how often and how much they buy, so WhatsApp campaigns target loyal, lapsing and high-value groups differently.Read definition
- Send-Time OptimisationChoosing when to send each message, by hour, day or a recipient's own habits, to lift reads and replies without hurting quality.Read definition
- Triggered CampaignMessages sent automatically when a customer does something, such as signing up, browsing, buying or going quiet, rather than on a fixed calendar.Read definition
- WhatsApp Status AdsAds that appear between Status updates in WhatsApp's Updates tab and can open a chat with the business when tapped.Read definition
Expert· 3
Edge cases, internals and the details that matter at scale.
- Conversions API for Business MessagingCAPIMeta's Conversions API for Business Messaging, which reports purchases and leads tied to a Click-to-WhatsApp ad click back to Meta to optimise ads.Read definition
- Holdout GroupA share of an audience deliberately left out of a campaign so the difference in their behaviour shows the campaign's true incremental lift.Read definition
- Marketing Messages API for WhatsAppMM APIMeta's dedicated send endpoint for WhatsApp marketing templates, formerly MM Lite, adding delivery optimisation, marketing expiry, benchmarks and max price.Read definition
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