WhatsApp has evolved from being just a messaging app to becoming one of the most strategic tools in contemporary digital marketing. With over 2.78 billion monthly active users as of April 2024, according to Statista, the app has become central to communication between brands and consumers, expanding the reach and effectiveness of campaigns.
For Luiz Santos, founder of Unnichat, a WhatsApp API automation platform and digital marketing expert, the shift in consumer behavior was crucial for the app to become a mandatory channel for those looking to engage and sell efficiently. ‘Consumers are more impatient, selective, and want to feel they are being served uniquely, without robotic communication. Despite this, the baseline behavior hasn’t changed much: WhatsApp was already the first app many opened upon waking up. It’s an intimate, direct channel that captures attention uniquely. Moreover, in times of information overload and fake news, people seek references in their groups, reverting to a community instinct. And where does this happen today? On WhatsApp. Groups have exploded, becoming spaces for exchange, like Orkut was, but with much more usage.’
Faced with rising ad costs and the difficulty of capturing attention on social media, many companies have shifted their sales strategies to a more direct and efficient channel. ‘On social media, organic reach is unpredictable, and paid ads are increasingly expensive—plus, you’re paying to reach people who may not even be interested. In e-commerce, you depend on people arriving there and searching. On WhatsApp, you have a direct, personal channel where you can send contextualized and personalized messages, like reminding a customer that the whey protein they viewed is on sale or that it’s time for a repurchase. It’s a channel that allows you to build relationships and maintain control: you only talk to those who’ve shown interest and pay a fixed rate per delivered message, with a real chance of response,’ emphasizes Luiz.
Despite the tool’s popularity, many companies still make mistakes that jeopardize their entire commercial operation. ‘The first mistake is using an unofficial API: unstable, insecure, and prone to bans—a risk for any serious operation. The second is treating WhatsApp like a broadcast list, sending generic, contextless messages. This leads to bans and doesn’t build customer relationships. Another mistake is relying solely on chatbots or sales teams without considering a hybrid operation. The bot must be intelligent and know when to involve a human, such as during a purchase or refund. Finally, the biggest mistake: not having a relationship framework. Sending offers to those still researching, for example. Everything must feel like a real conversation. If it feels like email, it’s wrong,’ explains the expert.
More than automation, selling on WhatsApp requires real connection. Conversations that drive sales follow a flexible script but with a strong sense of context and personalization. Luiz highlights what’s essential in this process: ‘Automated triggers and flows serve to identify interested parties. When someone interacts, they signal intent, and that’s when humans step in with contextual conversations. The secret is to seem human: know what the person viewed, recall what they mentioned earlier (like a problem with their child), and bring it into the conversation. In short, you can have a base script, but it must be flexible for the conversation to truly connect.’
Choosing the right technological infrastructure is critical to ensuring stability and scalability. The entrepreneur compares the two most common approaches today and warns about the risks of choosing the wrong option: ‘The official API system is stable, secure, and authorized by Meta. It has clear rules, delivery metrics, support, and scalability. Tools using WhatsApp Web (via QR Code) are unofficial: unstable, prone to crashes, at risk of bans, and may stop working at any moment, especially during critical actions like sales campaigns. It’s the path of uncertainty.’
Not every business has a robust sales team, and often, in small businesses, the owner handles customer service. ‘Small businesses benefit greatly from WhatsApp because, with an initial bot and some simple automations, they can serve more people with minimal effort. Since costs only apply when the company sends active messages, they can save by only responding to incoming messages (which are free). Additionally, targeted actions, like end-of-month campaigns, help recover contacts who haven’t purchased yet. All this with minimal investment and no need for a dedicated sales team—just well-configured automations and occasional attention from the owner or manager.’
WhatsApp has evolved from a conversation channel to an essential marketing and sales tool, taking center stage in this space. ‘Today, having a customer’s phone number is more valuable than their email, as it enables contact via call, SMS, and message. When we analyze structured Unnichat campaigns on WhatsApp using the official API, we see click-through rates between 40% and 50%, while emails hover around 1% to 3% and SMS between 5% and 10%. Open rates reflect this gap. Moreover, customers respond faster and interact more frequently when the approach is conversational and human, not automated and generic,’ concludes Luiz Santos.
