‍Learn how to use WhatsApp Business greeting message automation and templates. 

If you’re a business making use of WhatsApp for marketing, advertising, sales and support, encouraging online shoppers to get in touch with your business through the messaging app, it’s important to also initiate the conversation. This is where a WhatsApp Business greeting message becomes important. 

In this article, we’re sharing what WhatsApp business greeting messages are, why they are important, WhatsApp Business greeting message examples, WhatsApp templates and best practices. 

What are WhatsApp Business greeting messages? 

A WhatsApp greeting message is the very first form of communication or the message your business sends to customers after they opt-in to your list or trigger a conversation through marketing, advertising and support functions. 

The greeting message provides the customers with details about what your business has to offer - products and services. It is also the first opportunity for a business to establish a positive impression on customers by thanking them for initiating the conversation or opting in to your WhatsApp list. 

When is a WhatsApp Business greeting message sent? 

A WhatsApp greeting message is meant to be sent at a time that encourages the consumers to further engage with your business on the messaging app. Here are some moments at which you should be using WABA messages to greet online shoppers and customers: 

• When an online shoppers subscribers to your WhatsApp list to get updates on deals, offers and discounts 
• When an online shopper makes a purchase from your store and opts in to receive transactional and shipping notifications 
• When a customer initiates a conversation from your click-to-WhatsApp ad campaigns 
• When a customer scans a QR code to start a conversation with you on your WhatsApp Business account 
• When a customer clicks on a WhatsApp link shared on social media, in emails and at other customer touchpoints 

What are the benefits of using WhatsApp Business greeting messages? 

You may wonder if a consumer has initiated a conversation or interaction with your business, they should be the one to start it as well. But here are some of the benefits of automating your WhatsApp greeting messages using QuickReply.ai: 

1. Sets the expectations from day one 

Similar to welcome emails, a WhatsApp greeting message sets the expectations in terms of what the consumer may receive on the messaging platform. This includes a glimpse at your products and services, or the notifications you may choose to send on the platform regarding deals, discounts or future orders. 

2. Lowers drop-off rate 

Similar to conversion rates on websites, the number of consumers initiating a conversation on the messaging platform and the ones who do engage with you, moving forward to make a purchase, can be low. A WhatsApp greeting message nudges a consumer subtly, encouraging them to explore more about your business, lowering the drop-off rate.  

3. Keeps the consumers engaged 

As more businesses start to use WhatsApp at scale in marketing, promotional and advertising campaigns, the attention span of online shoppers is dropping. Even if you get them to opt-in to your WhatsApp list, the chance of retaining their interest can be low. This is where a WABA message for greeting them helps. The more positive the WhatsApp greeting message, the higher the chance of keeping their interest engaged. 

4. Gives you an opportunity to learn about consumers 

When strategized well, a WhatsApp greeting message can also be used to trigger workflows that are targeting at getting to know about a consumer’s interests, intent and purchase motivations. For example, you could send a greeting message letting them know you can help by offering shopping assistance around the products they’re looking for. 

5. Enables you with insights for personalization 

As we stated above, a WhatsApp greeting message is a chance to get to know the consumer better. This gives you insights that are not based on market research and assumptions alone, but actual data that comes straight from the consumer themselves. 

6. Opens up a channel to make sales 

WhatsApp greeting messages let you start a conversation, bringing back a human touch to the online shopping journey for consumers. The conversational commerce enabled by WhatsApp opens up a whole new channel for your business to drive sales and revenue from. 

Now that you know the benefits of setting up WhatsApp greeting messages, let’s look into some examples and WhatsApp templates for the same. 

WhatsApp greeting message templates and examples 

While there are a number of ways and messages you can send through the greeting, here are some to inspire you and get you started. 

1. WhatsApp greeting message to a new subscriber/ opt-in 

This is the WhatsApp greeting message that gets sent when an online shopper chooses to opt-in to your WhatsApp list - this could be from your website subscription form/ popup or a marketing campaign. 

‍

Hey Jane, 

Thank you for opting in to our WhatsApp list! 

We’re so happy to have you in our community. 

As a brand we support complete sustainability in our products and would like to introduce you to our latest collection of dresses and suits. 

You can check them all out here or call us to know more about them! 

CTA >> Call us! 

CTA >> Visit our website 

2. WhatsApp greeting message to a new customer 

This is when an online shopper makes a purchase from your website and opts in to receive notifications on WhatsApp from the thank you page. 

‍

Hey Sara, 

Thank you for the order! 

While we’re preparing to ship your order and carefully packing it for sustainable and on-time delivery, we’d like you to know you can reach out to us here any time. 

Meanwhile, have you checked out our recent collection of shoes to complete the look? 

‍CTA >> Track my order 

CTA >> Check out shoes 

3. WhatsApp welcome greeting message to a new lead 

This is when you’re generating leads through marketing and advertising campaigns to generate leads before taking actual orders. 

‍

Hey Ahmed, 

Thank you for your interest in our cabinet! 

We’re reaching out to you here to know more about your requirements. Our team will be getting in touch with you for dimension specifications in the next 24 hours. 

Feel free to reach out to us here if you have any more questions! 

4. WhatsApp greeting message for customer support 

This is when a consumer chooses to receive customer support and service from your business on the messaging platform. 

‍

Hello Sahiba, 

Thank you for reaching out to us! 

This is Sara and I’m here to help you pick the best home decor products for your house. 

Could you please let me know what you’re looking for in furniture? 

5. WhatsApp greeting message on occasions and festivals 

This is when you’re running several marketing and promotion campaigns during popular festival seasons and sales. 

‍

Hey there Kumar, 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

On this special day, we’re offering 25% off on all our products. 

If you have any questions for us regarding the products, please reach out to us and we will get back to you in 24 hours. 

CTA >> Claim offer 

CTA >> Contact us 

But before you set up automated WABA messages to greet your customers, we do recommend learning more about the best practices. 

WhatsApp Business greeting message best practices 

WhatsApp greeting messages are different from broadcast campaigns and other automations; they serve the purpose of initiating conversations on the messaging platform. Here are a few WhatsApp greeting message best practices we recommend following: 

• Don’t use them for running regular promotions: WhatsApp greeting messages should not look like a direct promotion; tone it down to sound like an introduction to the brand or to the sale instead.  
• Set the expectations right away: Let consumers know what they can expect to hear about from your business on WhatsApp so that your next updates don’t come as a surprise. 
• Give them an option to opt out: There could be some consumers who opt-in to your WhatsApp list in a distracted way; it’s better to give them a chance to opt-out to maintain the quality of your list. 
• Humanize your WhatsApp greeting message: Even if you automate the WABA message to greet customers at different times in their buyer journey, make sure your messages have a human personality to make them more engaging and not just sound like an update. 
• Leverage interactive messages: Use list messages and reply buttons to make it easier for consumers to interact and engage with your WhatsApp greeting messages; streamline the way responses are shared. 
• Automate conversational flows: Use your greeting message to initiate a conversation, get to know the consumer and leverage other automated workflows to nudge them further in the buyer journey. 
• Complete the buyer journey on WhatsApp: Don’t just use the workflows to greet your new customers and subscribers; tailor an online shopper’s experience by offering to let them make the purchase on the messaging platform itself - WhatsApp Commerce is known to get 17% higher conversion rates too! 

How to set up a WhatsApp Business greeting message? 

A WhatsApp greeting message is an opportunity that many brands are still not focusing on. But similar to how you send WhatsApp broadcasts, order status alerts and other messages, WhatsApp greeting messages can be automated too! 

With the help of a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like QuickReply.ai, you can set up multiple triggers for greeting messages. At the same time, the solution provider also comes with thousands of pre-approved and customizable WhatsApp templates that you can use as your greeting messages to boost engagement and conversions from it. 

Ready to set up WhatsApp greeting message automation? 

Book a demo of QuickReply.ai today. 

Frequently asked questions about WhatsApp greeting messages 

How do you send a greeting message on WhatsApp?

From the WhatsApp Business App, head over to Business tools > Greeting message. Enable ‘Send greeting message’ and edit your message. If you want to trigger different automations to send WhatsApp greeting messages, you will need to use a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like QuickReply.ai. 

What is a good WhatsApp greeting message? 

A good WhatsApp greeting message serves as a warm welcome to a consumer. It introduces them to what your brand is about, what to expect from your business, the type of updates you may send and other crucial information that can help deliver a positive customer experience. 

Where do I find WhatsApp greeting message templates? 

Typically, you will need to create a WhatsApp greeting message on your own through the Business App. But if you’re using a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like QuickReply.ai, to set up welcome automations on WhatsApp, you get access to a library of pre-approved and customizable WhatsApp templates for different use cases.