WhatsApp’s Latest Deliverability Rules and How They Affect You

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This affects WhatsApp Marketing messages sent to customers only in India

If you are a brand using WhatsApp as a marketing channel to engage customers in India, WhatsApp’s recent deliverability rules update is something you need to know about. 

Understanding the New WhatsApp Changes

No. of messages that a customer receives and time-period of capping are subject to WhatsApp discretion

WhatsApp has recently introduced a significant update called “Per-User Marketing Template Message Limits,” which affects the deliverability of a brand’s marketing messages on WhatsApp.

As a result of this rule, there is a limit on how many brands can send messages via WhatsApp and, subsequently, the number of messages an end customer will receive over a certain time frame. WhatsApp will select the brands based on metrics such as their read rates, engagement levels, etc.

MoEngage Tip: WhatsApp will keep adjusting these limits occasionally, and you will have to stay sharp and be even more mindful about your WhatsApp marketing.

How Does it Affect You?

This change affects brands and marketers using WhatsApp as a marketing platform and specifically affects marketing template messages sent using WhatsApp Business templates. 

However, not all messages are restricted: 

• Ongoing customer service chats within a 24-hour window are not affected. 
• Click to WhatsApp Ads remain unaffected. 
• Your transactional and utility-templated messages, such as OTP shares, are also unaffected. 

But, a point to note – if your messages aren’t resonating with your audience, your delivery rates might significantly decrease. 

MoEngage Tip: The more a brand’s messaging is read and engaged, the higher the likelihood of it falling within the top brands allowed to send messages to a particular customer.

Why this Change?

WhatsApp is increasingly focusing on customer experience and strives to ensure customers have an enjoyable experience on WhatsApp. Reducing ad clutter and spam is a step in this direction.
While this is good news for customers – it is also an excellent opportunity for brands to personalize messages and stand out. This means that when your message gets delivered, it will have a bigger impact as it will be one of the few your audience receives, ensuring they aren’t feeling overwhelmed. 

What Can You Do?

To secure a spot among the top brands for a customer, we recommend implementing the following:

Immediately:

• Use your messages to engage more deeply and start conversations to leverage the 24-hour conversation window.
• Bifurcate Marketing Templates and Utility Templates Effectively 

Optimize your WhatsApp Marketing Strategy:

• Build a hyper-personalized  Whatsapp strategy to deeply resonate with audiences and drive higher engagement. (Include aspects such as the recipient’s name, the product or category last viewed.)
• Initiate WhatsApp campaigns based on events or actions, leveraging customer anticipation of receiving a message, resulting in increased engagement rates.
• Since the “Per-User Marketing Template Message Limits” setting set by WhatsApp can vary – monitor campaign performance and adjust based on data.
• Optimize your opt-in strategy and adhere to any opt-out requests. 

Conclusion

These changes increase the importance of high-quality, engaging content. 

Even though this limits the number of messages customers receive on WhatsApp, it also presents an opportunity for you to stand out and forge a stronger relationship with your customers. 

Remember, it’s all about delivering the best experience to each customer, and these deliverability rules are based on the total number of marketing messages each customer receives from all brands, not just yours.

What to Read Next

• Maximizing WhatsApp Engagement: Native Integration v/s Custom Connectors
• The Power of Using WhatsApp With MoEngage
• What Is Conversational Commerce and How Can It Help Your Business?