WhatsApp Marketing · ServiceBOFU
WhatsApp Business API, set up properly
The short answer
The WhatsApp Business API is infrastructure, and infrastructure set up badly stays bad. A misconfigured display name, poorly categorised templates, a missing CRM connection or no opt-in capture limits every campaign that follows.
PMG handles the full setup: choosing a provider that fits your stack, verifying the business, getting templates approved, connecting your store and CRM, and building the first automations.
What's included
- Business Solution Provider selection based on your stack and volume
- Meta Business verification and display name approval
- Phone number migration or new number setup
- Message template writing and approval across marketing, utility and authentication categories
- Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, Zoho, LeadSquared or your CRM
- Product catalogue setup for in-chat browsing
- Team inbox configuration with routing rules
- First automations — welcome, order updates, cart recovery, COD confirmation
- Opt-in capture points across site, checkout and ads
Choosing a provider
- Meta Cloud API directly — lowest platform cost, most engineering effort
- D2C-focused providers — strong Shopify integrations, cart recovery and COD flows out of the box
- Enterprise providers — higher volume, complex routing, multi-country
- CRM-native options — if your CRM already offers WhatsApp, integration is simpler
We're not paid by any provider, so the recommendation is based on fit.
Setup sequence
- Verify the business in Meta Business Manager.
- Choose the provider and connect the number.
- Write and submit templates — correctly categorised to avoid rejections and unnecessary cost.
- Integrate store and CRM.
- Build automations and team inbox rules.
- Launch opt-in capture and test end to end.
WhatsApp API setup sequence
- Business verification in Meta Business Manager.
- Phone number — a number not active on the WhatsApp app, or migrated.
- Display name approval.
- Provider choice — a Business Solution Provider or Meta's Cloud API directly.
- Templates — create and submit message templates by category.
- Integrations — CRM, eCommerce platform, chatbot, ad accounts.
- Opt-in flows — collect and record consent.
Choosing a WhatsApp provider
- Pricing transparency — platform fees on top of Meta's charges
- Integrations with your CRM and store
- Chatbot and flow builder capabilities
- Multi-agent inbox and routing
- Analytics and reporting
- Support quality and uptime
WhatsApp pricing basics
Since July 2025, Meta charges per delivered template message, with rates depending on category and the recipient's country. For India, published summaries show marketing messages at about ₹0.86 and utility or authentication messages at about ₹0.12, with changes from 1 October 2026 affecting service replies and utility messages inside service windows (Meta pricing). Always confirm current rates before budgeting.
WhatsApp API by business size
| Business size | Typical setup |
|---|---|
| Small | Basic automation, a shared inbox |
| Growing | CRM integration, catalogues, broadcasts |
| Large | Multiple numbers, chatbots, advanced analytics |
A worked example
A retailer moved from the WhatsApp Business app to the API, connecting it to their eCommerce platform and CRM. Order updates, abandoned-cart messages and support moved to one inbox, and response times improved.
Before API setup
- Business verification documents
- Display name approved
- Templates drafted
- Provider chosen
How a WhatsApp Business API engagement with PMG runs
- Audit (week 0–1). Accounts, analytics, tracking, website, CRM flow and competitors reviewed, with a written list of what's broken, what's wasted and the three moves we'd make first.
- Plan (week 1–2). Break-even ROAS or a target cost per lead, a measurement plan and a 90-day roadmap for WhatsApp Business API, with owners and dates.
- Launch (week 2–4). Clean structures, verified conversion signals, the first creative sprint and landing-page fixes.
- Optimise (months 2–3). A weekly test cadence, with budget following the cheapest incremental results rather than platform-reported ones.
- Scale (month 3 onwards). New channels, geographies and retention loops, added only when the economics hold.
Every week you get a one-page scorecard, a change log, the test board and a 30-minute call with your strategist. See how we work and pricing for details.
Why teams choose PMG for WhatsApp Business API
- Measurement first. Unit economics and clean tracking come before any increase in spend.
- You own everything. Ad accounts, data and creative stay in your name; ad spend goes straight to the platforms.
- Senior hands on the account. The strategist you speak to is the person running it.
- Weekly transparency. Scorecard, change log and test board — every week.
- Short minimum terms. We keep clients with results, not contracts.
- India and international. One Mumbai team running campaigns across Indian cities and overseas markets, Mon–Sat, 7am–9pm IST.
Where we run WhatsApp Business API
We manage WhatsApp Business API for businesses across India — including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad — and for companies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Germany. Campaigns are planned market by market, with language, currency, platform mix and privacy rules matched to each. See all Indian locations and international markets.
Free growth audit
Get a written audit for WhatsApp Business API.
No sales call required. Tell us where to look; a strategist replies within working hours and sends the written audit within 72 hours.
- Tracking check
- Pixels, Conversions API, GA4 events and offline conversions — what is firing, what is double-counted, what is missing.
- Wasted spend
- Search terms, placements, audiences and overlap that cost money without producing qualified leads or sales.
- Conversion path
- Landing page speed, message match, form friction and follow-up time — where interested people drop off.
- 90-day priorities
- The three changes we would make first, with the metric each one should move.
Frequently asked questions
How long does API setup take?
Typically one to three weeks, mostly dependent on Meta business verification and template approvals.
Can we keep our existing WhatsApp number?
Usually yes, by migrating it — but it can no longer be used in the regular WhatsApp app afterwards. Plan the transition.
What about the green tick?
Official business account status is granted by Meta based on notability and isn't guaranteed. A verified business with a clear display name is what matters for most use cases.
What is the green tick?
A verification badge (Official Business Account, now part of Meta Verified options) for notable businesses. It's not required to use the API.
How long does setup take?
Typically a few days to two weeks, depending on business verification and template approvals.
How long does WhatsApp API setup take?
Usually a few days to a couple of weeks, including business verification and template approvals.
Can multiple team members use one WhatsApp number?
Yes, with the API and a shared-inbox tool.
Is there a monthly fee?
Providers usually charge platform fees, plus Meta's messaging charges.
Is there a long contract?
No. Minimum terms are short, because we would rather keep clients with results than with contracts.
Will we own the ad accounts and data?
Yes. Everything runs in your own accounts with partner access for PMG, and you can see it all at any time.
What do you need from us to start?
Access to ad accounts and analytics, your margins and order values (or deal values), brand assets, and a decision-maker available for a weekly 30-minute call.
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Message us. A strategist replies — not a bot.
Tell us your category, monthly budget and the one number you want to move. We usually respond within working hours the same day.