WhatsApp opt-in word, link and QR code
Give each WhatsApp number an opt-in word. Whoever sends it from your QR code, wa.me link or ad is opted in to WhatsApp marketing. Their message is kept as proof, and they get your reply.
PLANSEvery plan
Connects once Meta approves SmartMy's Meta app (App Review); tested with you before go-live. Built and tried on our test systems, not yet with a customer's Meta account.
The problem it solves
- You bought or collected numbers with no record that anyone agreed to WhatsApp offers.
- Meta lowers your number's quality because people block messages they never asked for.
- When someone asks how you got their number, you have nothing to show.
How it works
- Open the WhatsApp number in Configuration > Channels > Numbers and Accounts. Under Marketing Opt-In, type the Opt-In Word, for example OFFERS, and the Reply to the Opt-In.
- Number People Write To fills itself from Meta for numbers connected through SmartMy. Save, and the Opt-In Link and Opt-In QR Code appear.
- Print the QR code on bills, packaging or a counter standee, or put the link in ads, emails and your website.
- When someone sends the word, an opt-in is kept for the number's Entity, source Keyword. Their message, your number and the time are the proof. Your reply goes back to them.
- From then on, sequences, journeys and broadcasts may send them WhatsApp marketing. STOP opts them out again; START opts them back in.
Everything it does
The opt-in word
- One word per number; a message that is the word, or starts with the word and a space, counts
- Capital or small letters do not matter
- The word is not taken as a reply, so it does not end a sequence the person is in
- A person already opted in is not recorded twice
Link and QR code
- Opt-In Link: a wa.me link to your number with the word typed in for them
- Opt-In QR Code: the same link as a 200 by 200 QR picture on the number
- Both appear once the number and the word are filled
Consent records
- Kept per contact, channel and Entity in Audience > Contacts and Lists > Consent. Each has the state, the source, the proof, the date and who recorded it
- Sources: Form, Ad, QR Code, Keyword, Started a Chat, Import (with proof), By Hand, Preference Page, Replied STOP
- The latest record wins: WhatsApp marketing needs the latest to be Opted In
- STOP words: stop, unsubscribe, stop all, opt out, optout; START words: start, subscribe, opt in, optin
What opt-in changes
- Sequences, journeys and broadcasts send WhatsApp marketing only to people opted in
- People without it are counted and listed (Not Opted In to WhatsApp, See Them) and skipped with the reason
- Forms and lead ads with a WhatsApp consent line also record opt-in
Who uses it
Marketing AdministratorSets the word, the reply and the number.
Marketing UserShares the link and QR code, and reads the consent records.
Your customerScans the QR code or taps the link and sends the word.
Where you use it
- Web: Configuration > Channels > Numbers and Accounts > the number > Marketing Opt-In
- Web: Audience > Contacts and Lists > Consent
- WhatsApp: the person sends the word to your number
- Not in the phone app: this is done on the web. The SmartMy Marketing app covers chats, contacts, posts, leads and campaigns
What you control
Settings
- Opt-In Word: empty until you set one
- Reply to the Opt-In: a short thank-you that says they will get your offers and can reply STOP any time; change it as you like
- Number People Write To: filled from Meta
Notifications
- None; the person gets your reply on WhatsApp
Questions
Can I import my old customer list and send them WhatsApp offers?
You can import the list, but WhatsApp marketing goes only to people with a recorded opt-in. The others are shown as not opted in, so you can invite them by email, SMS or your counter.Is the opt-in kept as proof?
Yes. Each opt-in is kept with its source, the person's message, your number and the time, in Audience > Contacts and Lists > Consent.What if someone sends STOP?
They are opted out of WhatsApp for that number's Entity at once, and get no more marketing from its sequences, journeys or broadcasts. START opts them back in.Can one QR code serve several shops?
One number has one word. Use one QR code for all shops on that number, or connect separate numbers with their own words.Related features
AUDIENCEConsent per contact, channel and Entity, with STOP and STARTEvery opt-in and every withdrawal is kept per person, channel and Entity, with where it came from and its proof. STOP in a chat or an unsubscribe click is recorded by itself, and WhatsApp marketing goes only to people who said yes.OUTREACHWhatsApp templates and Meta's approvalWrite your WhatsApp templates in SmartMy, with parameters, a header and buttons, and send them to Meta for approval from the number. Approved templates are what sequences, journeys, broadcasts and the inbox send outside the 24-hour window.OUTREACHWhatsApp sequences: free text in the 24-hour window, over several numbersPut WhatsApp steps in the same sequence as your emails. Each step sends its approved template, or your own free text when the person wrote in the last 24 hours. New chats can be spread over several numbers within Meta's daily limits.CAMPAIGNSBroadcasts on WhatsApp and email, at a set speed, with follow-upsSend one approved WhatsApp template or one email to a whole audience, now or at a set time. The speed keeps within your number's limit and your mail server's rate. Afterwards, follow up only the people who did not read, click or reply.AUDIENCEForms with their own page or an embed scriptBuild a sign-up or enquiry form in Marketing, share its own page or paste one script line into any website. Each entry becomes a contact with its consent and proof, joins your list and journey, and gives someone a follow-up task.
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