WhatsApp Marketing Automation for Indian Businesses

WhatsApp has 535M+ users in India and a 98% open rate — the highest of any channel. Yet most SMEs still treat it as a manual chat tool. Here's how to turn WhatsApp into an automated 24×7 lead conversion engine.

Step 1 — Get on the WhatsApp Business API

The free WhatsApp Business app works for solo operators. For automation at scale, you need the Business API via providers like AiSensy, Interakt, Wati or Gallabox. Setup takes 2–7 days.

Step 2 — Design your funnel

1. Ad / website → Click-to-WhatsApp
2. Auto-greeting + 3 qualifier questions
3. Tag lead by intent (hot / warm / cold)
4. Send relevant collateral (case study, pricing, demo link)
5. Hot leads route to human; warm leads enter nurture flow

Step 3 — Build the nurture sequence

Day 0 — welcome + lead magnet. Day 2 — case study. Day 5 — common objection answered. Day 8 — limited-time offer. Day 14 — re-engagement. Most SMEs see 15–30% meeting conversion from this single sequence.

Step 4 — Integrate with CRM

Push every lead to HubSpot, Zoho or your CRM with full chat history. This lets sales pick up exactly where automation left off — no awkward 'tell me again' conversations.