WhatsApp Campaign — Introduction

Learn how to create, schedule, and manage WhatsApp campaigns with templates, audience sources, automation, inbox replies, and analytics.

Introduction to WhatsApp Campaigns

WhatsApp Campaigns allow you to create, schedule, and manage large-scale WhatsApp messaging directly from Kipps.AI.
You can send template messages, run qualification flows, target audiences from multiple sources, track delivery metrics, and manage all replies in a unified Inbox.

Overview

WhatsApp Campaigns support two core functions:

Outbound Communication

Send bulk WhatsApp messages for:

  • Promotions
  • Follow-ups
  • Re-engagement
  • Reminders & notifications

Real-Time Inbox Handling

All customer replies sync instantly into the unified WhatsApp Inbox, allowing:

  • Team visibility
  • Agent-wise conversation management
  • Automation vs Human mode control

Supported Campaign Types

  • Outreach
  • Date-Based (Birthday / Anniversary)

Before You Start

To run WhatsApp Campaigns successfully, ensure:

  1. Your WhatsApp Business API is integrated through the Integrations → WhatsApp page.
  2. Your WhatsApp phone number is verified.
  3. Your templates are approved in Meta Business Manager.
  4. Your audience sources contain valid E.164 phone numbers.
  5. You have confirmed and stored user opt-ins.

If integration is pending, complete it under Integrations → WhatsApp.

Key Features

  • Create & send WhatsApp Campaigns
  • Template-based messaging (with placeholders)
  • Audience sources: Zoho CRM, Google Sheets, Lead Ads, Contacts
  • Schedule campaigns to start now or later (with timezone)
  • Real-time WhatsApp Inbox
  • Media support (Images, PDFs, Videos)
  • Delivery metrics: Sent, Delivered, Read, Failed
  • Track by WhatsApp Agent
  • Template preview & testing

Main UI Modules

  • Agent – Manage WhatsApp agents & connected numbers
  • Knowledge Base – Add custom business data
  • Provider API Keys – Configure STT/TTS or other providers
  • Campaign – Build & manage WhatsApp campaigns
  • Inbox – Real-time messaging view
  • Instagram – Additional meta integrations
  • Contacts – Audience lists & segmentation
  • Developers – Functions, webhooks, and automation logic
  • Integration – CRM, Ads, Sheets, and WhatsApp setup
  • Analytics – Performance tracking
  • Phone Number – WhatsApp number management
  • Usage – Consumption & quota metrics

Creating a WhatsApp Campaign

Follow this structured flow:

1. Create or Select a WhatsApp Agent

Assign your WhatsApp number and agent name.

What the agent controls:

  • Which WhatsApp number sends messages
  • Which templates are available (based on the sending number’s WhatsApp Business setup)
  • Where inbound replies land (Inbox for that agent/number)

2. Go to Campaign → Add Campaign

Start a new campaign.

3. Create the Campaign

Click Add Campaign, enter a campaign name in the modal, and create it.
After creation, Kipps opens the campaign page so you can complete setup.

Campaign naming tips

  • Include the goal + audience source (example: Outreach-Webinar Leads-Google Sheet)
  • Add the month or sprint if you run recurring outreach (example: Outreach-March-Sheet)
  • Avoid ambiguous names like “Test” (hard to track in analytics later)

4. Setup Campaign (Wizard)

Click Setup Campaign and complete the two-step wizard:

  • Step 1: Select Campaign Type
    • Outreach (most common)
    • Birthday/Anniversary (date-based messaging)
  • Step 2: Select WhatsApp Agent + Template
    • Choose the WhatsApp agent
    • Choose an approved WhatsApp template
    • Configure placeholder parameters ({{1}}, {{2}}, etc.)
    • Click Finish Setup

Outreach vs Birthday/Anniversary (how to choose)

  • Outreach: Use when you want to send a one-time or scheduled message to a list (campaigns, offers, follow-ups).
  • Birthday/Anniversary: Use when you want date-based messaging tied to a contact date field (birthday/anniversary).

Template parameters (what “mapping” means)

If your template contains placeholders, you must decide what fills each placeholder:

  • Fixed value: Same for everyone (example: a static link or offer name)
  • Audience field: Comes from your audience source (example: name, company, city)

Example:

  • Template: Hi {{1}}, welcome to {{2}}!
  • Mapping:
    • {{1}} → contact name (from Google Sheet / CRM)
    • {{2}} → fixed value Kipps.AI

5. Add Audience (Select Audience Source)

After setup, click Add Audience and choose how you want to import contacts:

  • Google Sheet
  • Zoho CRM
  • Meta Lead Ads
  • LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads
  • Google Lead Form Ads
  • Contacts

Complete the source-specific configuration (for example, Google Sheet mapping) and click Save Configuration.

Which audience source should you use?

  • Google Sheet: Best for quick lists, events, ad-hoc segments, and spreadsheet-driven personalization.
  • Zoho CRM: Best when your segmentation and fields already live in CRM.
  • Lead Ads (Meta/Google/LinkedIn): Best for inbound leads; requires the integration/webhook setup to pull leads.
  • Contacts: Best when you already manage contacts inside Kipps and want to filter/target them.

Audience data quality checklist (high impact)

  • Phone numbers present for every row/contact you want to message
  • Consistent phone format (E.164 recommended)
  • Avoid duplicate phone numbers (deduplicate before running)
  • Make sure fields used by placeholders exist for most contacts (missing fields can cause template validation failures)

6. Schedule (Start Instantly or Later)

Use the Schedule button to:

  • Start immediately, or
  • Schedule for later (set start date, optional end date, and timezone)

Once started, the campaign UI switches to operational controls like Pause/Resume and analytics.

Scheduling details

  • Start immediately triggers sending right away for the configured audience.
  • Schedule for later sets a future start date (and optional end date) in the selected timezone.
  • When a campaign is already scheduled, opening Schedule usually pre-fills the existing dates so you can review/update them.

7. Monitor

Track delivery, replies, and performance.

Campaign Lifecycle (What changes after you schedule)

Understanding the campaign lifecycle helps when you’re troubleshooting “why it isn’t sending”:

  • Draft / Not started: campaign exists, but setup and/or audience may be incomplete
  • Configured: setup is completed and audience source is saved
  • Scheduled: start date is in the future (campaign has not started yet)
  • Running: campaign started (instant start or the schedule time has arrived)
  • Paused: campaign temporarily stopped; can be resumed
  • Completed: campaign has finished (typically after end date, or when processing ends)

Templates & Placeholders

  • Templates are required when messaging outside a 24-hour user session.
  • Placeholder format: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}, etc.
  • Map placeholders to audience fields during setup.
  • All templates must be Meta-approved.

Practical placeholder guidance

  • Keep placeholder usage minimal (1–3) unless your audience data is very reliable.
  • Prefer mapping placeholders to stable fields like name, company, city instead of “optional” fields.
  • If a placeholder value is missing for many contacts, consider switching that parameter to a fixed value.

Audience Management

You can pull audience from:

Google Sheet Sync

Automatically sync contacts from connected Google Sheets.

Typical setup steps:

  • Pick spreadsheet (Google Drive)
  • Choose sheet tab
  • Map required columns (phone number required)
  • Save configuration

CRM & Ad Leads

Supported integrations include:

  • Zoho CRM
  • Meta Lead Ads
  • LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads
  • Google Lead Form Ads

Segmentation

Create segments based on attributes or previous engagement.

Compliance

Maintain audit-ready user opt-ins.

Recommended practices:

  • Store source + timestamp of opt-in (CRM field, sheet column, or internal record)
  • Avoid messaging recipients who explicitly opted out
  • Use templates that clearly identify your business and purpose

Media Support

Supported formats:

  • Images – JPG, PNG
  • Documents – PDF
  • Videos – MP4

GIFs automatically convert to MP4.
Always follow WhatsApp size limits to avoid delivery failures.

Playground & Testing

Use Playground to:

  • Preview templates
  • Test placeholder mapping
  • Validate media
  • Simulate message flows

No real messages are sent during testing.

Inbox & Human Reply Mode

All user replies land in the WhatsApp Inbox.

Human Reply Mode

  • Disables automation
  • Only manual messages allowed
  • Automation resumes when turned OFF

Ideal for sensitive conversations or manual support.

What happens when users reply?

  • Replies are visible to your team in Inbox (by WhatsApp agent/number)
  • You can continue the conversation manually or let automation handle it (depending on your settings)
  • Reply rate and engagement can be tracked in analytics

Delivery Status & Troubleshooting

Statuses include:

  • Sent
  • Delivered
  • Read
  • Failed

Common Issues

  • Incorrect phone format
  • Missing/unapproved template
  • Recipient opted out
  • Rate limits
  • Large files

Use delivery logs to debug.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

  • Campaign not sending:
    • Is it Scheduled in the future (start date not reached yet)?
    • Did you click Start immediately or set a start date?
    • Is the campaign Paused?
    • Is the audience configuration saved (Save Configuration)?
  • High failures:
    • Validate phone number formatting and duplicates
    • Confirm template approval + correct agent/number
    • Reduce reliance on missing placeholder fields

Analytics & Insights

Track:

  • Total messages
  • Delivery rate
  • Read rate
  • Response rate
  • Template-level insights
  • Date-wise performance
  • Agent-wise performance

Use filters to drill down deeper.

  • During the first hour: check sent vs failed to catch data issues early
  • After a day: review read + reply rates by template and audience segment
  • After completion: export leads CSV to analyze outcomes and plan retargeting

Best Practices

  • Use short, clear templates
  • Personalize messages with placeholders
  • Test all templates before sending
  • Start with smaller batches
  • Use automation wisely
  • Maintain opt-in compliance
  • Keep your audience data clean (valid phone numbers + required fields for placeholders)
  • Use Schedule + timezone to avoid sending during off-hours

Summary

WhatsApp Campaigns in Kipps.AI provide a complete, scalable system for sending template messages, managing replies, importing audiences, and tracking performance.
With automation, real-time inbox handling, and rich analytics, it gives your team a central place to run high-impact WhatsApp outreach.

Troubleshooting

The campaign is active but no messages are being sent. Confirm the WhatsApp Agent is connected and in LIVE mode. Verify that the selected template is approved in Meta Business Manager. Check that the audience source is configured and mapped correctly (phone column selected). If all settings are correct, pause and resume the campaign to force a fresh processing cycle.

Template messages are being sent but delivery rates are very low. Low delivery rates often indicate invalid or unreachable phone numbers. Ensure all numbers are in E.164 format (+CountryCodeNumber) and that recipients have WhatsApp installed on those numbers. Also check if your WhatsApp Business number has a messaging restriction from Meta due to quality issues.

Reply rates are extremely low despite high delivery numbers. Review the template content — messages that feel promotional without a clear benefit or call-to-action get ignored. Test different templates with a small audience segment first. Personalized templates (with the recipient's name) consistently outperform generic templates.

The campaign ended but many contacts were never contacted. This typically happens when contacts were marked as skipped due to invalid phone numbers or when the campaign's contact limit was reached. Download the campaign's CSV report to identify skipped contacts and re-run with corrected data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Meta Business Verification before running WhatsApp Campaigns? You can run campaigns with an unverified Meta Business account, but messaging limits will be significantly lower. Verified accounts unlock higher throughput tiers. For production-scale campaigns with large audiences, Meta Business Verification is strongly recommended.

Can I run a WhatsApp Campaign and a Voice Campaign to the same audience simultaneously? Yes. There is no restriction on running both types of campaigns to the same contact list at the same time. Use this approach for multi-channel outreach — WhatsApp for text/template messages and Voice for conversational follow-ups.

What is the maximum number of contacts I can message in one campaign? WhatsApp messaging limits are set at the phone number level by Meta and increase as your quality rating and verification level improve. Kipps.AI does not impose a separate hard cap, but your Meta account's throughput tier determines how many messages can be sent per day.

Can I resend a campaign to contacts who did not read the first message? Create a new campaign targeting only the contacts from the original audience who showed "Sent" but not "Read" status. Export the campaign results CSV, filter for unread contacts, and use that as a new audience for a follow-up campaign.

Are reply conversations accessible after the campaign ends? Yes. All reply conversations are stored in the WhatsApp Inbox regardless of campaign status. You can access, search, and respond to any conversation from the inbox even after the campaign is marked as complete.

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