Your click-to-WhatsApp ad is working. The chats are coming in: “Price?”, “Send brochure”, “Is 3 BHK available?”. Then the replies go out late, or as a form, and the chats go quiet. The ad did its job. The conversation didn’t.
If you own the marketing budget, this is the part of the funnel you pay for but don’t control. This guide walks through the flow from the first message to a booked site visit, and the WhatsApp rules that shape it.
In short, a click-to-WhatsApp ad opens a chat with your business. Reply at once, send what the buyer asked for, ask two or three questions, and offer a visit slot in the same chat. Meta’s rules make the first reply free and decide what you can send later.
The WhatsApp rules that shape the flow
| Rule | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free entry point | When a buyer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply within 24 hours, all messages are free for 72 hours. This applies on the Android and iPhone apps. | Meta pricing |
| 24-hour window | Each message from the buyer opens 24 hours in which you can reply freely. After that, only approved templates. | Meta pricing |
| Template types | Utility templates follow up on something the buyer did or asked for, with no promotion. Marketing templates are for offers and re-engagement. A message that mixes the two counts as marketing. | Meta template categories |
| Pricing | Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template, by category and the buyer’s country. | Meta pricing |
The practical lesson is simple. The first day matters most. A fast reply keeps the conversation free and open, and every reply from the buyer keeps it open for another day.
From click-to-WhatsApp ad to site visit, step by step
- The ad. One project, one clear offer, and a prefilled first message such as “Send me the price list”.
- The first reply. Answer the question in the first message. Don’t open with a form.
- The brochure. Send the brochure, price sheet or walkthrough the buyer asked for, as a file or link in the chat.
- Qualify. Ask two or three questions: configuration, budget, when they want to move.
- The visit slot. Offer two or three real times from your team’s calendar. Confirm the address and a map pin.
- The reminder. Remind the buyer the evening before, so the visit stays on their mind. Inside the 24-hour window this is a normal message. Outside it, use a utility template.
When to move from WhatsApp to a call
- The buyer asks to talk, or sends a voice note.
- The questions are about price negotiation, loans or a specific unit.
- The buyer has gone quiet after asking for a visit.
In India, calling the buyer after a WhatsApp enquiry falls under TRAI’s calling rules. See the 7-day enquiry window.
What to measure, from chat to booking
| Step | Measure |
|---|---|
| Ad | Chats started, and cost per chat |
| First reply | Time to first reply |
| Qualify | Share of chats that answer the questions |
| Visit | Visits booked, and visits that happened |
| Booking | Bookings per campaign |
To tie a chat back to the ad, Meta adds a referral to the first message, with the ad id and a click id (Meta webhook reference). Meta can also receive later stages, such as a qualified lead, through its Conversions API for messaging.
If you’re the analytics person, this is the join that makes cost per site visit possible. The full method is in cost per site visit and cost per booking.
How Intend runs it
Intend’s WhatsApp agent answers within seconds, sends your brochures and walkthroughs, asks your questions, books the visit into your calendar and reminds the buyer. We set up your WhatsApp Business account and templates on your own Meta business.
Before your next campaign
Send yourself a message from your own ad, on a weekend evening, and time the reply. Then read it as a buyer would. If it answers the question you asked and offers a visit, you’re in good shape.
If it doesn’t, that’s the easiest win in your funnel. For buyers abroad, see answering NRI buyers across time zones. And to see the whole flow running for a developer, visit Intend for real estate developers.
Sources
- Meta, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (free entry point and 24-hour windows, per-message pricing from 1 July 2025)
- Meta, WhatsApp template categorization (marketing, utility, authentication)
- Meta, WhatsApp text messages webhook reference (the referral object for Click to WhatsApp ads)
- Meta, Conversions API for Business Messaging