Published:
How to create a WhatsApp campaign for your restaurant: a step-by-step guide
Creating a WhatsApp campaign for the hospitality industry does not require advanced technical knowledge, but it does require an orderly process. You need to define the objective, prepare the contact list, create and approve the message templates, segment the delivery, and measure the results. This guide explains each step with the level of detail needed by someone doing it for the first time.
Step 1: Define the campaign objective
Before writing any message, you need to know what you want to achieve. The objective determines everything else: the customer segment to which it is sent, the content of the message, the timing of the dispatch, and the metric with which you are going to measure the result.
The most common objectives in hospitality are: recovering lost bookings, promoting a specific menu or event, reactivating customers who have not returned within a defined period, filling low-occupancy dates, or requesting post-visit reviews. Do not try to do multiple things with the same message. One campaign, one objective.
Step 2: Create the message templates
WhatsApp requires outgoing marketing communications to use templates previously approved by Meta. A template is a text with fixed parts and variable parts that are customized for each recipient.
Example of a template for a seasonal menu campaign: 'Hi {{nombre}}, this month at {{nombre_restaurante}} we have launched our autumn menu with the best seasonal products. Available until November 30th. Would you like to book? {{enlace_reserva}}'
The template approval process typically takes between 24 and 72 hours. Meta may reject templates that include excessive discount promises, spammy language, or that do not meet their business communication standards.
Step 3: Segment the shipment
Do not send the same campaign to your entire database. Segmentation improves results because the message reaches people for whom it is relevant. The most useful segmentation criteria in hospitality are: date of last visit, number of visits, type of visit (couple, family, group), and declared preferences.
Step 4: Define the sending timing
For restaurants, the best results are obtained with mailings between Tuesday and Thursday, between 10:00 and 13:00. Mondays have lower rates because clients are in work mode. Fridays and Saturdays have good open rates but low conversion because the client already has plans for the immediate weekend.
Step 5: Launch and monitor
The metrics you should track are: number of messages sent, delivery rate, open rate, response rate, and number of bookings generated. If the open rate is below 60%, review the timing and content of the message.
Step 6: Learn and optimize
Each campaign generates data that allows you to improve the next one. Keep a record of the results of each campaign (date, objective, segment, metrics) to compare and detect patterns. With three or four campaigns of experience, you can already have a solid criterion on what works for your specific establishment.