How to Build a Whatsapp Marketing Funnel
Published on 26.07.2025 by Chizoba T
WhatsApp is one of the most widely used social media platforms globally. If your business isn't using it, you're missing out on a lot. There are various ways businesses can leverage WhatsApp, including sales, marketing, and vendor management. Additionally, the personalized messaging nature of WhatsApp messages makes it an excellent choice for converting customers.
To effectively leverage WhatsApp for increased sales, you must first establish a sales funnel. In this article, we will look at the steps to building a WhatsApp sales funnel.
What is a WhatsApp Sales Funnel?
A WhatsApp sales funnel caters to the various stages of the customer’s buying journey, ultimately leading to conversion. To better understand the concept, it's essential to comprehend the stages customers go through before they can make a purchase. They start by learning about a product, showing their interest in it, and then considering it.
These are the sales funnel stages that should guide you when making a sales funnel. Each of these stages requires different strategies for converting customers and drawing them closer to the buying decision.
A WhatsApp sales funnel aims to cater to the different stages of the customer’s sales journey, from initial lead to conversion, and turning one-time buyers into loyal customers. Marketers need to ensure that they keep their customers engaged throughout the sales funnel journey.
Building a WhatsApp Sales Funnel for the Different Stages
When creating a WhatsApp sales funnel, you should consider these stages:
Awareness Stage
As the name suggests, this stage aims to make your potential customers aware of the product or service you are selling. Therefore, during this stage, you utilize WhatsApp as a marketing platform to generate leads. WhatsApp is, in this case, effective for bulk broadcasting. To personalize the message, you can use the customer’s name in the marketing message, including in unsaved numbers.
Your team can begin by identifying potential leads and inviting them to engage with you on WhatsApp. When your leads reply, add them as a CRM contact directly from the platform, which will help you save time when engaging with other WhatsApp leads.
Once your leads engage with you, start capturing their inbound interest using lead generation strategies on WhatsApp, such as website widgets, QR codes, and click-to-chat. You can also use a simple automated template to welcome customers and introduce them to your brand.
Interest Stage
If a customer starts communicating with your business, it means they have progressed from the awareness stage to the interest stage. At this stage, your goal is to pique the interest of the leads and qualify them using WhatsApp. You can do that by focusing on understanding the customer’s pain points, asking them the right questions, and determining if they are a good fit for your business.
You can also do that by providing your potential customers with valuable content that addresses their problems and needs. Use the WhatsApp Status feature to post promotions, updates, and even behind-the-scenes content. However, even as you pick your lead’s interest, you need to prioritize WhatsApp chats and responding to the customer’s inquiry.
Decision Stage
In the decision stage, prospects are already considering your product. It is easy to notice customers in this stage as they ask about the features, pricing, and onboarding timelines. At this stage, you should convince your customers of the reasons why they should buy your product.
Take this moment to address any last-minute questions the prospects may have and encourage them to make a buying decision without feeling pressured. You can do that by sharing previous customers’ testimonials, success stories, and case studies on WhatsApp.
Direct messaging can be a great way to personalize recommendations. If you are offering limited discounts and time-sensitive offers, you can set up WhatsApp reminders to create a sense of urgency or limited-time offers. You can also schedule demos through WhatsApp.
Another benefit of WhatsApp for building a sales funnel is that it will enable you to follow up on your leads through personalized messages. You can use the platform to share materials, respond to objections, and keep the process moving forward. Since the platform provides a centralized view, you can gain a clear understanding of the stages of the buying journey where customers are, and identify those who are dropping off the sales funnel.
Action Stage
Your goal in this stage is to encourage customers to make a purchase. You can do that by making the buying process very easy. Then, share the links to the product page or online store using WhatsApp.
Ensure that you also answer the last-minute questions. After making a purchase, be sure to follow up with the customer with a “thank you” message.
Tips to Leverage a WhatsApp Sales Funnel
To enable you to get the most out of your WhatsApp sales funnel, use these tips:
- Create a contact list. If you already have existing customers or visitors to your site, collect their phone numbers fast. You can then provide them with incentives such as free resources, discounts, and limited offers to encourage them to sign up.
- Audience segmentation. You can divide your audiences into different groups based on their engagement level, purchase history, and interest. By doing so, you will be in a better position to send more relevant and targeted messages.
- Automate your process. Since you will be sending your WhatsApp messages in bulk, automating them will help you manage the conversations better. Ensure that your discounts and offers are also well-automated, reaching prospects at the various stages of the buying journey.
- Keep it humane and personalized. Even after the automation, ensure that you keep your message personalized. You can do that by adding the prospect’s names to your messaging.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to creating a well-structured sales funnel, WhatsApp offers something you will not get from other platforms—the ability to directly access prospects in real-time. This is on top of the fact that people trust conversations on WhatsApp, where there is less spam compared to other platforms, such as emails.
Without a well-defined customer buying journey, it can be challenging to build a WhatsApp sales funnel. The good news is that by following the steps outlined in this guide, you should be able to do so.