Marketer’s Space - WhatsApp Pricing Update: What Marketers Need to Know and Do

Hello Marketers, 

Welcome back to Marketer’s Space! WhatsApp made changes to their pricing model on July 1, 2025, moving from conversation-based pricing to a per-message pricing model. 

This week’s post focuses on what these changes mean for your WhatsApp campaigns inside Zoho Marketing Automation, and how you can stay optimized while keeping costs under control.

Tips to Optimize WhatsApp Marketing in Zoho Marketing Automation   

Group your audience by country for better cost management 

WhatsApp’s new pricing varies by country code, so you need to be mindful of this when sending a campaign to a global list. 

You can use Segments or Lists in Zoho Marketing Automation to group contacts by country.

Inside Journeys, use the Criteria Match component to filter contacts by mobile number (e.g., starts with +91, +1) and add a ‘Country is’ condition for an extra layer of accuracy. This lets you target region-specific audiences with tailored content and avoid unnecessary costs.

Every WhatsApp message now has a cost - make it count 

Since Meta now charges for every initiated message, planning becomes crucial. Don’t send for the sake of it - send with a purpose.

Use personalization and clear CTAs in your campaign messages to boost relevance and engagement. In Zoho Marketing Automation’s message composer, you can personalize the text in the header section and also tailor the content in the body section. These small details can make a big impact on how your message is received.

Review your Journeys that use WhatsApp Campaign actions 

If you’re already using the WhatsApp action inside your Journeys, now’s the time for a quick audit.

• Ensure your message templates are correctly categorized as utility or marketing, based on Meta’s guidelines.
  
• Verify that you’re targeting the right country (country code) using the conditions in the Criteria Match.
  

This helps you avoid unnecessary marketing template charges and send only what truly matters to your audience.

Use utility messages where applicable 

Under Meta’s pricing model, utility messages are usually cheaper than marketing messages. So when creating templates in Zoho Marketing Automation, it’s important to tag them correctly based on the actual content and purpose.

• If a reminder, confirmation, or update falls under Meta’s approved utility categories, make sure it’s tagged as utility - not marketing. Incorrect tagging can lead to higher charges for messages that could’ve cost less.
  
• Create your templates within Zoho Marketing Automation and review their purpose carefully before assigning a category. Then link them to your Journeys to automate communication effectively and cost-efficiently.
  

Track your message volume and performance 

Now that each message counts, it’s more important than ever to monitor your message volume and evaluate what’s working.

Use Zoho Marketing Automation’s Reports and Journey Insights to see how many WhatsApp messages are being sent, where they’re going, and what engagement they’re driving.

Stay informed, stay targeted, and stay efficient. With the right setup, WhatsApp marketing can still deliver great ROI - even with the new pricing. More questions? Drop them in the comments and let’s discuss how you’re adapting! Until then, happy marketing!

Regards,

Pearlin Nitika

User Education | Zoho Marketing Automation

 

• Topic Participants

• Pearlin Nitika S

  

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