Why Businesses Use CTWA Retargeting
Every WhatsApp conversation your business has represents a potential opportunity. Even if a customer does not immediately make a purchase, their interaction still indicates interest.
Many businesses try to reconnect with these leads by sending WhatsApp marketing template broadcasts. While this can work in some cases, it often becomes expensive and inefficient as the lead database grows.
CTWA Retargeting offers a smarter alternative. Instead of sending paid messages to every contact, you show targeted ads only to users who have already interacted with your business on WhatsApp, bringing them back to the same conversation.
To understand the difference, let us compare both approaches.
Broadcast Messaging vs CTWA Retargeting
Communication Method
Direct marketing template message
Facebook/Instagram ads
Cost Structure
Pay per message sent
Pay for ad reach/engagement
Typical Cost
₹0.99 per marketing template
Flexible ad budget
Cost for 1,000 Leads
₹990
₹300 – ₹600
Cost for 10,000 Leads
₹9,900
₹2,000 – ₹4,000
Response Rate
1% – 5%
5% – 15%
Conversation Continuity
User must reopen chat manually
Clicking the ad reopens the same WhatsApp chat
This shows that broadcast messaging reaches everyone, while CTWA Retargeting focuses on users more likely to respond.
Scenario 1: Sending WhatsApp Marketing Template Broadcasts
Marketing templates are paid messages, so you are charged for every message sent.
For example:
1,000 leads × ₹0.99 = ₹990
10,000 leads × ₹0.99 = ₹9,900
However, most broadcast campaigns see only 1%–5% response rates.
So if you message 10,000 leads, only around 100–500 users may respond.
Additional Challenges with Broadcast Campaigns
Frequency Capping
WhatsApp applies frequency limits on marketing messages.
If you send a broadcast to 10,000 contacts, typically only 60–70% of messages are delivered initially.
That means:
6,000–7,000 messages delivered
3,000–4,000 messages delivery failed
Businesses often have to retry broadcasts multiple times to reach the remaining users.
Risk of Number Restrictions
Sending marketing messages to large lists can also increase the risk of WhatsApp number restrictions.
If recipients:
Mark messages as spam
Block the number
Report the business
WhatsApp may reduce messaging limits or temporarily restrict the number.
This risk increases when messaging:
Older databases
Contacts who never interacted recently
Third-party or unknown data sources
Large Databases Become Expensive
Many businesses store large contact databases over time.
Example:
100,000 contacts × ₹0.99 = ₹99,000 per broadcast campaign
In addition to the cost, businesses may also face:
frequency limits
spam complaints
low engagement
Scenario 2: Using CTWA Retargeting
CTWA Retargeting works differently.
Instead of sending messages directly, you run Facebook and Instagram ads shown only to users who previously interacted with your business on WhatsApp.
When users click the ad, the same WhatsApp conversation opens again.
For example:
A campaign with a budget of ₹2,000 – ₹4,000 can reach 10,000 previously engaged users.
Because these users already know your business, engagement rates are usually higher than broadcast campaigns.
Why CTWA Retargeting Works Better
Familiarity Users recognize your brand from the earlier conversation.
Relevance Ads target people who already showed interest.
Better Timing Users see the reminder while browsing Facebook or Instagram.
Conversation Continuity The WhatsApp chat reopens instantly when they click the ad.
Key Takeaway
Sending broadcast messages means paying for every message, even if most users do not respond.
Businesses may also face:
frequency capping
delivery limitations
spam reports
risk of number restrictions
high costs for large databases
CTWA Retargeting helps businesses re-engage interested users through targeted ads, bringing them back into the conversation in a more natural and cost-efficient way.
What You Will Learn Next
In the next article, you will learn how to create a Custom Audience in Meta Ads Manager using your CTWA lead list, which is the first step in running a CTWA Retargeting campaign.
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