11 examples of creative welcome messages for WhatsApp

As they say: You never get a second chance to make a first impression 👋

And when 70% of consumers prefer to communicate through messaging apps like WhatsApp, a good welcome message becomes important to establish that connection from the start. 

But, what welcome message should you put? How can you greet your customers in a way that makes them feel valued and attended to?

In this article, I share 11 examples of creative welcome messages to inspire you when creating your own.

First, we will see the essential elements to create a welcome message, then I will present six types of effective greetings and analyze five real WhatsApp Business messages. Finally, I'll leave you with a quick guide to set up your own welcome message on WhatsApp.

Let's get started!

Elements to Create a Good Welcome Message on WhatsApp Business

Let's briefly review what elements make up a good welcome message. This will help us be aligned when analyzing each example and you'll have clear what aspects to consider when making your greeting message on WhatsApp Business.

Additionally, Sebastián González, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Yavendió!, recommends: "The welcome message should have a greeting, be warm, friendly, super short (no more than 120 characters), and allow you to guide the conversation towards the sale."

Your Client's Name 🙋

Did you know that one of people's favorite words is their own name? Use this to your advantage when greeting by adding the user's name. You can generally include it as a variable since each person has configured how they like to be called in their WhatsApp profile. 

This shows that you consider each customer’s individuality and creates a good first impression. No generic greetings!

Emojis 😀

The great thing about WhatsApp Business is that you can include visual elements in your conversations. In this case, emojis are a simple but effective resource to convey your brand’s personality from the greeting. You can use friendly face emojis or objects related to what your business offers. 

Besides, they are a good way to break a monotonous message and provide a visual break in each bubble. Let your brand express itself moderately with emojis from the welcome message.

Communicate the Action ✅

A very common mistake when greeting customers via WhatsApp is only focusing on the welcome and not paving the way for conversation. Here we talk about the famous call-to-action (CTA). It's the “and how are you?” after greeting a friend. 

Remember to include that question or instruction that helps continue the contact. Some common CTAs are: How can we help you? or What’s your query? Encourage your client to keep the conversation going.

Specificity 🎯

If you use advertising to send leads to your WhatsApp, Sebastián from Yavendió! recommends that the redirection message include the product name. This way, upon receiving it, you can respond specifically and in particular about that type of product. 

For example, instead of someone sending you “Hi, I want more information,” we place “Hi, I want more information about X item.” This helps your team understand what the client is interested in and adapt the first message around that.

Don't Forget Personalization

It is extremely important that you can personalize your welcome message depending on the source of traffic origin. You can achieve this by generating different initial messages for the user by setting default messages for each of your calls to action.

For example, if they come from Instagram, you could make the initial message “I come from Instagram, I want more information about the product XXX” this way you know what content they have already seen about the product and you can further personalize your welcome message.

Fluid Interaction 💬

Going a step beyond the greeting, your team should be capable of responding quickly to maintain a fluid conversation. There is no use in configuring the perfect welcome message if they will delay in responding to customer inquiries. 

To this end, some businesses use WhatsApp’s quick responses, traditional chatbots, and AI-powered chatbots. You can try Yavendió!'s here.🤖

6 Types of Greetings for WhatsApp Business (with Example Messages)

General Welcome Message on WhatsApp

This is a brief greeting that sets a positive tone. With just a couple of lines, you can show your customers that you're here to help them.

• Example:

"Hello! 👋 Thank you for reaching out to [your brand's name] How can we assist you today?"

Welcome Message with Response Times

A welcome message that includes information about the waiting time or your brand’s business hours. This is key to managing expectations. Thus, your customers know when to expect a response and feel valued.

• Example:

“Hello, [customer's name]! 😊 Thanks for writing to us. At the moment, we are outside business hours, but we’ll be back tomorrow from 9 a.m. 🕘 Leave us your query, and we’ll respond as soon as possible”

Humanized Greeting Message on WhatsApp

This type of message introduces the agent or person who will attend to your customer, adding a personal and human touch to the interaction. 

• Example:

"Hello! 👋 I'm [advisor's name], a sales executive from [your brand's name]. Tell me how I can assist you."

Creative Welcome Message with Promotions

Taking advantage of the welcome message to offer promotions is an effective strategy. A good incentive can motivate customers to make their first purchase.

• Example:

"Hello, [your client's name]! 🎉 Welcome to [your brand's name]. Use the code COMPRA10 for a 10% discount on your first purchase. Would you like info about any of our products?"

WhatsApp Greeting with Frequent Options

Offering alternatives makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for. You can use buttons or simply list the options.

• Example:

"Hello, [your client's name]! 👋 We are [your brand's name], the best grills🥓🍖 in town. What would you like today?

1️⃣ View products

2️⃣ Place an order

3️⃣ Another inquiry

Respond with the number. I’m here to help 👩‍🍳"

Seasonal Welcome Message

Seasonal messages are a great opportunity to connect emotionally with your customers. Take advantage of holidays and offer something special.

• Example:

"🎄 Enjoy a 15% discount on all our Christmas products now. Tell us, can we help you with anything, [customer's name]?"

Let’s Analyze 5 Real WhatsApp Business Welcome Messages

In this section, I’ve selected five WhatsApp welcome messages from real companies so we can see the elements in action and inspire you before creating your own greeting. 

Example 1: Topitop - Welcome Message from a Clothing Store

Topitop uses the welcome message with promotions, taking advantage of the Cyber season. Additionally, it includes a direct call-to-action with their “Let us know how we can help you.” 

Here we notice the use of emojis to capture attention at the start of the greeting and convey friendliness at the end of the message.

Brief, concise, and with personality 😉

Example 2: Coolbox - Welcome Message from a Tech Service

Coolbox Peru has a creative welcome message with the frequent options type. In this example, you can see a numbered list according to the query to resolve.

Although it doesn't mention the name of a human advisor, it does introduce the bot or virtual assistant in the greeting. It uses emojis at the beginning and to accompany each option.

Here, we see an opportunity for improvement because a clear CTA is missing that communicates to the user how to select an option or what they can write after the welcome message. Did you notice?

Example 3: KFC - Welcome Message from a Restaurant

The fast-food restaurant KFC in Peru has a WhatsApp channel to register, charge, and send orders. Let's see what elements we find: 

First, it naturally inserts the customer's name into the welcome. Then, it makes a brief presentation of the bot named CoronelBot and includes emojis strongly related to the product.

This type of creative greeting creates an instant impact. It is direct, clear, and shows the brand's personality. Additionally, it gives a call-to-action both in writing (“Please choose a type of order below”) and in an image. A 10 out of 10!

Example 4: IPAD - Welcome Message from an Educational Institute

With the Peruvian Institute of Art and Design, we can see a humanized greeting where the name of the assigned agent or seller is mentioned. 

We also have the use of emojis directly related to the services they provide. Even giving art and design classes, they could use more of this visual resource. 

We see a clear call-to-action as they request the person’s details and ask if their preference is online or in-person classes.

Finally, this welcome message comes with an image listing all their courses as if it were a product catalog.

Example 5: T-imprimo - Welcome Message from a Printing Service

For our last example, I chose this creative welcome message from a printing service. When interacting with them for the first time via WhatsApp, you are greeted warmly with a curious fact related to the client's pain. 

Then, in a few lines, they introduce the company, what they offer, and their purpose, ending with a call-to-action “Send us your PDF for a quote, if you don’t have it, send me the name, author, and publisher of the book, and we’ll search it for you.” Brilliant! ✨

Quick Guide: How to Set Your Welcome Message in WhatsApp Business? 

Set your new welcome message by following these steps in WhatsApp Business:

1. Press the three-dot icon (⁝) on the main screen.

2. Select “Business Tools” > “Welcome Message.”

3. Activate the “Send Welcome Message” option.

4. Tap “Welcome Message” to edit it and hit OK.

5. When choosing who to send the message to, it’s recommended to select “Everyone” or “Those not in your contact list.”

6. Finally, tap “Save” and you're all set!

You might be interested: Quick Guide to Selling via WhatsApp

How to Create a Welcome Message for WhatsApp with Artificial Intelligence? 

Actually, there are no steps to follow here. An AI-powered chatbot doesn't require you to create a welcome message because it creates one for you, as well as the end-to-end customer service (At least, Yavendió! does it🚀)

At Yavendió!, we have used the same technology we offer to our clients to create our AI chatbot. If you want to see how it works, chat with YaVendiosita! on WhatsApp (and then let us know how it welcomed you😉)