11 examples of creative welcome messages for WhatsApp

As they say: There's no second chance to make a first impression 👋

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

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

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

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

Let's get started!

Elements for creating 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 keep in mind what aspects to consider when making your welcome message on WhatsApp Business.

Additionally, Sebastián González, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Yavendió!, recommends: "The welcome message should have a greeting, be warm, friendly, super short (no longer 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 and include the user's name. Generally, you can 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 smiley face emojis or objects related to what your business offers. 

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

Communicate the action ✅

A very common mistake when greeting customers on WhatsApp is to only focus on the welcome and not kick off the 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 is your inquiry? Encourage your customer to continue the conversation.

Specificity 🎯

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

For example, instead of receiving a "Hi, I want more information," we place "Hi, I want more information about X item." This helps your team understand what the customer is interested in and tailor the first message around that.

Don't forget personalization

It's 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, placing default messages in each of your call-to-actions.

For example, if they come from Instagram, you might have the initial message the customer starts with be "I come from Instagram, I want more information about product XXX" so you'll know what content they have already seen about the product and can further personalize your welcome message.

Fluid interaction 💬

Going a step beyond the greeting, your team should be able to respond quickly to maintain a fluid conversation. It's no use setting up the perfect welcome message if they delay in responding to the customer's inquiries. 

For this, some businesses rely on WhatsApp quick replies, traditional chatbots, and AI 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 there to help them.

• Example:

"Hi! 👋 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 wait times or your brand's business hours. This is key to managing expectations. That way, your customers know when they can expect a response and feel valued.

• Example:

“Hi, [client's name]! 😊 Thank you for writing to us. At the moment, we're outside of business hours, but we return tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. 🕘 Leave us your inquiry, and we will respond as soon as possible.”

Humanized welcome message on WhatsApp

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

• Example:

"Hi! 👋 I'm [advisor's name], commercial executive at [your brand's name]. Let me know how I can help 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:

"Hi, [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 on any of our products?"

WhatsApp greeting with frequent options

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

• Example:

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

1️⃣ View products

2️⃣ Place an order

3️⃣ Other inquiry

Respond with the number. I'm here to assist you 👩‍🍳"

Seasonal welcome message

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

• Example:

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

Let's analyze 5 real WhatsApp Business welcome messages

In this section, I have selected five welcome messages on WhatsApp from real businesses so we can see the elements in action and you can get inspired before creating your own greeting. 

Example 1: Topitop - Clothing store welcome message

Topitop uses the welcome message with promotions, taking advantage of the Cybers season. It also includes a direct call-to-action with their “Tell us 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 - Technology service welcome message

Coolbox Peru has a creative welcome message with frequent options. 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 introduces 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 there's a lack of a clear CTA 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 - Restaurant welcome message

The fast-food restaurant KFC in Peru has a WhatsApp channel to place, charge, and deliver orders. Let's see what elements are used: 

To begin with, it naturally inserts the client's name in the welcome. Then, it has a brief introduction of the bot named CoronelBot and includes emojis strongly related to the product

This type of creative greeting makes an instant impact. It's direct, clear, and shows the brand's personality. It also includes a written call-to-action (“Please choose a type of order below”) as well as in the image. A perfect 10/10!

Example 4: IPAD - Educational institution welcome message

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

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

There's a clear call-to-action as they ask for the person's details and inquire whether they prefer online or in-person classes.

Finally, this welcome message is accompanied by an image listing all their courses as if it were a product catalog.

Example 5: T-imprimo - Printing service welcome message

For our final example, I selected this creative welcome message about a printing service. When interacting for the first time with them on WhatsApp, they greet you warmly with a curious fact related to the customer's pain point. 

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 to quote it, if you don't have it, send me the name, author, and publisher of the book and we'll find it for you” Brilliant! ✨

Quick guide: How to set your welcome message on WhatsApp Business? 

Set up your new welcome message following these steps on WhatsApp Business:

1. Press the more options icon (⁝) on the main screen.

2. Select "Business tools" > "Welcome message."

3. Activate the option "Send welcome message."

4. Tap "Welcome message" to edit it and click OK.

5. When choosing who to send the message to, I recommend selecting “Everyone” or “Those not in your book”

6. Finally, tap "Save" and you're done!

You may be interested in: Quick guide to selling on WhatsApp

How to create a welcome message for WhatsApp with Artificial Intelligence? 

Actually, there are no steps to follow here. An AI chatbot doesn't need you to create a welcome message because it creates it for you, just like end-to-end customer service (At least, Yavendió! achieves this🚀)

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