Before you get started with WhatsApp for Business there are a number of prerequisites you will need to have in place.

1. An Approved Meta Business Manager Account

To use WhatsApp Business, you must have a Meta Business Portfolio (formerly Facebook Business Manager). A personal Facebook or Meta account alone is not sufficient.

Business verification may also be required, depending on your account setup and the WhatsApp features you intend to use.

2. Phone Number

You will need a phone number that can receive SMS or voice calls for initial verification. This number must not be used for another WhatsApp account.

You will need a phone number capable of receiving SMS or voice calls for initial WhatsApp verification. The number must not already be registered with another WhatsApp account.

If you do not have a suitable number, Sendmode can provide one for an additional monthly fee.

3. Brand/SenderName

Choose a display name for your WhatsApp business profile that complies with WhatsApp policies.

4. Approved Message Templates for Outbound Messaging

Your messages will have to be approved by Meta before you can send them. You can create a message as a template and then Meta will decide whether to approve the template AND which category of message this template belongs to.

Meta has 3 categories all with different prices.  Marketing messages are by a distance the most expensive. Meta can also change the category of messages mid-stream if their algorithm decides that your utility messages are in fact marketing messages.  This will dramatically increase the cost of your outbound messages.

Categories

• Marketing: Promotional offers, product announcements, cart reminders, and catalogs.
• Utility: Transactional updates, order confirmations, billing statements, and account alerts.
• Authentication: One-time passcodes (OTPs) and account verification codes.

5. Solution Provider

Sendmode can integrate with the WhatsApp API and provide this service. Please Note: It can take up to 90 days from start to finish to get everything above setup. Also Meta run period checks on all approved templates and some of your templates which have been approved may be rejected during one of these checks.

Annex A: WhatsApp Sending Limits & Restrictions

Meta imposes strict sending limits on WhatsApp Business accounts, restricting how many customers you can contact within a 24-hour period. New accounts typically have lower limits, and increases are not guaranteed.

Meta can reject messages, restrict marketing delivery, reduce sending limits, or suspend accounts based on customer complaints, engagement, and message quality.Unlike SMS, WhatsApp is not suitable for unrestricted bulk messaging campaigns.

Annex B: Update November 2026. Dynamic Pricing  ** VERY IMPORTANT **

WhatsApp are introducing Dynamic Pricing for Marketing messages whereby you will bid for the cost of the message and if Meta accepts the bid then your message will be delivered. This further complicates WhatsApp for Business for marketing messages as you will not know the cost of the campaign until it is over.

For example; if you big 10c for your campaign and send to 1,000 recipients. Meta will decide on the value of each recipient and if they are below 10c, Meta will deliver the message. If Meta decides that a certain recipient is worth MORE than your bid, they will NOT deliver the message. The decision algorithm is proprietary to Meta so you have no way of knowing who is more ( or less ) valuable than your bid.