Blog / Automation & AI

WhatsApp drip campaign: automated sequences that convert

A drip campaign on WhatsApp is a sequence of automated messages released drop by drop, one after another, based on time or the contact's actions. It's the ideal tool for guiding a person from first contact to sale without writing every message by hand. In this guide we look at how to design three typical flows (onboarding, follow-up, and reactivation) and how to set them up so they sound human rather than robotic.

What a drip campaign is and when to use it

"Drip" refers to trickling: instead of a single message, the person receives a planned series of communications spaced out over time. On WhatsApp this works particularly well because each message is read almost immediately, but for that very reason it must be calibrated: few messages, well spaced out, and always useful.

Flow 1 — Onboarding a new contact

When someone joins your list (from a QR code, an ad, or checkout), a welcome flow guides them through the first few days.

• Day 0: welcome message and what to expect
• Day 2: concrete value, a guide or a useful tip
• Day 5: introduction of the product or service with a soft call to action

Flow 2 — Lead follow-up

Those who asked for information but haven't bought yet should be recontacted with care. An automated follow-up prevents losing leads through forgetfulness.

• After 1 day: "Did you get a chance to review our proposal?"
• After 3 days: an answer to a typical objection or a testimonial
• After 7 days: a time-limited offer or an invitation to book a call

Flow 3 — Reactivating dormant customers

Customers who haven't bought in months are an underrated treasure. A reactivation sequence brings them back into the chat: "It's been a while since we last spoke, we have some news for you", followed by a dedicated benefit and, finally, an urgency lever. By segmenting contacts with tags you can send different messages to those who bought once and to those who were frequent customers.

In SendApp you can trigger a drip campaign based on a contact's tag: as soon as you add the "new lead" tag the onboarding flow starts, while the "dormant customer" tag activates the reactivation sequence. The AI agent handles the replies in chat, so the sequence becomes a real conversation.

Rules to avoid looking like a spammer

The difference between an effective drip campaign and an annoying one comes down to a few rules: every message must provide value, frequency must be kept low, and the person must be able to opt out at any time with a simple "stop". Personalize with name and context, and stop the sequence as soon as the contact takes the action you wanted (purchase, booking, reply).

How to do it with SendApp

SendApp combines CRM, tags, and automated campaigns: you create templates with variables like {name}, connect them to your number via official Meta API or via WhatsApp Web with a QR code, and set up flows that start based on tags. The trained AI agent answers questions and hands over to an operator when needed. Plans start at 19 euros per month and Cloud API messages are billed directly by Meta, with no markup from SendApp.