Distinguish your business and be more recognizable to your customers with your display name and a blue tick instead of a phone number when you message customers with a WhatsApp Official Business Account.
Learn more about WhatsApp Official Business Account here.
Here are some pre-requisites before applying for a WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA):
WhatsApp API account: A WhatsApp API account is required. Sign up here if you do not have one.
Business Verification Complete: Ensure that your business is verified. Learn how to verify your business here.
Display name approved: If you have recently changed your display name, do check the approval status for your new display name in your WhatsApp Manager and ensure the status is approved.
Two-step verification enabled: Your WhatsApp two-step verification should be enabled by default when you connect your WhatsApp API account to respond.io. If is it not enabled, you can do so before submitting the OBA request.
Notable business: Your business must meet notability requirements. To be considered notable, your business’ brand name (same as your WhatsApp display name) must be mentioned in at least three articles from publications with sizeable audiences and the articles must not be paid promotions. You will be required to provide links to these articles during the submission process. Learn more about business notability here.
Before you submit a request, ensure that your messaging limit has been increased to 1000. You can check your current messaging limits in your WhatsApp Accounts > Settings tab > WhatsApp Manager > Account tools > Phone Numbers. Learn more about WhatsApp messaging limits here.
Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a WhatsApp Official Business Account.
Step 1: In your Meta Business Suite, select your business account > Settings
Step 2: More Business Settings > Select your WhatsApp account > Settings tab > WhatsApp manager
Step 3: Under WhatsApp Accounts, select the phone number you want to verify for the blue tick
If you have not enabled two-step verification, you can turn it on now by navigating to the Two-step verification tab.
Step 4: Go to Profile, fill in the details > click Submit request
Step 5: On the pop-up, fill in the required information and add the supporting links to show that your business is notable. Then, click on Submit.
When providing the reason for requesting the blue tick, include a brief explanation of your company and its position in the market to justify your blue tick application.
Once you have completed your submission, Meta will notify you if your application was successful. If your application was not successful, you can submit your application in the next 30 days.
You’ve gotten your WhatsApp Official Business Account, now it’s time to show off that blue tick to even more people by allowing more people to reach out to your business. Move on to the next step in your journey - Grow your WhatsApp Audience by Maximizing Entry Points.
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