WhatsApp Ads — Guests Message You Instantly
The WhatsApp Ads section launches Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Click-to-WhatsApp ads: a guest taps the ad and lands straight in a WhatsApp chat with your venue — to ask about the menu, book a table or place an order in the conversation.
Open: Admin Panel → 📣 Advertising → WhatsApp Ads (admin.cenaly.ru/whatsapp-ads).
⚠️ The section is currently unavailable and is being migrated. Connecting, the campaign wizard and the AI ad-text generation ran through the server routes of the old admin hosting; after the frontend moved to static delivery they stopped answering. The integration is being moved to the platform's server functions — until then the wizard cannot create a campaign. While the migration is in progress, launch Click-to-WhatsApp ads in Meta Ads Manager; the screens described below are what the section will look like afterwards.
When the section is available. It is unlocked by a plan with marketing tools (advertising and SEO), and the card is hidden if no location of the account is in a Meta market — the extension is unavailable in Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria.
Connecting#
Ads run through Meta Ads, so first connect Facebook ("Connect Facebook" button), then set your WhatsApp Business number: pick it from the connected ones or enter it manually. You also select a Meta ad account. Set it up once and you're ready to launch campaigns.
The 5-step wizard#
Step 1. Goal#
- More conversations — guests message you on WhatsApp.
- More orders from the menu — emphasis on clicks into the menu.
Step 2. Where to show it#
Set a radius around the venue's address — people nearby will see the ad. Without an address it shows across the city.
Step 3. Budget#
Set a daily budget and duration (indefinite or N days). Money is charged to your Meta ad account balance, not your Meni balance.
Step 4. Ad and welcome message#
The system prepares the ad text from your menu — the headline and body can be edited or regenerated. Separately you set a welcome message — the first thing the guest sees when the chat opens. The preview shows both the ad and how the start of the conversation will look.
Step 5. Review & launch#
The summary: goal, radius, budget, duration and WhatsApp number. Click "Launch".
Campaign dashboard#
The headline metric here is conversations (how many guests started a chat) and cost per conversation. For each campaign you see:
- impressions, clicks, conversations;
- statuses: in moderation / ready / active / paused / rejected / archived;
- a summary tile of spend and conversations;
- actions: pause / resume / edit budget / edit welcome message / archive;
- a daily breakdown — spend and conversations for the last 30 days (there are no impressions in the daily breakdown).
Related sections#
- Ordering via WhatsApp — a wa.me button in the menu itself
- Google Ads · Yandex Ads · Telegram Ads
- Facebook and Meta — ad accounts
FAQ#
What do I need to launch?#
A connected Facebook account, a WhatsApp Business number and a Meta ad account. All of this is set up on the connection screen.
Where does the guest land after clicking?#
Straight into a WhatsApp chat with your venue — with the welcome message you set in step 4.
Whose account is charged?#
Your Meta ad account balance. Meni does not charge for impressions.
How is this different from the WhatsApp button in the menu?#
The wa.me button in the menu works for people who already opened your menu. WhatsApp Ads bring new guests from the Facebook and Instagram feed.