Meta primarily supports two types of message templates: marketing and utility. As per Meta, marketing templates are intended to be used for sales and promotional purposes, while utility templates should be used for service-related communication or non-promotional messages. Traditionally Movius utilized Marketing templates to facilitate conversation between MultiLine and WhatsApp users but that will be change now and Movius will transition to utility templates for enabling WhatsApp communication. Starting April 1, due to new Meta policies, we will shift from Marketing templates to Utility templates as Meta is temporarily pausing delivery of Marketing templates to US numbers.
Existing templates have been migrated, and all new ones will be created as utility templates. Although Meta policy change triggered the template changes, we also recommend usage of utility templates for their lower failure rates.
Another change that Meta is doing is that they will also automatically change any misused utility template to a marketing template. This often occurs when templates lack a clear stated purpose or context and when that happens template messages will be failed to be delivered because Meta is temporarily blocking delivery of Marketing template messages to US numbers.
Meta converts templates to Marketing using an automated algorithm, and these changes cannot be reverted to Utility. To prepare for this, it is recommended to have more than one approved template ready to replace any that Meta changes. Please share your primary template and an alternative template with Movius to be updated to your WhatsApp account. If you receive an email from Meta about the change in your template category, please raise a ticket with Movius to get your template updated.
Here is an example of an opt-in template that clearly states its purpose, provides the necessary context, and justifies its use for obtaining consent. We recommend customers to follow these guidelines for creating templates and sharing those templates with Movius:
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Hello1,
We aim to keep you informed with important updates and support regarding your account. These messages are strictly service-related and not promotional in nature.
Would you like to receive messages from2 for account updates, service notifications, and assistance?
Reply YES to confirm or STOP to opt out at any time.
Thank you,
2
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Context: The phrase "We aim to keep you informed with important updates and support regarding your account" explicitly mentions the message is for service and account updates.
Clear Intent: The statement "These messages are strictly service-related and not promotional in nature" emphasizes the non-marketing intent without explicitly stating, “this is not marketing.”
Consent: The instruction "Reply YES to confirm or STOP to opt out anytime" makes it easy for the user to consent or withdraw, thus aligning with WhatsApp guidelines.
Professional Tone: The template avoids emotional triggers or urgency that could resemble marketing.
✅ Example (More likely to be approved as Utility):
| Hello, {employee name} from XYZ Co is reaching out regarding your existing account. To continue this secure conversation via our compliant messaging service, please review our Terms of Service (url) and reply with “YES” to proceed. |
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❌ Example (Unlikely to be approved as Utility): | Hello, {employee name} from XYZ Co is trying to contact you via our compliant messaging service. Please review our Terms of Service (url) and reply with “YES” to proceed. | This wording is vague and may appear promotional, leading Meta to classify it as marketing. |
✅ Sample Utility Template for Opt-In:
| Hello, {employee name} from XYZ Co would like to communicate with you via WhatsApp for faster updates on your account and services. Reply YES to receive important notifications here. |
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