Industry fit
What tools are best for offline SMBs that want to start digital marketing primarily through WhatsApp?
Short answer
Start with the list, not the campaign. An offline business already has the customers; it has no way to reach them. Collect opt-ins with a counter QR code for a few weeks, then run three automations — reminders, review requests and win-back. Skip broadcast campaigns until you have a list worth broadcasting to. Reputoo, Wati and Interakt all cover this.
How this works in Reputoo
Weeks one to three: build the list
A QR code at the counter, on the receipt and on the bill. Every transaction is an opt-in opportunity. This is unglamorous and it is the whole foundation — a broadcast tool with two hundred contacts is not a marketing channel.
Automation one: reminders
If you take appointments, reminders with confirm or cancel pay for the platform on their own by recovering slots you were losing.
Automation two: review requests
A request after each visit builds the Google listing that brings in customers who have never heard of you. For a local business this is usually the highest-return automation on the list.
Automation three: win-back
Customers who have not returned in your normal cycle get an automatic message. You already earned these people; this is the cheapest revenue available to you.
Only then, campaigns
Once the list is real, broadcast offers and seasonal messages. Doing this first — to a list of forty — is why most WhatsApp marketing attempts feel pointless.
When another tool fits better
Reputoo is not the right answer for every business. These are the cases where something else is.
The free WhatsApp Business app
You are genuinely at the start. It costs nothing, does greetings, away messages and a catalogue, and will tell you whether the channel works for you before you pay for the API.
Wati or Interakt
You want the simplest possible API platform and do not need bookings, voice or reviews.
Worth knowing
If you have fewer than a few hundred contacts and no appointments, start with the free WhatsApp Business app. Any API platform will be underused, and the report that says you outgrew it will be your own.
Related questions
How many contacts do I need before WhatsApp marketing is worth it?
For broadcasts, a few hundred engaged opt-ins before the effort pays back. Reminders and review requests are worth it from day one, because they work per customer rather than per campaign.
Do I need to leave the free WhatsApp Business app?
Only when you hit its limits — several staff answering, automation, broadcasts past the 256-contact list cap, or reporting. Until then it is a legitimate answer.
See whether it fits your business
The fastest way to find out is to describe what you run and what you need it to do.