WhatsApp links with campaign attribution

When someone messages you on WhatsApp from a regular link (wa.me), WhatsApp doesn't pass along any data about the campaign that generated that click. With wa.me links you can create your own link for each campaign and, when the contact writes, Vixiees saves on their record which campaign they came from.

1. What wa.me links are

A wa.me link is a link like https://wa.vixiees.com/<number> that sits between your campaign and WhatsApp:

• It includes the destination WhatsApp number, an optional pre-filled message and the attribution parameters you choose (for example source, medium and campaign).
• When someone clicks it, Vixiees records the click with its campaign data and opens WhatsApp with your pre-filled message, with a short code like Ref: v-A7K2X added at the end.
• When that message reaches Vixiees, the code tells exactly which click the conversation came from, and the campaign data is saved on the contact.

It works for any external campaign: your website, Google ads, emails, QR codes, etc.

Meta ads that open WhatsApp directly (Click to WhatsApp) already carry their own ad information and don't need this link.

2. How to create a link

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp.
2. Open the wa.me links tab.
3. In Destination number, pick the connected WhatsApp number contacts should write to.
4. In Pre-filled message, type the text that will already be written when WhatsApp opens (optional).
5. Under Attribution, fill in the campaign parameters. utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign are shown by default. With Add parameter you can also add utm_content, utm_term, gclid, fbclid or landing_page.
6. Copy the link from Generated link with the copy button and use it in your campaign.

On the right, the message preview shows how the contact will see the message in WhatsApp, with the Ref code at the end.

The tab is only available with WhatsApp connected. If you don't have a number yet, connect one first in the Phone numbers tab.

3. What happens when a contact writes

• If the message arrives with the Ref code, the conversation is linked to the click and the campaign data is saved on the contact.
• New contact: it's created with the campaign data already in place, so workflows and your CRM sync have it from the very first moment.
• Existing contact: only empty campaign fields are filled in; an earlier source is never overwritten.
• Each code can only be used once.

4. Where to see the attribution

On the contact record, in the Activity history, a new WhatsApp link clicked event appears. Expanding it shows the Link data: that click's campaign parameters. You can show only these events with the new WhatsApp links filter.

The WhatsApp link clicked event expanded with its Link data. It's only generated by a real WhatsApp message carrying a Ref code.

5. When a conversation isn't attributed

The conversation is still saved, just without campaign data, if:

• The contact deletes or edits the Ref code before sending the message.
• More than 10 minutes pass between the click and the message: the click expires.
• The code doesn't match any click (expired, incomplete or made up).

In none of these cases is an error shown to the contact.

Relevant scenarios

• Several campaigns at once to the same number: create a different link per campaign (for example, changing utm_campaign) and you'll see which campaign drives the most conversations.
• Google Ads, email or QR campaigns: use the same number and tell channels apart with utm_source and utm_medium.
• Automating by source: since a new contact is created with the campaign data already in place, you can use it in your workflows from the first message.

Conclusion

wa.me links let you connect each WhatsApp conversation to the campaign that generated it, with no external tools: create the link in Settings, use it in your campaign, and the attribution is saved on the contact when they write.