Brevo fast email, sms & whatsapp

Awesome—let’s get you productive in Brevo fast. Here’s a crisp, step-by-step playbook with hands-on tasks, templates, and real use-cases (especially useful for colleges/admissions, but works for any business).

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0) One-time setup (20–40 min)

1) Create account & verify sender

Add your sender name/email → confirm via code.

Authenticate your domain (SPF/DKIM) for better inboxing. 

2) Import contacts safely

Prepare a CSV with columns you’ll actually use (e.g., FIRSTNAME, COURSE_INTEREST, CITY, WHATSAPP_CONSENT).

Import to Contacts → Lists (e.g., “Leads 2025”).

Use Segments later for targeting (dynamic groups that auto-update). 

3) Create 2–3 email templates

Go Campaigns → Templates → Email templates → New Template. Save branded headers/footers once. 

4) (Optional but recommended) Turn on WhatsApp

Link & verify your WhatsApp Business account in Brevo, collect explicit opt-in, and create message templates (Meta approval needed). 

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1) Contacts, Lists & Segments (do this first)

Create smart segments (Contacts → Segments):

“Warm leads (opened any email last 30 days)”

“High-intent (clicked Apply Now + from City=Mumbai)”

“WhatsApp-opted” (channel consent = true)

How: Create segment → define conditions → Save. These update automatically. 

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2) Your first Email Campaign (15 min)

Campaigns → Email → Create an email campaign

1. Choose sender, recipients (a List or Segment).

2. Subject & preview text (A/B test if unsure).

3. Drag-and-drop editor; personalize: Hi {{ contact.FIRSTNAME | default:'there' }}

4. Send test → Schedule or “Send at best time”. 

Subject line starters

“Final reminder: {{COURSE_INTEREST}} admissions close {{DATE}}”

“Your ARMIET brochure + 2 student success stories”

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3) Automation Basics (set once, keeps working)

Automations → Create an automation

Pick a template (easiest) or build custom:

Entry (When): e.g., “Contact added to list” or “Form submitted”

Conditions (If): “clicked link”, “in segment”, “field equals…”

Actions (Then): send Email/WhatsApp/SMS, wait X days, add a tag, create a task for counselor, move deal stage. 

5 no-brainer automations

1. Welcome series (2 emails + WhatsApp)

Entry: joins “Leads 2025”.

Day 0: Email “Welcome + Brochure”.

Day 1: If not opened → WhatsApp short nudge.

Day 3: Email with student stories + CTA to apply.

2. Application nudge

Entry: clicked “Apply” but no form completion in 48h → Email “Need help?” + counselor contact.

3. Event/webinar flow

Registration → immediate confirmation email; T-24h reminder; T-1h WhatsApp reminder; post-event feedback.

4. Re-engagement

No opens 60 days → Email “Still interested?” If no click in 7 days → reduce frequency / suppress.

5. Counselor tasking

High-intent click → Create task for CRM user; due in 1 day. 

Pro tip: You can share/import workflows across accounts if you manage multiple brands. 

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4) WhatsApp inside Brevo (fast outreach)

Why: Higher read rate; perfect for short, timely nudges.

Setup path: Link WABA → verify → create/approve templates → import WhatsApp-opt-in contacts → send campaigns or include in automations. You can also automate WhatsApp messages within a workflow (e.g., reminders, status updates). 

Template ideas (variables in {{ }})

Confirmation: “Hi {{FIRSTNAME}}, we got your inquiry for {{COURSE}}. Counselor: {{AGENT_NAME}} – {{AGENT_PHONE}}.”

Reminder: “{{FIRSTNAME}}, your doc-verification is pending. Upload by {{DEADLINE}}: {{LINK}}”

Event: “Today {{TIME}}: {{WEBINAR_TITLE}}. Join: {{MEET_LINK}}”

Important: Collect explicit consent and follow WhatsApp Business Policy. 

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5) Forms & Landing Pages (lead capture)

Forms: Build signup/application interest forms; add custom fields; set double opt-in if needed. Embed on site. 

Landing Pages: Create a focused page for campaigns (“MBA Admissions 2025”). Connect to list, add UTM, and conversion tracking. 

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6) CRM & Pipelines (optional but powerful)

Use Brevo CRM → Deals to track each lead through stages (New → Contacted → Counselling → Submitted → Admitted).

Auto-create tasks from automations; assign to counselors; log notes. 

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7) Integrations (Google Sheets/ERP)

No-code: Zapier/Make to sync new rows ↔ Brevo contacts, update custom fields, or trigger campaigns from sheet changes. 

Direct use-case: When a row is added in “Walk-in Leads” sheet → Add/Update Brevo contact in “Leads 2025” + tag campus-visit. 

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8) Transactional Emails & API (for portals/ERP)

Send OTPs, fee receipts, status updates programmatically.

Endpoint: POST https://api.brevo.com/v3/smtp/email with api-key header. Use a saved template and pass templateId + params. Sandbox/testing header: X-Sib-Sandbox: drop. 

Example (cURL – template based):

curl --request POST \

  --url https://api.brevo.com/v3/smtp/email \

  --header 'accept: application/json' \

  --header 'api-key: YOUR_BREVO_API_KEY' \

  --header 'content-type: application/json' \

  --data '{

    "to": [{"email":"student@example.com","name":"Asha"}],

    "templateId": 123,

    "params": {"FIRSTNAME":"Asha","APP_ID":"AR-2025-1042","STATUS":"Docs Pending"},

    "replyTo": {"email":"admissions@yourcollege.in","name":"Admissions"}

  }'

More examples and best-practices (batch sends, idempotency, preview templates) here. 

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9) Analytics you should watch weekly

Delivery & inboxing: bounces <2%, complaints <0.1%

Engagement: open rate (contextual), CTR by segment, conversions by channel

Automation health: entry counts, drop-offs at each step

WhatsApp quality signals: template status, phone number quality

(Use Campaign reports + Automation stats; add UTM so your site analytics show goal completions.)

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10) Ready-to-use use-cases (copy & run)

A) College Admissions (email + WhatsApp mix)

Capture: Landing page “MBA 2025 — Get Brochure” → List “Leads 2025”. 

Welcome automation: immediate brochure email; Day-1 counselor intro via WhatsApp; Day-3 student stories email. 

Nurture by intent: Segment “Visited Fees page” → send fee-breakup explainer + scholarship CTA. 

Event drive: Webinar registration form → confirmations + T-24h email + T-1h WhatsApp reminder. 

Application completion: If clicked “Apply” but no submission in 48h → WhatsApp gentle nudge with counselor number. 

Post-admit: Transactional API for fee receipt + onboarding checklist. 

B) E-commerce (if needed later)

Abandoned cart (email + WhatsApp), post-purchase upsell, review request, birthday coupon.

C) Services/Consulting

Lead magnet delivery → discovery call booking; missed call → WhatsApp follow-up with calendar link.

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11) Deliverability & compliance (don’t skip)

Authenticate domain (SPF/DKIM) and consider DMARC. Warm dedicated IP only if you send high volumes. Use double opt-in for fresh lists. Clean inactive contacts. 

WhatsApp: keep explicit opt-in + clear expectation; use concise, helpful templates. 

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12) 90-minute team plan (ready for today)

Module 1 (25 min): Lists, Segments, Templates → each member builds 1 segment + 1 email template. 

Module 2 (35 min): Launch first email campaign to “Warm leads 30d”; set UTM; schedule. 

Module 3 (30 min): Automation “Welcome + Brochure” with a Day-1 WhatsApp if unopened. 

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Quick checklists

Daily

Review new leads, reply to Questions, check failed sends.

Weekly

Top 3 segments performance, automation entry counts, WhatsApp template approvals.

Monthly

List hygiene, subject line A/B summaries, refresh creative.