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For most people, using Instagram for private conversations is nothing new. If you're anything like me, you're probably sliding into somebody's Instagram DMs regularly. Whether it's to respond to your best friend's story or to message your favorite brand.
But knowing how to use Instagram DM for business is a whole different story. You're not just chatting around, you have a goal: to sell. And that takes more than sending prospects random DMs, hoping they are interested in your product.
What you need, is a plan.
Good thing that you stumbled upon this blog. Because here, I'll share 4 ways to boost your revenue via Instagram DM.
Let's get started.
1. Build an engaged follower base
Instagram isn't a cold outreach platform. You have to create an appealing Instagram page that is inviting to follow. Only then, you can engage with your followers and eventually sell more easily.
If you do decide to send a DM to a cold lead, they will probably take a look at your feed before they respond. Besides the fact that your feed should show appealing posts, you also need to have a nice amount of followers. Prospects need social proof to be convinced. No matter how good your pitch is, if you have only 98 followers, you might not get a response at all.
Here are do's and don'ts on gaining engaged followers:
✅ Post repeatedly on the same day at the same time.
✅ Like and comment on relevant posts shared by your target audience.
✅ Reply to comments and answer DM's, even if it doesn't bring you anything.
❌ Don't follow and unfollow people. Instagram is trying to ban this.
❌ Don't buy followers. They will not engage with you or your product in the long run.
2. Start running Instagram DM ads.
According to research by Facebook, 65% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a business they can message. With Instagram DM ads, you give them the possibility to slide into your DM right away.
You can publish Instagram DM ads in the Instagram feed or Stories. They allow prospects to start a conversation with your business by clicking on your ad. From here on, you can connect, engage and —hopefully— turn them into returning customers.
So, if you would like to boost your sales by increasing your customer base, running these ads might be the way to go.
Learn how to set up Instagram DM ads here.
3. Collect customer data
Imagine you have been in contact with a prospect via Facebook. You've had a promising conversation, but the customer decided not to buy your product yet. You agreed to get in touch again within two months.
But then, your colleague starts a conversation with the same prospect via WhatsApp. Not knowing what was said before, he tries to close the deal again.
Poof. There goes your future customer.
Customers tend to reach out to you via various channels, whether it's via an Instagram DM, email, or a quick call. Without a platform, you'll lose track of these contact moments and miss out on important context. Which results in you telling your customer X, while your colleague might have told them otherwise.
With an omnichannel communication platform such as Trengo, you can manage conversations from all channels in one view. Besides that, you can create a customer profile that includes data, such as phone number, business size, and country. It also shows the context of all of prior contact moments.
With this tool, you can increase your sales at every stage of the customer journey. Whether the conversation starts via Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram.
4. Focus on the real deal
Time is valuable. That's why you don't want to spend your time on every prospect. Focus on the real deal.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't follow up every Instagram DM. It does mean that you can use tools to do the talking for you.
Here are some of the most-used automation tools on Instagram:
- Quick replies: You can use quick replies to answer frequently asked questions within one click. Learn how to set up quick replies on Instagram here.
- Auto-replies: By using auto-replies, you can always ensure customers of a fast answer. Learn how to set up an Instagram DM auto-reply here.
- Chatbots: You can use a chatbot to answer simple questions or route the customer to the right colleague. Learn how to create a chatbot for Instagram DM here.
Start using Instagram DM for business
I hope this blog helps you to get started with using Instagram DM for business.
If you would like to know how to work even more efficiently, I suggest you reach out to Trengo.
With Trengo's omnichannel communication platform, you can minimize the time your sales team spends on repetitive tasks and maximize the time they can spend engaging with customers.
