While it initially started as a platform for sharing personal photos with family and friends, Instagram has blossomed into a mammoth social platform with over 1.4 billion active users worldwide who scroll, engage with tens of thousands of pieces of content daily, and—most importantly—slide into each other’s DMs. This provides ample opportunities for brands looking to tap into new markets and drastically expand their customer base.
However, businesses must set their strategies straight to engage customers efficiently via direct messages. If you miss the messaging mark, you could lose the chance to convert strangers into loyal customers.
So, how can your brand successfully implement rich strategies to connect with customers through Instagram Business? The first step is understanding what mistakes to avoid.
Here are the top four common Instagram messaging faux pas to avoid and what brands should do instead.
What is Instagram direct messaging?
Before we can dive into what can all go wrong in an Instagram inbox, you need to understand what direct messages are.
Commonly referred to as DMs, the Instagram direct messaging function enables brands to engage users with personalized, private conversations. At the same time, it allows customers to ask brands questions, voice their concerns, and learn more about a particular product or service.
If done correctly, Instagram messaging helps brands build trust, alleviate common concerns, educate consumers about their offerings, and drive sales.
It’s essential to know how to engage with customers the right way. Personalized conversations and quick replies are critical to a successful Instagram messaging campaign.
Four Instagram messaging mistakes to avoid at all costs
Now that you know more about using Instagram for outreach, here are four messaging mistakes that will cost you customers.
1. Generic messages
When it comes to successfully engaging prospects, personalization goes a long way. In fact, 63% of marketers have seen more customer interactions and conversions when they send personalized content.
Consumers crave connection. If you’re not tailoring your Instagram messages to an individual customer’s unique pain points and experiences, they will lose interest quickly. Over 60% of consumers said they would stop buying from businesses that use poor personalization tactics.
Nobody wants to receive a generic message from a brand that doesn’t apply to them. So, before you start reaching out to potential customers, you must understand them. Brands can easily do this with data they already have. Use your CRM to craft compelling, customized messages backed by data.
Luckily, Mitto Integrations allows you to seamlessly integrate our solutions into your existing CRM, including Salesforce and HubSpot.
2. Lagging responses
We live in an age of immediate gratification. Customer demands are on the rise. Today’s shoppers expect their favorite brands to respond to their messages immediately. Almost half of all consumers expect brands to reply to their inquiries in less than four hours.
Businesses that fail to keep up will lose customers and bleed out revenue. To meet your customers’ expectations, you should incorporate chatbots and automated replies into your Instagram messaging strategies. This way, you’re answering every single customer promptly. For more complicated questions, the customer can be transferred to a live agent for seamless, swift support.
3. Long, rambling messages
When it comes to Instagram, most users are consuming content from their phones. Because of this, brands must keep their messages short and sweet. TL;DR: Customers can be turned off by long, rambling messages that fail to get to the point as soon as possible.
When crafting your Instagram messages, keep them concise. Demonstrate how your company can provide immediate value to the customer and include a clear call-to-action to inspire them to take the next step.
With some fine-tuning, your brand can create personalized, straightforward messages that engage customers with just a few sentences. To streamline your processes, develop customizable templates that can be used repeatedly for different scenarios at each customer journey stage.
4. Not using emojis
There’s nothing more boring than receiving an Instagram message with just text. Adding emojis or a popular meme format to a DM can instantly elevate a customer’s experience and encourage them to engage further.
However, brands need to be using emojis only when targeting specific demographics. Gen Z and millennials enjoy messages that include emojis, while older consumers may not.
Instagram messaging done right
Are you ready to reach more customers with Instagram Business? Mitto makes it easy! We’ll help customers discover and buy your products with real-time DMs and ongoing support.
To get started, contact us today.
