Supercharge Your Instagram DM Strategy with Automation
As an entrepreneurship consultant who‘s helped hundreds of small businesses market themselves on Instagram, I can‘t emphasize enough the power of direct messaging. Instagram reports that 56% of users say they are more likely to purchase from a brand they message versus following alone.
And users check their Instagram inbox 34x per week on average – making it one of the highest open rate channels available.
But doing one-to-one messaging entirely manually isn‘t scalable. That‘s where automation comes in handy…
Top Instagram DM Automation Tools in 2024
Here are my top recommended tools for sending bulk direct messages on Instagram (along with real user examples):
1. Inflact
Inflact is my go-to Instagram marketing platform for its unrivaled DM capabilities.
Some highlights:
- Send scheduled messages to unlimited followers
- Personalize messages with follower names and content tags
- Automatically reply to messages received
- Attach images/videos to messages
- Segment followers by age, gender, interests to target different messages
For example, a boutique uses Inflact to send a "Welcome!" DM with a 15% off coupon to all new female followers in their city. Open rates are averaging 52%.
They also auto-reply to any product inquiries with links to that item online for a seamless buying experience.
2. Follow Adder
Follow Adder has a simple but very effective auto-DM function starting at just $7/month.
Key features:
- Upload multiple images to DM followers
- Set a delay between messages (5-60 mins)
- Limit max DMs sent per day (50-500)
A social media manager uses Follow Adder to send batches of 100 weekly DMs to micro influencers with relevant mage gallery previews. She gets a 35% response rate to collaborate.
3. Stellation
Stellation Media rebuilt their platform to have industry-leading DM technology.
Standout DM features:
- Send automatic messages to visitors who view your Instagram Story
- Leverage their advanced analytics to segment followers
- See real-time inbox monitoring metrics
A digital product company uses Stellation to auto-DM followers whenever they post new IGTV reviews, leading to their videos getting 3X more traffic.
They also segment DMs by geography and send special localized promo codes, increasing international purchases by 57%.
And that‘s just the start…
Additional Tips for Instagram DM Success
Beyond automation tools, make sure you:
Personalize – Use first names, custom calls to action ("John, what‘s your top question on X?"). This results in 22% higher open rates.
Write Carefully – Typos or asking overly salesy questions leads to users feeling spammed. Review DMs before sending.
Follow Up – If no response in 3 days, send a short follow up. People often open but forget to respond.
Find Your DM Cadence – Test sending more or fewer DMs per week/month and gauge response rate and reporting rate changes to settle on an optimal volume. Start slow.
By combining the right automation tool with messaging best practices tailored to YOUR business, you can become an Instagram DM master!
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments. I‘m always happy to help fellow entrepreneurs leverage Instagram and other social platforms to grow.
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