ContentStudio Now Supports Instagram Direct Messages: Feature Release

Replying to all the messages, comments, and interactions on all of your social media channels- all of this must kept you busy at all times. If you use ContentStudio’s Social Inbox,  however, you are probably relieved as you only need to do most of the planning, scheduling, and automation from one marketing tool. But still, there has been something missing. Have you been feeling the need for Instagram Direct Messaging support too?

We understand the importance of Instagram DM for marketers, how an overwhelming majority uses this method of communication to make purchases. Let’s highlight some of these statistics.

Why was this so important?

It was noted in 2019 that 130 million Instagrammers tapped on shopping posts on the platform every month. Since then. Instagram has boomed as a marketing platform, making it the second most popular choice for brands.

90% of Instagrammers follow at least one brand, which means 900 million of its 1 billion users follow at least one business. 50% of users were more interested in a brand after seeing their ad. Moreover, 2 in 3 people said that Instagram helps them interact with brands.

How often have you wanted to interact with a brand in the post itself regarding purchases? It is just something people want to discuss in private. Direct messaging is even more preferred over calls, 64% of people prefer to engage with a company via messaging instead of calls. 

Our platform already supports comms for Twitter and Facebook making it very convenient to use our Social Inbox, however, it supported only post comments for Instagram. Now that the Inbox can handle Instagram direct messaging as well, you can rely entirely on ContentStudio for all of your social customer support. Everything is right here, in one place – all of your Instagram posts, content creation, analytics, and communication for your social platforms.

How do I get started? Is there a process?

To access Instagram direct messages in ContentStudio, connect your Instagram Business account in settings. Believe me, it can be as simple as 5 clicks:

• • • • Go to Settings
      • Go to Social Accounts
      • Click on connect account on the Instagram accounts table
      • Allow all permissions from Facebook
      • Select your profile to connect to ContentStudio

If you already have your account connected then go as usual to your Social Inbox. 

How can I tap into the potential of this feature?

All brands use messaging services to provide customer service. If used correctly, you can double your brands’ revenue in 3 years, as you attain two very important factors with this service:

Brand Loyalty

For brands, the most important use of Instagrams’ DM is customer service. It is instant, direct, convenient, economical, and simple. However, there are table-turning expectations to be met. According to Hubspot, 90% of consumers expect a response immediately, which roughly translates to responding within 10 minutes.

Whether a customer asks you for size options on your brands’ shirt, or where they can find a specific product in your Instagram shop, you and your team can constantly monitor and engage with their direct messages using the Social Inbox. 

And, to make navigation easier, you can filter out conversations pertaining to your Instagram account only. Furthermore, you can select to view only direct messages, avoiding clutter and confusion. Thus, your customers will note the importance you give them, strengthening their bond with your brand.

Instagram DM Reply Templates

It is common in customers service to have to reply to common messages. 59% of consumers message a brand to share a good experience they had with a brand. A lot of these messages are generally a thank you. To eliminate the hassle of typing the same thing over and over again, you can use the reply templates feature in the Social Inbox.

For instance, you recently had a sale with a lot of purchases, you are getting swarmed with thank you DMs. You have to respond to all of them, but typing the same response to so many messages is exhausting. For that, you can simply create a few common reply templates for repetitive messages and save them. Check out some of our templates below

Now, all you need to do is click on a saved reply and send it to your consumers. If you have been through this ordeal you can understand just how much of a relief this is. If you happen to see a reply or response you would like to use again, just copy it, create a saved reply template, and paste it there.

Now, you can use this reply template anytime the situation calls for it.

Here are a few preliminary lengthy reply templates that can be used to tackle different scenarios in Instagram conversations:

• • Message during off-duty hours:

You are bound to receive messages during off-hours, however, that doesn’t mean you keep the customer hanging. What you can do is to inform consumers of your operational hours and reassure them that their message will be recorded and attended to instantly.

“Sorry, we are closed right now. Our operational hours are from [opening hour] till [closing hour] (timezone) from [weekday] till [weekday].
Please leave a message and we will respond to your query as soon as possible. Thank you”

• • Product is temporarily out of stock:

It can happen that sometimes the buyout is so intense that you run out of stock. However, your customers are impatient and begin sending messages asking about the restocking date. Make sure you let them know when their selection will be in stock so that they can plan their purchase again instead of finding another seller.

“Sorry, our [product] is currently out of stock. However, our restocking shipment is due this […]. We have added you to our priority list, and we will notify you as soon as this product is available.”

• • Product is back in stock:

Customers who have been waiting for your product to restock need to be notified as soon as possible. Doing so rids your consumers from the hassle of constantly checking a hot product if it is back in stock, which is greatly appreciated.

“Hello, we are happy to inform you that [product] is now back in stock. Click here [link] to view the product and make your purchase”

• • Upset customers:

If a customer is upset, they may make a harsh remark on you publicly. Rule 1 is to take matters privately, Rule 2 is to diffuse the situation. This lets customers know that you do take notice of unhappy customers and are putting effort to improve their experience.

“Hello [name], we noticed your comment and apologize in advance for the dissatisfaction you have experienced. We would like to help you resolve your issue directly. Could you please explain your situation a little more in detail, please bear with us as we would like to fully understand your problem so that we can help you as soon as possible”

These templates are just samples, adjust them to fit the theme and need of your Instagram brand. You do not want to sound monotonous and robotic, that will put off your customers right away. So make sure you adjust the tidbits to fit the conversation flow.

Sales and Revenue

Keeping your customers satisfied with your customer service can make them more inclined to make a purchase from you again. 89% of customers are more likely to make a purchase after having a good customer service experience. So, the happier your customers are, the more your sales and revenue boom.

If you can solve every customers’ problem right away, then you have done the impossible. However, that is not what I meant. A customer can be satisfied just by attending to them in time and understanding their problem. It isn’t necessary to solve their issue right away. 

ContentStudio tackles this with tags and member assignment features within the Social Inbox.

Instagram DM tagging and assignment

Say a customer recently made a purchase of a product from your Instagram post and would like to visit your shop personally. Just tag it as ‘Returns’ and anyone in your team that handles return issues can simply select the tag to view all conversations tied to it. You can also assign a team member directly to the conversation if it is urgent.

Feature Limitations: 

• Existing users need to reconnect to acquire this feature
• Enable Message Control Connected Tools Settings

• Send Text Message character limit is 1,000 characters with space.
• Image attachment is only supported for these formats: jpg, png, ico, and bmp
• Image attachments need to be less than 8mbs.
• Video, voice, and file attachments are not supported
• Can be either a text message or an attachment, not both
• Group threads (conversation with more than 2 participants) are not supported.
• The API cannot access Instagram non Business accounts.
• Media share is not available at the moment. This is when we send a video or image and it gets removed after getting viewed or add an attachment to Story, IG TV, or Reels.
• Reactions to messages are not available
• Stickers are not supported at the moment