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How to instagram dm on desktop


How to Send Instagram DMs from Your Computer (PC or Mac)

Staring at your phone’s tiny screen and typing on its tiny keys to reply to each Instagram DM you receive is not the most efficient way to interact with your customers.

But those days are over.

As of 2020, any Instagram user in the world can send an Instagram DM online, from their PC or Mac, as well as from their phone.

*Sliding into your DMs*

Now you can get and send Instagram Direct messages on desktop, no matter where you are in the world 👍 pic.twitter.com/CT2SwuxHTv

— Instagram (@instagram) April 10, 2020

Now, your brand now has more options when replying to Instagram DMs. And considering more than 200 million users visit at least one business profile each day, there’s a good chance some Instagram users will reach out to your brand directly via DM.

What does “DM” mean on Instagram?

How to send Instagram DMs on your computer (PC or Mac)

How to send Instagram DMs from the Instagram app

How to send Instagram DMs using Hootsuite (on desktop and mobile)

How to delete Instagram DMs

8 best practices for sending and responding to Instagram DMs

Bonus: Save time and download 20 free, customizable Instagram DM templates for your brand, including greetings, partnership requests, FAQ responses, replies to complaints, and more.

What does “DM” mean on Instagram?

DM means direct messaging.

On Instagram, DMs are private messages between one Instagram user and another user, or group of users.

Instagram DMs don’t show up in your brand’s feed, profile or in search. And they won’t for your followers, either. Only you and those you are communicating with can see the direct messages.

On Instagram, DMs are sent by Instagram Direct. Think of this as an email inbox where private messages are collected.

On both desktop and mobile, access Instagram Direct to see your Instagram DMs by clicking on the paper airplane icon.

When you see a red numbered notification over the paper airplane icon, you’ll know there’s an unread DM to be read.

How to send Instagram DMs on your computer (PC or Mac)

Anyone with an Instagram account can create or reply to Instagram DMs from the browser version of the app, from a desktop computer, without any special downloads or features. This makes it easier for your brand to respond to an influx or high volume of DMs.

(If that high volume of DMs is coming from more than one Instagram account or several profiles across different social media platforms, you’re better off using a social media management tool like Hootsuite to handle DMs — more on that in the next section!)

Whether you’re replying to an Instagram DM on a PC or creating an Instagram DM on a Mac, the process is the same:

1. Log into your brand’s Instagram account

Log in to instagram.com using whichever web browser you prefer. There is no specific Instagram DM browser to use.

2. Click on the paper airplane icon

To navigate to Instagram Direct, click on the paper airplane icon in the web page’s top right hand corner.

3. See all your Instagram DMs

All your brand’s direct messages and interactions show here. Unread direct messages will show first in the list.

You’ll also see the option to create a new DM. Click on the blue Send Message button to begin a new interaction.

Type in a user’s handle to begin a new one-on-one interaction. You can message any brand or user that you follow.

Or create a group for an Instagram DM. On Instagram Direct, you can send DMs to up to 32 people.

From your desktop, you can also like, copy or report a DM by clicking on the three buttons next to the Instagram DM.

4. Send other users’ content

As well as written messages, Instagram DMs can include photos, polls, GIFs, Instagram Stories and IGTV clips. Your brand might want to interact with users by sharing other users’ content in a DM.

Navigate to the photo, video or IGTV you want to share privately. Click on the paper airplane icon under that post.

Then, select how you want to share that content.

By clicking on Share to Direct, you can type in the Instagram user you want to send the content to directly via Instagram DM.

How to send Instagram DMs from the Instagram app

Sending Instagram DMs from the Instagram app is just as easy:

1.

Open the app on your phone

Download the Instagram app from the App Store or Google Play.

2. Click on the paper airplane icon

This will open all your Instagram DMs.

3. Engage with your users

Reply to customers’ queries by tapping on the unread message and writing a response in the Message bar.

And just like on desktop, you can choose one-on-one DMs or send to a group of up to 32.

4. Share others’ content

Any time you see the paper airplane icon, click on it to send that content privately.

Bonus: Save time and download 20 free, customizable Instagram DM templates for your brand, including greetings, partnership requests, FAQ responses, replies to complaints, and more.

Download now

How to send Instagram DMs using Hootsuite (on desktop and mobile)

If you manage more than one Instagram account or your brand receives DMs on more than one social media platform, a social media management tool like Hootsuite can save you a lot of time.  

With Hootsuite, you can answer messages and comments from all of your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts in one social inbox. No more clicking through countless browser tabs to check for new DMs, or accidentally forgetting to respond until customers get fed up.

To start answering Instagram DMs using Hootsuite, follow these simple steps:

1. Connect (or re-connect) your Instagram profiles

If you’re new to Hootsuite, follow this guide to add an Instagram account to your dashboard.

If you’ve previously used Hootsuite for Instagram analytics or scheduling, but you haven’t connected Instagram with the Hootsuite Inbox yet, follow these steps to re-connect your account. 

In both cases, you will be prompted to follow a few simple steps to authenticate your account. 

Once you’re done, make sure that your Instagram profile settings allow sharing messages with your Hootsuite account:

  1. Go to Settings and tap Privacy.
  2. Tap Messages.
  3. In Connected Tools, use the Allow Access to Messages switch to enable sharing.

Note: Hootsuite Inbox is compatible with Instagram Business accounts.

2. Go to your Hootsuite Inbox

In your Hootsuite dashboard, navigate to the Inbox. 

Here, you can see interactions from your connected Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. 

The Inbox collects 4 types of Instagram messages: 

  • Direct messages
  • Replies to your Instagram Stories
  • Quick reactions to your Stories
  • Mentions of your account in other users’ Stories

3. Reply to Instagram DMs

All that’s left is to engage with your followers. 

Follow these social media customer service best practices to make sure your message responses are always on fleek. (Does anyone say on fleek anymore? Asking for a Millennial friend.) 

If you’re part of a team managing social media DMs, you can easily assign messages to other team members (who will be notified by email) and sort your inbox by assignment, social network, message type and date. 

How to delete Instagram DMs

Depending on your brand’s social media policy, you may want to delete Instagram DMs.

To delete Instagram DMs from your PC or Mac:

1. Navigate to Instagram Direct

Click on the paper airplane icon in the top navigation bar.

2. Click on the communication you want to delete

Then click on the information icon by the user’s profile picture.

3. Click Delete Chat

That will bring up this screen:

Then, you can choose to Delete Chat. This will only delete the conversation for you. It will still be visible for the others included in the conversation.

Also under the “Details” section, there is also the option to Block, Report or Mute Messages. Muting simply means you won’t get notifications for new incoming DMs for this conversation.

To delete Instagram DMs using the mobile app:

1. Navigate to Instagram Direct

Click on the paper airplane icon in the navigation bar.

2. Swipe or hold the communication thread you want to delete

If you’re using iOS, swipe left on the message you want to delete. If you’re using Android, press and hold the thread you want to delete.

This brings up two options. Mute the message to stop seeing new notifications for this thread. Or delete the message.

3. Click Delete

This action will only delete the conversation for you.

8 best practices for sending and responding to Instagram DMs

Engaging with your customers and responding to Instagram DMs is just one way to effectively use Instagram for business and gain more Instagram followers.

Here are some essential tips to keep in mind.

Set up notifications for Instagram DMs

Make sure your brand sees all the new, incoming Instagram DMs that it receives.

On both desktop and mobile, navigate to Settings. Choose Notifications (or Push Notifications if you’re on desktop).

Then under Direct Messages, make sure the From Everyone (if you’re working on desktop) options are selected.

And make sure all the On (if you’re working on mobile) options are selected. This will ensure your brand sees all its new incoming DMs.

Use Instagram Quick Replies

Chances are, your brand is going to get a lot of similar questions over Instagram Direct. Instead of typing out the same reply, save time by making the most of the Instagram Quick Replies feature.

Set up a Creator Account with Instagram. Not only will this enable the Quick Replies feature, it will provide more options for organizing and managing your Instagram DMs, like the two-tab inbox.

Find Quick Replies as an option under Settings. To create a Quick Reply:

  • Click on the “+” button in the top right hand corner.
  • Type out a reply to a commonly asked question.
  • Choose a one-word keyboard shortcut for that message.

When replying to an Instagram DM, type the one word into Instagram Direct. Click the blue “Insert a quick reply” button” and the full response you’ve saved will autofill.

Acknowledge when a new message has been received

That way, even if your team isn’t able to respond to the direct message immediately, your customer isn’t met with silence.

You might:

  • Thank the customer for getting in touch.
  • Let them know their message has been received.
  • Set an expectation for how long it will take the team to get to their query.

This helps foster a relationship between the user and your brand. It also boosts customer service, setting expectations for when that customer can expect a conversation with your brand.

Then follow up promptly

Don’t leave your customers hanging!

And the faster your brand can reply, the better. According to the analysis and advisory firm Convince & Convert, 42% of customers who complain to a company over social media expect a response within 60 minutes.

Waiting too long to reply to a customer could result in them losing trust in your brand.

Write in your brand voice

Whatever your brand’s tone, be sure to use that same voice in your Instagram DMs.

Remember to:

  • Be authentic and personable. Show your customer they’re interacting with a real person who cares about their experience with your brand.
  • Don’t use jargon. Avoid using these words and phrases.
  • Make sure communication is easy to understand. Irony, sarcasm and jokes might be misinterpreted by the reader or cause offence. Leave no room for misinterpretation.

Make sure there are no spelling mistakes

Make sure your writing reflects your brand in a professional way.

Check for typos, spelling mistakes and grammar errors. Read over your DM for flow. And if your company manages multiple brands and has multiple Instagram accounts, make sure you’re working with the right account.

Keep your writing short and sweet

If someone is reaching out to your brand directly, they want an answer quickly. So avoid the chit-chat. Get right to it.

Address your customers’ DM right away. Write in a way that is easy to read. Write short sentences.

And don’t fear short paragraphs.

Doing all this makes it easier for customers to find the answer to their query.

Don’t forget to sign off

Finally, bring closure to the conversation by:

  • Asking the customer if there’s anything else they need help with.
  • Thanking them for their business or loyalty to your company.
  • Wishing them a great day.

Closing off is a personable way to communicate, but also ensures your customer doesn’t feel snubbed or shut down before the conversation is over.

Improve your response time and efficiently engage with followers by responding to Instagram direct messages alongside all your other social messages in Hootsuite Inbox. Try it free today.

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Improve your response times by managing Instagram direct messages with Hootsuite Inbox.

Try it free

How to Send and Receive DMs on Instagram From a Computer

  • You can DM on Instagram from your computer using any internet browser.
  • To send direct messages from your computer, head to the Instagram website and click the paper plane icon in the top-right.
  • This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Instagram.

In April 2020, Instagram added the ability to send direct messages to its desktop website. 

This means that Instagram users can now send direct messages, photos, gifs, and other kinds of media, as well as start group chats, unsend messages, and reply to chats using reactions, right from their desktop. 

However, some direct message features — like video chats — only remain available In the mobile app version.  

Here's how to use the direct message feature on Instagram using your desktop computer. 

How to send a direct message on Instagram from a computer 

1. Using your preferred internet browser, go to the Instagram desktop website and log in.

2. Once you've logged in, select the paper plane icon in the top-right corner to access Direct Messages. 

You can access your direct messages from any page. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

3. You'll be shown all of your active conversations. Click one to open it, or start a new one by clicking "Send Message" or the pencil-and-paper icon.

There are two ways to start a new conversation. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

4. When starting a new conversation, begin typing in the name or username of the person you want to message, or select an account from the list of "Suggested" users. 

5. Type your message into the text box at the bottom, and then select "Send."

You can also press Enter or Return to send it. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

Once you've sent a message, you can click the three dots next to it and then click "Unsend" to take the message back.  

Once you unsend a message, the message will be removed from the chat, no matter if the recipient has seen it or not. There's no time limit for unsending messages on Instagram. 

You can "Unsend" a message at any time. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

You can also delete an entire chat conversation by clicking the "i" icon in the top-right, and then selecting "Delete chat." Note, however, that this only deletes the chat on your end — the recipient will still be able to see it.

This will delete every message in the conversation — on your end. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

  • How to clear the Instagram cache on your iPhone to free up storage space


  • How to add Story Highlights on your Instagram profile in 7 simple steps

  • How to disable comments on Instagram on a post-by-post basis

  • How to add a location on your Instagram story to share it with your followers

  • How to add a GIF to your Instagram Story using GIPHY

William Antonelli and Kerry Wan contributed to a previous version of this article.

Meira Gebel

Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland, Oregon. She writes about business, culture, and technology for Insider. Her work has been featured in Digital Trends, Willamette Week, USA Today, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and San Francisco State University.  Feel free to reach out to her on Twitter, where she can be found most of the time, @MeiraGebel.

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How to Fake Instagram DM [Direct Message]

Do you remember all those funny Instagram chat screenshots that have gone viral over the years? There were hundreds of popular, seemingly genuine chat dialogues that made us laugh, but as it turned out, most of them were fake.

Funsta is a fake Instagram chat app that looks exactly like the real deal. It allows you to create fake conversations that you can share with your friends. The application is easy to use and will allow you to customize every little thing on the screen to make it more realistic. You will surely be able to prank friends and family.

The app allows you to add fake posts and comments, create fake groups and add members, post fake stories, use the full emoji set, fake auto-reply and more. It's constantly updated with new features, so be sure to check it out.

Windows programs, mobile applications, games - EVERYTHING is FREE, in our closed telegram channel - Subscribe :) . How do you know her? Where did you get her contact? These are all the questions you will be asked after sharing some creative screenshots taken on Fake Chat,

The application allows you to control both sides of a conversation down to the smallest detail. Once you edit the messages, you will be able to share them with your friends and family and they will not be able to tell if they are real or not.

With this app, you can make your exes jealous when they see all the coveted celebrities you've interacted with. You can also get the promotion you want when your boss finds out about all the entrepreneurs practically begging you to join their teams.

Prankstagram

InsJoke will let you push the boundaries of fake DMs with features like audio messages, fake groups, group chats and statuses, all designed to look and feel 100% real.

InsJoke allows you to create fake DMs that look exactly like real Instagram Instagram. Imagine what you can do when you can control both sides of a conversation and change every little detail on the screen to make it even more realistic. It's a lot of fun, at least for the person using the app.

How do fake Instagram DM apps work?

All the applications listed above have similar functions. To play a prank on your friends, you just need to launch the downloaded application. Start by entering Instagram markers of the people you want to portray, such as yourself and the celebrities you want to fake chat with.

They say the devil is in the details and these apps let you put that to the test by allowing you to add many features to make your chats look real. Add photos, videos, stories, and other details that make it look and feel real. You can play an innocent joke on a friend, but you can also use the app to get back to an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, your ex-boss, your neighbors - you name it.

The app will save a screenshot of a seemingly real Instagram chat that you can share with friends and family. There are no limits on what you can do with a fake Instagram DM generator. It depends on how creative you are and what you want to achieve. If you're good enough, we might end up seeing some of your fake screenshots circulating on social media.

Please note that these applications will run on the desktop; in fact, there are a few things you can still do with Instagram on desktop, like check your messages. Sometimes it's easier to edit images on desktop before sending them to yourself on DropBox.0003

Editors' Choice

We've tried all the apps on this list, but we had a lot of fun with Fake Chat. It looks exactly like Instagram Chat and has easy-to-use features that allowed us to come up with a joke or two in a matter of minutes. We could also add audio messages and all sorts of details that helped us easily confuse our friends.

What's your favorite fake Instagram DM app? Share your top picks as well as funny fake Instagram DM stories in the comments below.

Programs for Windows, mobile applications, games - EVERYTHING is FREE, in our closed telegram channel - Subscribe :)

Instagram Messaging for business: The complete guide

Do you want to use Instagram Messaging for business? In this article, we'll discuss everything you need to know about setting up an Instagram business account and connecting the new Instagram Direct Messaging API to a CRM like respond.io. We'll also cover how to start a chat and reply to messages according to Instagram best practices.

Already have an Instagram business account and want to start messaging clients? Head over to our documentation for a step-by-step guide to connecting your Instagram business account to respond.io.

What is Instagram for business?

Instagram was first launched in 2010. At the time, the app was just a social platform for sharing photos and videos on mobile devices. In just two years, user growth skyrocketed, and Facebook acquired the company shortly before its IPO in 2012.

Today, more than a billion people use Instagram every month to showcase their unique content. It is not uncommon to see successful accounts with thousands or even millions of followers.

Should I use Instagram for business?

With the ability to reach so many people, Instagram is a great and valuable platform for getting to know your customers, listening to their needs, and talking to them in a way that concerns them.

Why you should use Instagram for business

Knowing this, in 2014 Instagram launched its own line of business called Instagram Business. Today, there are about 200 million business accounts, and about 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on the platform.

One of the benefits of being on Instagram is not just the sheer number of people you can connect with. Instagram business accounts give you access to many professional tools and features that you won't find in a personal account.

Instagram business account features

If you want to guide your audience through the entire Instagram customer journey, you need a business account. From creating awareness and interest to the stage of consideration and conversion, Instagram Business has all the tools to do it.

For top tunnel campaigns, the account comes with a professional dashboard. This feature provides valuable insights into marketing performance, especially how your ads or content resonate with your audience.

Features of the Instagram business account

At the level of the lower tunnel, sales are simplified thanks to the Instagram Shop function. Similar to WhatsApp Catalog, Instagram Shop allows businesses to list their products with descriptions and prices.

US customers can pay for purchases on Instagram using Facebook Pay in the Instagram Store. For businesses outside the US where Checkout on Instagram is not yet available, businesses can link products to their website for customers to pay for.

Checkout on Instagram | Credits to Instagram Official Blog

While this is true for brands with shorter sales cycles, those with high-value products take longer to convert a potential buyer into a seller. In such cases, the sales team can benefit from using Instagram Messaging for Business to follow up with a potential buyer.

To get all these benefits and features when using Instagram, you need to create an Instagram business account.

Instagram account types

There are two main types of Instagram accounts - personal and professional. A professional account consists of a business account and a creator account. Here, we'll look at the purpose of each account and why companies should use a business account.

A personal account is intended for ordinary users to upload content on various topics of interest to them privately or publicly without monetization. It is also used to follow other users, influencers or public figures and businesses that interest them.

Instagram account types: Personal, business and creator account

For influencers and public figures, Instagram has a special account called Creator Account. A creator account allows influencers and public figures to gain insight into their account analytics to better understand the interests and browsing habits of their followers.

Finally, we have an Instagram business account. It shares many similarities with the Creator Account, except that the Business Account has additional professional business tools and features that the Creator Account does not.

For example, a business account allows you to access the Instagram Direct Messaging API. Without API access, businesses cannot integrate third-party software such as CRM, which is essential for marketing, sales, and customer support.

How to create an Instagram business account

Now that you know why a business account is important, here's how you can create an Instagram business account. To get started, sign up through the Instagram app or go to instagram.com on your desktop and click the Sign-Up button from the main page.

1. Enter your email address, full name, desired username and password.

Instagram registration page on the desktop

2. Enter your date of birth. This is to ensure that underage users do not sign up for an account. The date will not appear on your public profile.

Enter your date of birth when registering

3. Enter the verification code sent to your registered email address and you now have an Instagram account.

Enter the confirmation code received from the registered email

By default, the created account will be a Personal account. You need to change it to a business account.

4. Go to Settings and click Switch to professional account.

How to switch to a business account on Instagram

5. Select Business and click Next.

Select Instagram account type: Business account

6. Select Business category.

Select the appropriate business category

7. View contact information and click Save.

Review your contact information to make sure it's correct

8. Done. Your Instagram business account is ready.

Instagram business account ready

Or, if you're using a personal business account, simply convert it to a business account by following the same steps to access all the business tools and features discussed above.

Now that your account is ready, it's time to connect your Instagram business account to your Facebook business page and Facebook business manager.

Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Connect your Instagram business account to Facebook

Although you can use Instagram Business without linking it to Facebook, it is recommended that you assign multiple users to manage messages and comments in your inbox, access to business information and scheduling posts using Creator Studio.

First, make sure you are the admin of the Facebook business page that you want to link to the Instagram business account. Then go to Facebook Business Page Settings > Instagram > Connect Account and follow the rest of the on-screen instructions.

How to link an Instagram business account to a Facebook business page

Once this is done, your Instagram business account will be connected to your Facebook business page. The next step is to make sure your account Facebook business manager owns your Instagram business account so no one else can claim it as their own.

To do this, go to Facebook Business Manager. Make sure you're a business administrator, then go to Settings > Accounts > Instagram Accounts > Add and follow the on-screen instructions.

Add an Instagram business account to Facebook Business Manager

Then assign roles to different users and add all relevant assets, such as an ad account, to your Instagram business account.

Now that your Instagram business account is linked to the corresponding Facebook page and Facebook Business Manager account, let's look at an additional feature that you can potentially add to your account - the Instagram Verified badge.

Verified Instagram Badge

The Verified Badge is a way for people to find the authentic accounts of public figures, celebrities and brands they care about. It is worth noting that the presence of the Verified Badge does not mean that your account has access to any additional business tools.

It simply means that Instagram has confirmed that these accounts are visible and authentic. In other words, the only benefit of having a badge for your brand is making sure your customers are interacting with the right Instagram account.

Instagram Verified Badge Requirements: Verify Instagram Business Account

Large companies, popular brands, or public figures are more at risk of fake or duplicate accounts. This can jeopardize brand credibility and reputation, inevitably leading to loss of revenue.

If you are wondering what you need to do to get the Verified badge, there are no exact requirements. Instead, Instagram's official guidelines say that:

  • A brand must be authentic, visible, unique, complete, and public.
  • They review an account based on how popular and highly trafficked the brand is.
  • It helps if the brand has been featured in multiple news sources. However, they do not consider paid or sponsored media as reliable sources.
  • No set number of followers or posts to qualify for verification

Submitting a verification request does not guarantee that your account will be verified. But if your business fits these guidelines, it's worth a try.

You can only apply for a verified account through the Instagram app. Just go to Settings > Account > Request Verification.

Instagram Business Account Verification

Enter your full name and the required form of identification, such as a government-issued photo ID or official business documents. Then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Best Practices

Now that your business is on Instagram, customers need a reliable way to reach you. As a social platform, Instagram has more than one way to connect customers with a business. Here we will discuss how to use Instagram DM for business.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Creating a Chat

As social consumers, we love engaging, engaging, and informative content. Knowing this helps companies plan their social media and content strategy to get their followers to engage with them.

Customers have the ability to like and comment directly on your content. They can also send a direct message to your inbox if they are reaching out with a more personal matter, like leaving a product/service review or making a purchase, which will require 1:1 communication.

Instagram Messaging for Business: The Best Way to Start a Conversation on Instagram DM for Business

In fact, many businesses prefer to direct customers to their inbox as it's easier to track and resolve conversations. With threads of comments, tracking and managing conversations can be difficult as they get lost in a sea of ​​other comments.

Fortunately, Instagram offers several ways for customers to start a conversation with you in their inbox. These include both free and paid methods such as in-app search, profile link, QR code, social messages, and Click-to-Chat ads.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Search in the Instagram app

The easiest way to find and connect with your business on Instagram for free is to search in the app. Your customers can easily find your Instagram business account by username and/or profile name.

Searching for an Instagram business account via in-app search

Using your own username is more secure because it is required for all accounts, and each username is unique to each account. It cannot be used twice, so no one else can have the same username. Whereas profile names are optional and may be duplicated.

To make it easy for people to find your business, choose a username that is similar to the real name of your business so that it is instantly recognizable. This way, those who know your brand will be able to find you without even knowing your real Instagram username.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Instagram Profile Link and QR Code

To help new users find your account, sharing your Instagram profile link and QR code is another way to direct people to your page and contact you. Just share the link online and place the QR code in your store where there is foot traffic.

Instagram Direct Messaging for Business: Instagram profile link and message button

Your profile link is available on the desktop and you can easily generate a QR code from the Instagram app. Unfortunately Instagram doesn't have a chat link, so you can't generate a QR code for that link either.

Luckily, once they're in your account, they'll find a "Message" button conveniently placed in a prominent location. Clicking on it will take visitors directly to your Instagram DM message box.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Social Posts Instagram

Another effective method to increase customer engagement is to use social posts. With a strong CTA and the right content marketing strategy and hashtags, you can get both followers and non-followers to start a conversation with you.

Instagram post example with hashtags

To grab the attention of non-followers, strategically add hashtags to your posts to increase their visibility outside of your existing followers. This increases the chances of getting new subscribers and getting a message from them if they are interested.

For your followers, regularly post valuable content to your News Feed, Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels. It's an opportunity to connect with your audience, solve their problems, and showcase your product and services in a unique way.

Reply to a story mention when a user mentions you via Instagram DM

In cases where followers repost your Stories and tag you, simply thank them or send a follow-up message via inbox. Also, all replies to your stories will appear in your Instagram DM inbox.

How to send direct messages on Instagram: Sending a direct message to a business on Instagram from the News Feed

Also, when you post to the News Feed or create Instagram videos, people can send you a message directly to your inbox from a post. This handy feature informs businesses about which post or content the audience is interested in.

Now that we've covered the free methods of reaching out to your subscribers and non-subscribers, here's what you can do to get more customers to you with a paid solution.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Instagram Click-to-Chat Ads

Creating inbox ads is a great way to get people to start chatting with you. This method is more effective than using hashtags as you can shape your target audience based on their demographics, location, interests, and so on.

Instagram Direct Message: Instagram Click-to-Chat Ad Example

To get started, create Click-to-Chat Ads in Facebook Ads Manager and place these ads in your Instagram feed or Stories. Use this opportunity to offer support, answer questions, or even close a deal when someone will visit you in DM. 😉

Now that you know how to get clients to DM you on Instagram, let's discuss the different ways you can reply to them.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Instagram DM Inbox Types

For Instagram Business, there are three options for replying to messages - Instagram Message Inbox, Facebook Business Suite Inbox, and Instagram Direct Message API.

Given the different types of mailboxes available, you may be wondering which one is best for your business. In the next section, we'll discuss the features of each mailbox, the size of the business it's designed for, and how it meets their needs.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Inbox for micro and small businesses

For micro and small businesses with 1 or 2 users handling a small amount of messages daily, the Instagram Message Inbox is ideal. It's free and easy to set up. Once an account is ready, businesses can start messaging immediately via the app or desktop.

Instagram Message Inbox on Desktop: Basic and easy to use when messaging on Instagram

Since you will be responding to messages alone or with a partner, it may not be necessary to assign users and track conversations using specialized CRM tools. In this case, Instagram Message Inbox with basic messaging features serves its purpose.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Inbox for SMBs

If your business has grown and you're getting more messages every day, it's time to consider using the Facebook Business Suite Inbox. As long as your Instagram business account is connected to Facebook, you will be able to access this inbox.

Facebook Business Suite Inbox: Instagram DMs on PC and How to Track Instagram Direct Messages

Facebook Business Suite Inbox comes with additional tools for organizing contacts and conversations, such as shortcuts and assigning agents. You also have the option to mark a contact as a follow-up or move it to the Done section after the conversation ends.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Inbox for Medium to Large Businesses

But as your business grows and posts more, you'll need a more advanced Instagram messaging solution at scale. Therefore, Facebook recently launched the Instagram Direct Message API for medium and large businesses.

Because the API is just a pipe that passes information to and from the Instagram network, you'll need to connect it to an inbox solution or business messaging platform like respond.io to start messaging.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Instagram Direct Messaging API on respond.io

With the right mailbox, businesses gain access to purpose-built features to support third-party integration, workflow automation, high-volume tracking, assignment of contacts to appropriate agents, and performance monitoring agents.

By now, you already have an idea of ​​which Instagram inbox is right for your business. The rules for working with the Instagram message box are very similar to how you use your personal account, and we talked about Facebook Messenger in our other article.

Therefore, in this article, we will focus on best practices and guidelines when using the Instagram Direct Message API for business.

Instagram Direct Messaging API

Before you begin, make sure your account meets the following requirements to connect to the Instagram Direct Messaging API:

  • Your account is an Instagram business account. The API cannot access non-commercial Instagram accounts, such as a personal or creator account.
  • An Instagram business account is linked to a Facebook page.
  • You have enabled Allow access to messages in your account settings.

Previously, Facebook only allowed Instagram business accounts with a certain number of followers to access the API. Starting August 16, 2021, all Instagram business accounts can access the API, with no minimum number of followers required.

Once you've verified that all requirements are met, it's time to see how API messaging works. If you've used Instagram on a personal account or a business app, you'll be interested to know about the feature differences when using the Instagram Messaging API.

Instagram Direct Message API: 1:1 messaging capabilities

In terms of 1:1 messaging, messaging with the Instagram Direct Message API is quite similar to the app, but has a few differences and additional features added to meet the requirements of major companies.

Instagram Messaging for Business: Instagram Direct Messaging API 1:1 Messaging Features

Similar to the app, users can send and receive messages in the form of text, images, videos, stickers, voice memos, and files. The sender and recipient will also receive a notification that the message has been read.

In addition, the Instagram Messaging API comes with additional messaging features such as generic templates and product templates. General templates are structured messages with images, text, and a button. Whereas product templates are structured posts with product information taken from the Facebook product catalog.

Left: general template message | Right: Product template message

These robust messaging features make it easy for customers to interact with your business. But in order for businesses to provide top-notch customer service on the platform, the Instagram messaging API has some additional messaging rules.

Instagram Direct Messaging API: 1:1 Messaging Rules

If you've had the bad experience of trying to solve a problem by talking to a bot, you know how painful it can be. To avoid this, each client must have an escalation path to a human agent when messaging with the Instagram Direct Messaging API.

Some acceptable methods include allowing a human to transfer the call to an agent, leaving a phone number, email follow-up, and inducing a visit to the store. Mandatory provision of an agent to solve problems increases customer satisfaction.

In addition, Instagram also focuses on how quickly businesses respond. Every time a contact sends a message, a 24-hour timer starts and you must reply within that time.

Instagram Messaging for Business: 1:1 Messaging Requirements for Instagram Direct Message API

After 24 hours, businesses can no longer reply to the message. This can be problematic if your business is closed over the weekend and the message goes unnoticed. Fortunately, with the Human Agent tag, you can continue to send messages to a contact for the next 7 days.

If you're wondering how to use this tag or where to find it, we've done all the hard work of integrating it for you. When you connect the Instagram Direct Message API to respond.io, you will be able to use the default Human Agent tag.

However, after 7 days, you will no longer be able to send a message to the contact until they write to you again. Unlike Facebook Messenger, there are no other tags in the Instagram Direct Message API for resuming a conversation in 1:1 chats or broadcasts.

Connect Instagram Messaging API to Respond.io

In order to communicate directly with customers again after 7 days, the only option is to use an alternative channel such as email to send them a message. Luckily, respond.io supports email as one of the platform's messaging channels.

Instagram direct messaging API: Respond.io supports multiple channels

Getting started is easy - just register an account on respond.io. It's free and all you need to sign up is your work email address.

Once you've set up your account, go to Settings > Channels > Select Instagram > Connect with Facebook > Select your Instagram business account > Tap Done.

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