The Ultimate Guide For Instagram Messages

The Ultimate Guide For Instagram Messages

Instagram direct messages or DMs let brands and creators have personalized interactions with their audience. Find out how you can use DMs to engage your audience.

The Ultimate Guide For Instagram Messages

We all know that marketing on Instagram enables businesses to share information and messages with a large number of followers at the same time.

But, this may turn out to be a double-edged sword because we, as humans, prefer to be addressed as individuals.

This is where the power of Instagram’s ability for direct communication shines through. One quintessential mode of individualistic communication on Instagram is through messaging via DMs.

Almost every Instagrammer who’s been on the platform long enough knows about Instagram direct messages, aka Instagram DMs. In fact, this feature on Instagram has been around for more than eight years now. Direct messages have gained massive prominence over time, reaching 375 million users and counting.

But are you maximizing the effectiveness that Instagram messages provide? Are you interacting with sufficient individuals within your target audience one-on-one?

Find answers to all these questions and more in this comprehensive guide.

What are Instagram Direct Messages?

The Instagram Direct Messenger is Instagram’s handy built-in feature that allows users to contact other accounts on the platform directly (“DM” is common parlance for “direct messages”).

These exchanges appear as their own mini-conversations between you and another person or group. Today, after several upgrades and additions, you may react to direct messages, create your own reactions, and see who has tagged you or responded to any of your stories.

Now, we know that internet messengers are not a novel concept, and the Instagram messenger’s UI is not particularly groundbreaking or set apart from other social media messengers. 

However, the capacity to message users individually widens the frontiers of engagement, which we’ll go over in detail later.

If you’ve never sent or received a direct message on Instagram for some reason, we have listed a step-by-step rundown of the same in this blog.

When you launch the Instagram app or website, the small symbol on the top right corner that appears as a paper airplane serves as your DM gateway.

instagram-mess

How To Send Messages on Instagram?

If you’re entirely new to the concept of sending messages on Instagram, here’s a breakdown of the entire process.

Step 1: Tap or click on the “paper plane-looking” icon on the top

The airplane icon is where fresh messages are created, received, and delivered. On top of the DM icon, you may also notice a red circle showing the number of messages waiting to be read. When you tap on that number, you can view the entire list of your unread messages.

instaram-messt

The unread messages in your Instagram DMs will appear bold in the preview with a blue dot on the far left. This way, they are highlighted among your “read” messages.

Step 2: Create a message

For this step, you first need to locate the “pencil” icon within your DM and then tap on it.

tap-here

The “New Message” screen will open. Now, you can compose your message after filling in your recipient’s name in the “Search” bar.

Step 3:  Send your message

Once you’re done typing out your message, simply tap/click the “Send” button and your message will be delivered to your intended recipient.

mess-hello

If your recipient does not follow you back, your message will end up as a “Message Request” in their inbox.

But let’s say you want somebody to refer to an Instagram post in a DM. Well, there’s a way to privately share a post to another Instagrammer’s inbox.

If you wish to share a post from the feed directly into any of your follower’s inbox, click on the “Send Message” paper plane icon that appears alongside or below organic posts.

Take a look at the image below for your reference.

tip-for-starting

Step 4: Return to your previous screen

For this step, you would need to tap the icon that appears somewhat like “<” on the top left extreme of the title bar.

previous-screen

The most recent message you sent will be displayed right on top of your message list. Every message’s entry into the list displays the individual or group recipients’ name and information on whether the recipient is currently active to when they were last active.

By tapping on a particular message entry, you will be able to see your entire conversation history on the screen.

How To React To Messages On Instagram?

Instagram Messenger, like Facebook Messenger, is now upgraded to support new chat themes, disappear mode, and the ability to quote messages. Both iOS and Android users now make use of these new features. You, too, can start using Instagram Messengers’s new and exciting features immediately, now that the updates have been rolled out full-fledged.

Earlier, we could only react to an Instagram message by double-tapping it for a “like” reaction to emerge. You may, however, now respond to one with a red heart, thumbs up, or other emojis. That is to say; you may now modify your pre-existing emoji with your favorite emoji reaction.

Double-tapping a message on Instagram generates a red heart emoji reaction by default. You can replace it with any other emoji of your choice. Follow the stepwise instructions below to learn how to react to messages on Instagram.

  1. Open an Instagram conversation.
  2. Tap on and continuously hold the message to which you wish to respond.
  3. As soon as the emoji display pops up, touch and continuously press the heart emoji.

repost

  1. Then, choose your favorite emoji and click on Done.

icon

  1. When you double-tap a message, your selected emoji will be included as a response instead of the default red heart.

icons

You may inadvertently react to messages or add an incorrect/inappropriate emoji at times. To delete it, just tap the desired emoji under the message and then tap that emoji on the following screen.

reactions

How to Delete Instagram Messages?

First, open your Instagram direct messenger.

The following stages will be determined by what you want to erase from your Instagram DM inbox and how much you want to get rid of.

To unsend one or two messages

What if you simply want to remove selective messages and not the entire conversation?

Let’s imagine you sent a message you wish to retract — a message delivered during the height of your emotions that now seems somewhat inappropriate, or a message so inundated with embarrassing typographical errors that the recipient might end up questioning your communication skills.

For deleting such a message, all you would have to do is tap and hold that message and then select “Unsend.

unsend-ess

The “Unsend” feature ends up deleting the message for both you and your recipient as if it never existed at all. In fact, if you have luck on your side, you can immediately unsend a message even before your recipient ever sees it.

To delete an entire conversation 

You may delete entire conversations from your Instagram Messenger at once. This means you’ll only have to delete messages once every discussion, rather than once every message. It is not as time-consuming as having to unsend one message at a time. However, you will only be deleting your copy of the chat, and your recipient would still be able to access their copy.

How Should You Use Instagram Messages For Your Business?

Posting your content regularly in the Instagram feed, using Instagram Stories, and replying to your followers’ comments are all vital ways to engage with Instagrammers. Direct messages provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for interacting with your target audience in a focused manner.

Here are some examples of how you can utilize Instagram direct messages to help your brand develop further.

Connect on a more personal level

Responding to your direct messages is just as crucial as responding to comments on your posts. It is also critical that you answer quickly, typically within a day.

According to Forbes, 49 percent of customers purchased products that they did not previously expect/intend to purchase due to customized suggestions egged on by a brand. Dedicating time for direct messaging and communicating with your followers is an excellent approach to deliver a personalized experience.

Moreover, responding immediately to your direct messages aids in the establishment of trust with your current and future customers. If somebody takes the time to reach out to you privately, it means that they’re a dedicated loyalist who could be interested in collaborating with you or availing of your offerings anytime soon.

Make sure that you don’t disappoint them with your tardy and dry replies. Show enthusiasm while promptly addressing their concerns!

Contact your consistent engagers

Is there somebody among your followers who is frequently commenting on your posts? Do they also often vote in your Stories’ polls and routinely show up on your Instagram Lives?

Then don’t miss an opportunity to show your appreciation for their constant presence!

Send a customized direct message to them. Be sincere in your gratitude for their participation in your brand’s presence on the platform. Reward their dedicated engagement with top-of-the-line recommendations about your products/services to their DMs.

Also, notify them about any upcoming deals and events pertinent to your business. Giving your followers a tailored customer experience is likely to encourage them to keep engaging with your posts. You may also thank your most engaged followers with a unique promo code, which will result in additional sales for you!

Provide value to your followers

You can DM Warren Buffett, Tyra Banks, or any other celebrity on Instagram with whom you want to collaborate. Still, you will never get through if you don’t analyze what that individual genuinely wants or needs. This is the most critical factor in success: people will not respond if you do not provide value.

The essence of any networking approach – especially for one on Instagram – is to add more value to the person you’re DMing. So, construct your idea and get ready to accomplish what is critical in today’s digital marketing environment – networking.

You have to remember that your value proposition is this: how can you assist them in solving the problem they are presently facing, or the one they have not even considered yet? Once you think you have found an answer, hit your target with an effective DM and wait for your strategy to brew and show color.

Utilize the Instagram Inbox tool

By now, you might have understood how crucial it is to leverage the power of Instagram messages to drive your marketing goals on Instagram.

However, as impressive as the idea of connecting with your target audience sounds, the task is not that cinch, especially for marketing agencies handling multiple Instagram inboxes.

If you want to maintain consistency on each Instagram DM, it’s essential to use a centralized place to manage the conversation from multiple Instagram accounts.

And that’s what SocialPilot’s Instagram Inbox feature provides you.

You can switch between all your Instagram accounts and simply reply to comments, respond to DMs and Story replies from within the tool.

Instagram inbox

Learn more about how you can leverage Instagram dm’s for your business in our guide.

So, Why Wait? Start Messaging!

Instagram direct messages are an excellent marketing strategy that still remains woefully underutilized. They help create leads, develop trust, and establish a sense of community with your followers; when leveraged properly.

One of the essential factors to bear in mind is to personalize every single message you send. It may be tempting for you to send canned templates to your DMs, but your followers will be able to tell whether or not your message is genuinely meant for them.

Once you learn to provide personalized value to each of your followers,  your Instagram direct messages will become an excellent platform to interact with and establish connections.

When it comes to delivering personalized value on Instagram, nothing can come close to SocialPilot. This social media scheduling and analytics tool lends you unparalleled insight into your followers’ activities over a long timeframe and the Inbox feature, enabling you to do more with your Instagram engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

🌟 Does Instagram store DMs on its servers?

Messages that you receive and send are transmitted through Instagram’s network and are not retained on their systems. Whether it’s comments or direct messages, they’re only saved on your smartphone/personal device and nowhere else.

However, Instagram does store your photos and may use them for its own reasons. Since Instagram usually profits from them, they are subject to a different treatment. That is why, when you sign up for the network, you basically withdraw your potential copyright claims, and hence they are treated differently than messages.

🌟 How can you tell whether your message has been read on Instagram?

If the person to whom you sent a message opens their direct message section and views it, the “seen” text will appear under your recently viewed message. However, if the user only checks your message from their notification tab without opening it, you will not get the “seen” below the message you sent.

🌟 What are the limits for sending messages via Instagram DMs?

The text in an Instagram DM can be no longer than 1000 characters. Additionally, users may have their actions stopped if they transmit more than what is permitted on DM for 24 hours.

Although there is no official source of information stating the restrictions, most individuals are permitted to send between 50 and 100 Instagram DMs every day. However, this does not imply that if an Instagram user sends 30 messages in a day, Instagram will not track them down.

The truth is that Instagram uses multiple characteristics and criteria to determine Direct Message limitations for each user (which they have never announced publicly).

🌟 Can you DM on IG on the computer?

Today, every Instagram user located anywhere on the globe can send an Instagram DM using their personal computer or Mac desktop, apart from the usual option of sending a message from their phone. So now, when responding to Instagram DMs, your business has additional device alternatives.

🌟 Is there an app for Instagram messages?

Instagram has the “Threads” app, which is comparable to a standalone direct messaging app for the platform. Through it, you can view and respond to the messages, statuses, and stories of your “close friends” on Instagram. But, according to some users, this app does not boast the same features as the main Instagram app.

About the Author

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Jimit Bagadiya

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