Working an Instagram takes hustle. As an influencer or creator, it’s your job to juggle creating memorable content material, persistently participating along with your viewers, selling and monetizing content material, and boosting model consciousness whereas working your online business behind the scenes.
It’s lots.
So naturally, using Instagram automation instruments is a simple selection. However are they the important thing to larger effectivity and engagement? Or are they solely taking away the human factor of your Instagram technique, leaving you with extra complications than you began with?
That will help you strike the appropriate stability between effectivity and authenticity, we’re overlaying all of the bases of Instagram automation. We’ll discover the advantages, potential challenges, and the way Manychat’s Instagram DM Automation has already been an actual game-changer.
What’s Instagram Automation?
Managing an Instagram is a full-time gig. Throw in 10K followers and 1000’s of feedback, queries, and Story mentions, and also you’ve acquired — effectively, one other full-time gig.
With Instagram automation, creators can make use of instruments (like Manychat) to deal with stuff like feedback and Story replies in addition to publishing, reporting, and analytics.
Sounds nice, proper? However like another advertising software, there are professionals and cons to think about. Let’s dig in.
Execs: What Instagram Automation Can Do for You
Much less time advertising, extra time rising your online business
Time is cash, however with 1,000+ unread DMs in your inbox… you received’t have a lot of it. Time, that’s.
Fortunately, the primary — and doubtless most evident — good thing about automation instruments is effectivity. Somewhat than manually responding to 1000’s of the identical questions and feedback, automated Instagram bots can reply for you, night time and day.
Amplify your engagement (even whilst you sleep)
IG automation makes the present go on. These instruments set off auto-responses to each remark and Story point out, making certain your engagement by no means slows down (even should you do).
We’ve discovered that creators have seen will increase from 50 to greater than 800 feedback per publish with Manychat DM Automation. To not point out these fast responses enhance posts to the highest of customers’ IG feeds, which implies extra eyes on content material and an ever-growing viewers.
Optimize, optimize, optimize
Content material automation instruments don’t simply improve the best way you work together along with your viewers; they uncover insights to reinforce these interactions down the road.
From monitoring engagement charges and follower progress to analyzing what hashtags individuals use, automation instruments can provide quite a few detailed analytics that can assist you perceive what’s working — and what’s not. You’ll maintain iterating in your automation technique in order that it makes the utmost impression.
Create extra significant buyer relationships
Your engagement price will be up, your follower rely will be skyrocketing, and your gross sales will be by the roof — however what issues most is that you simply’ve constructed significant, lasting relationships.
That’s what DM automation is all about — beginning the chat, personalizing the response, and constructing an actual connection.
Cons: Potential Roadblocks of Instagram Automation
Don’t be a robotic
Prospects can spot a bot from a mile away. But when your purpose as a creator is to kind significant relationships along with your clients, the very last thing you need is for them to really feel like they’re speaking to R2-D2. Personalize responses in order that they’re each honest and related to the consumer — not simply sales-driving.
Spamming isn’t cute
Sure, the comfort of IG automation is nice. However you already know what’s not nice? Straight-up spamming your followers.
The purpose of DM automation must be to supply actual worth to your clients — not annoy them. As an alternative of automating likes and feedback left and proper (particularly ones which are generic or fully irrelevant), guarantee each interplay is purposeful, real, and personalised.
Keep away from Instagram penalties
On the notice of spam… Instagram hates it, too.
As social media algorithms get smarter day by day, Instagram deprioritizes content material that’s deemed too robotic.
For those who’re caught gaming the system or interacting too shortly (quicker than a human would), chances are you’ll danger not simply dropping clients, however perhaps even dropping your social media account altogether.
Forestall automation overload
High quality over amount — that’s the title of the automation recreation.
As we stated, you by no means need to spam your viewers. However you additionally don’t need to overwhelm or bore them.
By relying an excessive amount of on automation instruments, you possibly can be lacking out on prime alternatives to make actual human connections. The purpose of automation ought to by no means be to change your private interactions, however to encourage extra engagement.
Finest Practices: How one can Automate the Proper Means
There is such a factor with no consideration (and fallacious) option to implement Instagram automation. All of it boils right down to staying genuine, being actual along with your viewers, and utilizing automation as a software — not a crutch — in your advertising technique.
Let’s take a look at a number of greatest practices to be sure to’re placing the appropriate stability.
Ease into it
Whereas there are various easy-to-use automation instruments available on the market, that doesn’t imply it’s a good suggestion to go all in in a single day. Take a look at the waters with one software to see the way it works, whether or not you see
optimistic engagement, and if it’s even a great match for your online business. Relying in your area of interest or trade, automating content material will doubtless look completely different for you than for the following creator.
Monitor your efficiency and pivot as wanted. Similar to consistently adjusting natural content material, be ready to make tweaks.
Preserve it private
Individuals don’t need to be an Instagram deal with on a display screen — they need to be seen and understood.
Automated interactions ought to meet viewers wants, but in addition have interaction and entertain. Your responses ought to by no means be generic (and positively not irrelevant). Preserve the human in your automation by finding out your viewers and customizing responses. Ship out personalised gives and reductions, or present customized suggestions primarily based on previous purchases or shopping historical past.
Section your viewers
Likelihood is your followers aren’t only one huge, indistinguishable blur. You will have many sub-audiences composed of various ages, pursuits, engagement ranges, and demographics.
Your automated content material ought to mirror these variations. Earlier than diving headfirst into IG automation, take a while to phase and tailor messages to every group’s preferences.
Manychat Automation Success Tales
No matter any potential challenges of Instagram automation, one factor is definite: It gives actual outcomes — and we’ve got the tales to show it.
Candace Junée
For those who’re an influencer or entrepreneur like Candace Junée, you already know the wrestle of maintaining with a bustling Instagram account. Because the founding father of Epic Fab Woman, a membership neighborhood for Christian ladies entrepreneurs, Junée additionally manages a private IG account — which boasts over 64,000 followers — all whereas juggling her personal podcast, model, and training enterprise.
However with a continuing inflow of IG feedback and requests from her followers, Junée wanted a option to thoughtfully reply to DMs and provides them the eye they deserve. Turning to Instagram Automation by Manychat, Candace discovered the power to interact together with her followers extra shortly and foster significant relationships with them alongside the best way.
The outcome? A 99% lower in response time, a 118% enhance in leads versus e-mail touchdown web page opt-in, and 15 hours monthly saved answering Instagram DMs.
Frazer Brookes
Just like Candace, Frazer Brookes isn’t any stranger to busyness. As a second-generation community advertising influencer, best-selling writer, and founding father of Success Summit, Frazer can also be one of many greatest influencers in his trade, with an Instagram following of over 240,000.
Brookes was experiencing a excessive quantity of Story mentions, feedback, and direct messages. However whereas he valued creating significant interactions together with his followers — particularly by his Fb web page — he didn’t have the time to interact.
The answer? Instagram Automation by Manychat to shortly have interaction from Story mentions and stay streams. Brookes noticed a 40% carry in IG Story engagement and a rise in natural leads for his upcoming Success Summit.
The Verdict: Instagram Automation is Definitely worth the Hype
Like every advertising software, IG automation is exactly that — a software. It may current extra challenges than advantages if used as a crutch or a bandaid to your advertising technique. But when used thoughtfully and strategically, automation can enhance effectivity, engagement, conversions, and actual connections.
The bottom line is to strike a wholesome stability between automating repetitive, guide duties and preserving the human factor in your content material. For Candace Junée and Frazer Brookes, this meant persevering with to create invaluable, natural Instagram content material — from stay streams and Q&As to Tales and Reels — that showcased their model and authentically linked with followers. From there, you’ll be able to make the most of automation to streamline extra time-consuming duties and maintain that engagement going.
For those who see the untapped potential of your Instagram, attain out to our workforce to learn how Instagram Automation by Manychat might help you reply to feedback on autopilot, amplify engagement, and enhance conversions in a single day.
The contents of this weblog have been independently ready and are for informational functions solely. The opinions expressed are these of the writer and don’t essentially mirror the views of ManyChat or another celebration. Particular person outcomes might differ.