Has this ever happened to you?
You post a (epic, if you do say so yourself) IG carousel complete with an amazing call-to-action at the end of your caption.
Afterward, you get a few super dreamy potential ideal clients sliding into your DMs. You exchange a few pleasantries and fire emojis and then…crickets.
If this sounds woefully familiar, you’re in the right place.
Here’s the deal: DMs really are a big deal and such an untapped resource for sales. (And while I looove me some email, DM open rates can actually be 2-3x higher, according to Customers.ai. You can’t argue with numbers like that!)
But how can you really leverage what goes down in your DMs? Let’s take a look at a few top tips:
1) Build a Relationship Through Your Content First
Whether you’re personally pitching your one–on-one services or planning to automagically sell digital products with a DM sequence, it all starts with your content.
This is where market research comes in. You need to know your clients’ struggles, needs and goals to craft, “Whoa, she’s totally speaking my language” content.
Here’s why this is so important: When you speak straight to the hearts of your dreamiest ideal clients you “warm them up,” so the leads who make their way into your DMs are hot, not cold. That also means you’ll have to “pitch” less and “closing” will be easy-breezy.
2) Get Personal Before Pitching
If you’re chatting with a prospect one-on-one, it’s important to be strategic, but perhaps even more important for the convo to be personal (and natural).
If someone slides into your DMs inquiring about your services, don’t jump straight into a sales pitch. Instead, build a little rapport. Even just a, “Hey! I love your vibe – and I’m so glad you reached out!” seems 1000x more personal than just dropping a link.
That said – don’t make them wait *too* long to get what they asked for (especially if they did ask for a link, or anything else), either.
If they didn’t request a specific link or inquire about a specific offer, you can keep the conversation flowing with more open-ended questions to help you understand their pain points and desires – and whether anything you offer is the right solution for them. (Sometimes it just isn’t–and that’s okay, too!)
If there is an offer in your repertoire that’s a good fit for them, go ahead & let them know about it. But be sure to do me (and them, and yourself!) a favor & please don’t just send them a list of features with no context. How will each feature help them move closer to their ultimate goal?
If you struggle to transition from probing questions to pitching, one uber-natural way to transition from their problem into your services might sound like, “Oh, it sounds like Pinterest management would be perfect for you – especially since you want to stop posting on social media so much. Mind if I tell you about my entry-level package?” (instead of simply saying, “My Pinterest services are exactly what you need!”).
3) Set Up Automated Sequences
If you’re not selling one-on-one services (and even if you are!), automated sequences can make things a zillion times easier and more profitable for you. Let’s be real, you can’t always respond instantaneously to every single DM – if you tried, it’d drive you (and your family) bananas.
That’s where automation comes in.
You can set up automated DM sequences in ManyChat (or other similar chatbots) to do quite a few biz-boosting activities, such as:
– Automated Welcome Messages that greet new followers who engage with your content in any way – and then lead them into a specific funnel
– Answer commonly asked questions (so they can get the answers they need about your products and services, even if you and/or your team aren’t around – you can set up segmented auto-responses based on specific keywords or inquiries that either provide instant responses with helpful information or direct users to relevant resources on your website.)
– Scheduled DM Campaigns that nurture new leads or promote special offers. (Just keep the messages tailored, valuable and not overly promotional so it seems more casual.)
– Automated reminders and follow-ups for upcoming events (like your new masterclass), offer launches or other special promote (You can even use automation to follow up with users who’ve shown interest but didn’t purchase, gently nudging them to revisit your offers.)
Honestly, this just scratches the surface of all the ways you can use automation in the DMs!
4) Follow Up
No matter what you’re selling (or how), a follow-up (or sometimes 3-4) is almost always a good idea.
You can set up several automated follow-ups in a chatbot like ManyChat, or you could personally reach out a few times after someone initially reaches out.
That said, you should know when enough is enough. Multiple messages in one day or within a super short timeframe can get you ignored – or blocked.
Instead, spread your messages out over a few days after the first exchange. If the lead goes cold (aka leaves you on read) after a few days, make a note to follow-up in weeks (or months). People get busy and forget, but it’s also a pretty clear sign they’re not interested if they don’t respond to three or so messages.
Wish you knew exactly what to say in your DMs to make sales? Check out my ManyChat DM Sequence Templates – you’ll find all of kinds of plug-and-play scripts for everything from delivering freebies to signing up Discovery Calls. Click to learn more about the DM templates.
