DMs Give You Personal Connections in Today’s Impersonal World
Direct messaging (DM) is a private communication between a sender and receiver on social media. And it can grow your business in a way that no other marketing tool can. DM’s tap into our instinctual need to connect with another person 1:1. In today’s noisy digital world, creating a personal, meaningful relationship with followers, customers, and visitors sets you apart.
With all the bells and whistles that social media apps offer, the most effective tool can be a simple interaction between business and customer or content creator and follower. Keep reading to learn how using DM marketing should be part of your business growth strategy.
Return on Relationship (ROR) Is the New Business Model
Forget ROI (Return on Investment). The real money is on ROR – Return on Relationships. People don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. Using direct messaging as part of your overall marketing strategy can position your brand at the top.
Businesses that use DMs successfully create a unique and positive customer experience. You can add social media influencers as part of your strategy, reaching out to your customers through DMs or letting others know their “DMs are open.” Influencers bring credibility and trust to your brand that’s invaluable.
Benefits of DM Marketing
There’s a lot to love about using direct messaging as a tool to grow your business.
Improves Customer Service
DM is a great way to enhance customer service, particularly if you don’t have a dedicated team. Small businesses can use DMs to clarify orders (although bigger brands can do the same) or troubleshoot issues. Building a brief but personal relationship with customers offers a chance to bundle or up-sell, as well as establish a direct line of communication for future messages. You can also add links in your DM to show related products or services they might be interested in, based on their purchase history.
Resolve Disputes Faster
When someone complains publicly on your social media account or tags your brand name in a post, it can feel upsetting. However, it gives you the opportunity to respond publicly with a promise to look into the matter and ask them to DM you directly with more details about their issue. Even if the general public doesn’t know the outcome of an individual dispute, you’ve proven that you are willing to listen to their concerns and care enough to take action.
Reward Loyal Customers
Keep your most loyal customers on a DM list. Let them know about upcoming sales with a private day to shop, or release new features for your product before making them available to the public. This builds brand loyalty and increases customer engagement and retention. You could also plan to send discounts on customers’ birthdays or use a DM to tease special events, both virtual and in-person.
Partner with Influencers
DM social media influencers and content creators who are a good fit with your target audience. Ask them to partner with you to promote your business and increase sales. Whether you reimburse influencers with free products or a percentage from new sales, the right spokesperson could elevate your brand to the next level.
Relay Important Information
Use DMs to share important information about upcoming events, logistics, pricing, etc. You can even create templated DMs for FAQs you receive, such as store hours, locations, or shipping and return policies.
Just Say Thanks
One of the most attractive benefits of DM marketing is that you don’t need a special occasion to use it. Generate an automatic “thank you” with people who engage on your social media account. DM lets you build real, lasting, and profitable relationships with followers.
DM Marketing Best Practices
As much as people love a personal connection, you don’t want to overstay your welcome. These best practices can help you use DMs wisely to grow your business.
The Don’ts of DM Marketing
Avoid Overselling
Advertising and marketing messages can overwhelm users. Use selling tools sparingly on DMs, otherwise, recipients may feel like they’re being spammed – and no one wants that!
Don’t Share User Information
DMs strengthen trust between brands and consumers. Don’t break that special bond by selling or sharing their contact information with third parties.
Keep it Clean
Swear words, sarcasm, and shouting (writing in all caps) are never appropriate for DM – or any marketing communication. It can be casual, but keep it professional.
The Do’s of DM Marketing
Offer Value
When you do cold outreach, always offer some kind of value in your message. Maybe it’s “25% off your first order” or “Respond in ten minutes to save $50”. Whatever value you include, cold-calling via DM should always have an attractive offer. If you don’t, recipients will likely ignore you.
Try to Connect with Every Follower
Yes, it’s manual and can take time, but the payoff is worth it! Create a database of stock replies that you can quickly access. This cuts down on your response time and allows you to connect with more people. Even a simple “Thank you for following us” can go a long way.
Search with Hashtags
Build a larger base to DM by doing a hashtag search for the type of users who might be interested in your products or business. The more focused your marketing efforts are on relevant customers, the more likely you’ll convert interested visitors into happy customers.
Do an Instagram Giveaway
Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users, so it’s no wonder that IG giveaways generate a ton of buzz. You could promote a freebie for the first ten people who follow you by creating a post or story about the freebie and letting them know the winners will receive a DM on how to collect their prize.
SwayDM: Direct Messaging That Pays You to Use It
Although Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook all offer direct messaging on their respective platforms, there’s no way to control or classify messages by order of importance. Therefore, more urgent messages can get lost while junk and spam can take up too much of your valuable time to sort through or delete.
You can use DM effectively AND earn money when you respond by signing up to be an Earner on SwayDM. SwayDM is a paid messaging platform that lets you monetize and prioritize direct messaging like nothing else on the market.
Share Your SwayDM with Influencers
With SwayDM, you’ll enjoy greater control over your messages – and ultimately – your time.
Business owners and brands that are already working with influencers and content creators can encourage them to sign-up as Earners on SwayDM, so they can further connect with a specific audience and engage with questions on whatever product or service they are promoting. Influencers can choose to actively reach out to followers to share their SwayDM profile and let them know they can pay for a guaranteed reply from them, or passively share the link on their social media posts, stories, or bios.
Sign up for SwayDM
We cannot add more hours to your day, but we can help make every moment count. Incorporating SwayDM into your existing social media marketing can help you grow your brand, business, or side hustle while saving you time by gating incoming messages.
SwayDM is currently invite-only for Earners. If you want to check it out and get paid for viewing and responding to messages, click here to request an invite. Or, feel free to share our site with your favorite influencers or content creators to let them know about SwayDM and encourage them to sign-up!
