You’re churning out content. You’re on Instagram, IGTV, Facebook, Facebook Stories, LinkedIn…the list goes on…and while that is all well and good for building your brand and your audience, you’re forgetting one *KEY* element that each of these platforms offer.
Direct messaging!
Connection is essential when you’re trying to build a relationship with potential clients, and DMs offer you the opportunity to develop that connection in an easy, low-maintenance way!
Why is connection so important?
Especially if you’re an online business, your current and ideal clients don’t have a brick and mortar to go to where they can physically feel connected to your brand. That’s why it’s essential to constantly be in communication with them in any way that you can.
Connection with your clients is what builds the “like, know, trust” factor that I’m always talking about. In order for people to buy from you, or continue to buy from you, they have to feel that they trust, like and know not just what you’re selling, but YOU, too.
Your DM’s are where you can build a more intimate relationship with your ideal client, versus your public comments. You can talk to them about their struggles, and share with them exactly how you can help.
How do you get people to DM you?
“Cold messaging” feels a lot like “cold calling”—there’s no prior connection, you kind of feel like you’re being awkward or pushy, and you don’t really know what to say.
Instead of approaching DMs in that way, try these four tactics to get people to DM YOU first!
- Encourage people to DM you in your stories, videos, and captions on repeat. This way people will feel more comfortable to DM you and not awkward like they are bothering you.
- Ask people a direct question in stories (using video) and encourage them to answer you via DM. Now you have a private conversation being started. But you have to REPLY BACK! If you don’t reply back in a short period of time, it will make people feel ignored and uncared for.
- Do an IG or FB live and DM the people who attended, and reference something from your live, and give them a gift for attending (one of your freebies). This builds trust and rapport with your audience.
- Use the poll and quiz features to ask questions, and you can DM direct responses to people who answered. Don’t try to sell them anything—just keep the conversation going and be of service.
How do you manage your inbox when the DMs come flooding in?
Once you’ve finally gotten the ball rolling and you’re seeing 25-50 DMs come in regularly, it can feel a little overwhelming to keep up.
My personal strategy? I dedicate about 2 hours every day, 7 days a week, to going through my DMs because they are THAT important to my business, my growth, and my clients.
Leaving them on unread for too long a period of time will likely lead to fewer and fewer messages coming in. No one wants to feel ignored. No one wants to feel unimportant. You’ve got to come up with a strategy that helps you get back to everyone in a timely fashion.
I don’t love automated messages, but if you must use them to buy you a little time, come up with one that’s GENUINE…and again, don’t leave those messages unattended for too long!
If you’re an introvert, this is a great way to help people get to know the real you!
Think of DMs as a form of cyber-networking! You don’t have to worry about those awkward silences, or feeling totally energy-drained from making small talk with tons of people.
Your DMs offer you the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world, without talking live or shaking hands!
Having these conversations live in their own little bubbles also allows you to dive deeper than you might in a one-on-one first-meeting conversation. There’s a strange level of comfort that comes from being able to talk this way—so let people get to know the real you! Building that deeper personal connection is going to be a game-changer for your business!
If you want to dive deeper into this topic with me, I have an entire podcast dedicated to building up your DMs! Click here to listen and learn exactly how to get your DM’s flooded with ideal clients—and for tips on what to say to keep the conversation going in the right direction!