So, you’re thinking about sending someone a DM.
But how should you do it?
From a marketing perspective, sending a DM can be an incredibly effective way forming strong relationships with customers, influencers, and other brands. But many fail to do it effectively.
When done correctly, sending DMs can become a staple of your social media strategy. After all, the DM feature is available on just about all platforms and it offers a level of personalisation that other marketing methods simply can.
So, how do you DM as part of your social media strategy? Let’s take a look.
What is a DM?
First, let’s define exactly what a DM is and how it relates to social media. To put it simply, “DM” stands for direct message. Pretty straightforward, right? However, direct messages are more than just a way of contacting people on social media. They’re an effective way to create and grow professional relationships, generate leads, provide quality customer service, and so much more.
When you do it correctly, a DM has the power to be the start of a fantastic influencer relationship, a new brand opportunity, or simply connect with your existing customers on a personal level.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when introducing DMs into your social media strategy.
Avoid automated spam
If you haven’t checked your direct message inbox on your social media profiles in a while, take a minute to do so. Go ahead. We can wait…
We’re willing to bet you had quite a few spam messages in your inboxes, right? Now, think about how annoying spam messages are when you only get them occasionally. Imagine how annoying these are for people, especially people with larger follower numbers, who receive these types of automated spam messages every day.
The purpose of sending a DM is about sending something authentic and unique. You want the person receiving this message to feel special, like what you’re sending them is, well, for them. If you have a general marketing message to send out to your followers, save it for your timeline.
Automated DMs will only serve to turn people away and make you and your brand look unprofessional and lazy. If you can’t be bothered to send out a personalised message, how do you expect people to engage with you or want to work with you?
Define your audience
Let’s take a moment to think about marketing campaigns. When you’re launching or creating a campaign, would you prefer to send it out at random, with no idea really who’s going to read it or if they’ll even be interested in what you’re marketing, or would you like to send it out to people you know are going to engage with it?
We know there’s no way to guarantee people will love what you’re marketing, but you can take steps to increase your chances. It’s the reason we create segmented email lists and tailor our messaging to those lists. And the same goes for your DMs.
Before you send a DM, take a minute to think about to whom you’re sending it. Who is your ideal recipient? How would you like them to respond? Why are you even reaching out to this person in the first place?
Build a relationship before sending a DM
Before you go sliding into someone’s DMs, it’s best to actually form some kind of relationship first. No one likes unsolicited messages, especially if they’re about marketing opportunities. We’re not talking about becoming best friends here. Establishing a relationship is as simple as engaging with someone on social media first. Put yourself in front of them and make them notice you. You might do this by liking some of their posts, retweeting them, or leaving a comment.
If your intended recipient is aware of you, it’s far more likely that they’ll open and engage with your direct message.
Offer some value
Social media, especially when it comes to marketing, is all about adding or offering some value. Before you send a direct message, stop and think about what kind of value you’re offering the person receiving it.
This value doesn’t have to be huge, and it doesn’t even have to be monetary. You could offer a free sample of a new product, a simple shoutout on your social pages, maybe you have a special code of a free sample.
