How to set up Instagram quick replies for direct message
As an artist, you’ll find that you will consistently be receiving messages from your fans. One of the biggest difficulties in scheduling your day is finding the time to respond to these messages. While many messages may simply be declarations of support that do not require a written response, but simply an emoji or a couple of words, some of the messages you receive will be questions requiring answers. Responding to messages is extremely important as the connection you build with your fans is one of the major aspects of your success. But how can you respond to a lot of fans in a shorter period of time?
Instagram has invented a feature that allows you to ‘quick reply’ to fans. This saves a great deal of time and simultaneously ensures that you can respond to an even greater volume of people. This can only result positively, as it allows you to build up a positive relationship with a larger proportion of your fans. Whether you decide to use the feature all the time or just once in a while, it can save you a great deal of time when it matters most. But what are the methods for setting up your quick replies?
Firstly, it is beneficial to research what kind of messages you receive most frequently. As an artist, many of your messages will undoubtedly resemble this: “your set in Berlin was so good”. For messages like these, a simple emoji will suffice as a response. You may also receive messages like “come back to Mexico”, for this you may want to reply along the lines of “working on it” or “soon”. With both of these messages, you can work on a template message that can fit with a multitude of variations. Once you have established your most common messages, you can start to set up your replies accordingly.
In order to set up a new quick reply open up a previous direct message conversation. Next to the box where you type a new message, there is an icon with three dots that you need to tap. Then you will be taken to the quick replies screen where you can create and manage your replies. You can create a vast number of replies to fit with any situation. You can even go back to a previous conversation and save the reply you wrote as a ‘quick reply’. Whenever you want to use the quick reply feature you will need to open the message you want to respond to and tap the three dots again before selecting your chosen response.
Something important to remember is that you won’t want to make your quick replies too long. The longer the reply you write, the less believable your response will be. Plus, if your fans share your reply online, it will soon become clear that you don’t write out a reply to everyone, something that will damage your integrity. The safest option is to respond with five words or less, or simply send an emoji. This way, if multiple fans realise they have received the same response, it appears to be more of a coincidence. If you’re worried about sending responses that all look the same when you send a quick reply you are able to edit it beforehand. You could add the person’s name or change a couple of the words. In the long run, this will still be quicker than typing a response from scratch. This way, you keep your integrity and you save yourself a great deal of time.
Many artists underestimate the value of responding to fans. Ultimately, connecting with your fanbase is incredibly important. If the interactions are one-sided and you don’t respond, it is impossible to really form a connection with that fan. Often, if your fans don’t see you replying to anybody, they will lose some of their interest in supporting you and posting publicly about your music. Many would argue that support is simply about music, but this is really not the case. When there are artists out there like Don Diablo, Nicky Romero, and Steve Angello who are really connecting with their fans and recognising support, fans are much more likely to be drawn to those artists instead.
The truth is that even simply sending an emoji back to a fan can be a big deal to that individual. It is a simple representation that you recognise the support you receive and that you appreciate it. Anyone can tweet saying that they love their fans, but what really makes a difference is offering some interaction to prove that the support means a lot to you. The more you respond to your fans, the more they will interact with you. This means posting publicly about you and your brand, something which has unlimited value. Increasing conversation around your brand is one of the best things you can do as an artist.
By streamlining your response process with quick replies, you can interact with a much more vast number of your supporters. The ease of responding in this way makes it so effortless that you now have more reason than ever to interact with your fan base on a daily basis. Responding regularly can only benefit you and benefit your fans, making it a no-brainer. Of all the tasks that artists must conduct, what could be more satisfying than making a fan’s day with a message that takes you two seconds to send?
