Sliding into your DMs – Using Instagram The Right Way For Your Business
- Setting up your business on Instagram
- Connecting your Instagram and Facebook professional pages
- Using hashtags to advantage
- Do’s and don’ts of Direct Messaging
We get it: as soon as someone visually stimulating likes your photo, you want to make yourself known and slide into their Direct Messages. But what if you took that same gusto and applied it to your SMART Repair business as a way to connect and meet new customers? A recent statistic from oberlo.com showed that there are over 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram. Think about how many of those users need PDR, paint correction, wheel repair, auto glass, or other services your business provides.
First things first: you need to make sure the Instagram profile you are using for your SMART repair business is not the same one where you post gym selfies, food pics, photos with your significant other, or nights out that may have evidence of some regretful moments. With the increase of SMART businesses promoting themselves online and on social media, you should have an entirely separate Instagram account solely for your SMART repair business highlighting the various services you provide (even if it’s just PDR during hail season or entirely wholesale work).
Professional Page VS Personal Page
Next order of business is to make this account a business account on Instagram. You can do this under account settings and click “account.” From there, you’ll see a blue button that says, “switch to business account.” You’ll be directed to a couple of super easy steps to turn your Instagram page into a business account. If you already have a Facebook page set up for your business, this is where you’ll link the two accounts together. If you don’t have a Facebook page set up, then you’ll be able to create one conveniently on your phone.
Once the two pages are complete and synced, your Instagram profile will now be a business page. It’ll say underneath your page the type of profile you are (i.e. “tools/equipment” or “automotive body shop”). If you don’t have a brief bio, this is where you’ll write it. Whatever you do, don’t make it cliché. You may think you’re the, “#1 Auto Repair service in the U.S.A.” or the “Best SMART Repair Business You’ll Ever Find,” but write something more original. Add an appropriate profile pic, such as a logo. You can even add buttons for people to call you/your business directly from Instagram, email you, or DM you. That’s right, DM as in Direct Message. There is a way you can DM someone and have it be strictly for business reasons.
Before we go into learning how DMing someone can actually be used as a way to gain customers, we need to briefly go into the content you have on your profile. As mentioned above, your professional Instagram profile needs to be completely separate from your personal one. Some customers wouldn’t feel comfortable getting their car repaired by someone who was out at the clubs till the early morning hours or had pictures of a social gathering for a controversial cause. Your profile is a representation of you and what you do professionally. Within seconds, people can decide whether or not they want to engage in contact based on how you present yourself online. You want to show photos of the work you’ve done on previous cars, the products and systems you use (such as paint brands, chemicals, coatings, or business systems like ReconPro or MTRX), before and after photos, and perhaps a photo of you/your team at work to put a face to who actually does the repairs. You also want to make sure you have a variety of posts showing the different services you provide. This shows that you are a knowledgeable business skilled in your craft.
Mastering the Hashtags
Hashtags (#) are a quick and easy way to gain likes, followers, and comments. Whatever hashtags you put will typically generate an audience of people looking for that same thing. But make sure it’s relevant to your post, otherwise you’ll get random likes and followers that aren’t even looking for SMART repair. #dogsofinstagram may get you a lot of likes, but #smartrepair, #PDR, #glassrepair, and #autorepair are all connected to what services your business provides. This is because you can look at whoever likes your posts as leads to your business. Click their username, go to their profile, and slide into their DMs.
The biggest thing you need to remember is your DM needs to remain professional at all times. Don’t let the connotation of it hold you back from gaining new customers. Here’s an example of what you can say:
“Hello (insert name)! I see you checked out our post on Paintless Dent Repair in Denver! Are you looking for a PDR service on your car? We’re a SMART auto repair business right here in town specializing in PDR and much more! I’d be happy to provide you a quote! Feel free to message me back here or you can call me at (555)-555-5555.”
Here’s an example of what not to say:
“Yo! Thx for the like. Do u need PDR for your car? I got you. HMU.”
All in all, you are the boss of your own SMART repair business. You can easily increase business if you expand to something that has literally been at your fingertips this entire time. Go forth and prosper!
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