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Hey! I'm Michelle!
The Social Strategist

Michelle Gifford in a purple suit holding her iphone.

What is a DM?

Social Media

What is a DM? A DM stands for “direct message,” which refers to privately messaging someone on a social media platform like Instagram or Facebook. It’s super similar to text messaging, except you’re sending messages through the social media app rather than normal texting through your phone app. 

You’d send a DM if you wanted to have a private conversation with someone where only you and the recipient would see the message. However, there is an option to create a group DM where you could send a message to a group of people and all of you would communicate collectively.

Most people use the DM feature to have a more personal or confidential conversation with someone. You could use it to keep in touch with family members and friends who live far away or with those you see every day but need to chat about something specific.

 

What Are DMs Used For?

Direct messages are mainly used to connect with your close friends. You may send reels or stories that remind you of a friend and you can send it to them by hitting the airplane icon and then selecting their Instagram handle and it will automatically DM them the content.

screenshot of Michelle Gifford talking in an Instagram Reel.

However, for Influencers DMs play a key role in growing their engagement and sales. The key to getting loyal customers is getting your followers into your DMs. How do you do that? ManyChat is the most effective tool for making this happen. It’s a chatbot marketing system that automates DMs with affiliate links (or whatever you want the content to be) to people who leave a comment on your post. That’s the basic explanation, but you can learn all about how ManyChat works HERE.

 

How Do You DM Somebody?

It depends on which social platform you are on. While there are several that have a DM feature, I’ll be covering the top two: Instagram and Facebook. The process for sending a DM changes between each social media app. However, the one commonality they all have is that it’s super easy to send a DM.

With Instagram and Facebook, you have the ability to audio call and video call within a DM. Once you click on a DM with a certain person, you’ll see a phone icon and a video camera icon in the top right corner of the screen. When clicking either of those you will call the person that is on the other end of that DM. 

 

Instagram 

To access DMs on Instagram, you’ll click the message icon on the top right corner of your news feed. It will take you to a new screen with a list of all of your DMs. 

screenshot of Michelle Gifford's Instagram DMs featuring the Notes section.

Above your DMs, you may see circles of your followers’ profile pictures with a small text bubble hovering above it. This is known as Instagram notes. Instagram added “Notes” to its DM feature at the end of 2022. It’s essentially another way to connect with your friends and see what they are sharing with all of their followers.

To add a note to your profile, tap your profile picture at the top left corner of the Instagram DM screen. It will say, “Your note,” and a text bubble will say, “What’s on your mind?” 

 

Facebook

Facebook has a separate app called, “Messenger.” This is where all of your DMs are housed. You can still access your DMs through the actual Facebook app, but once you click on the Messenger icon it will automatically take you to the Messenger app. The two apps work cohesively and make it super easy to share content and talk to your Facebook friends.

 

screenshot of Michelle Gifford's Facebook messenger.

 

To access your DMs from the Facebook app, tap the message icon at the top right corner of your news feed. Instagram’s and Facebook’s messenger layouts are very similar. Everything is pretty much the same except Facebook has three icons at the bottom of the screen: chats, Meta AI, and stories. 

 

5 Quick Tips for Using DMs as an Influencer

 

1. Be Professional

You always want to be professional online when you are representing your brand. Use words that show respect and authority. If you are sending a DM to a follower about a question they had, responding to a comment they left on your story, etc. you want to come off as the expert. 

To do that, you should talk in a way that still sounds like yourself, but maybe not how you would talk to your mom or spouse. Remember your role as the Content Creator and speak with that role in mind.

 

2. Show Your Personality

You definitely still want to show your personality in your DMs. You don’t want to sound like a chatbot or an automated message (even if it is automated). Maybe you have some keyphrases you say a lot that help represent your brand, so include those in the message. What emojis would you use to help spice things up? (While still being professional, of course.)

 

3. Make the DM About Them

This tip doesn’t only apply to DMs but to all of your content. If you’re showing up on social media only with the thought of how you look and what you want to talk about then you’re doing it wrong. You are showing up for your people. Post what they want, and talk about what would be helpful or entertaining to them.

In your DMs specifically, include their name and bring up specific comments they’ve left on your posts. Thank them for their engagement and let them know you care. This will mean the world to them and it will make them follow and engage with your content even more.

 

4. Get Straight to the Point

You don’t have time to waste and neither do your followers. Plus, if you are DMing a brand about a potential collaboration then you definitely need to get straight to the point. You want to be super clear about why you are sending a message in the first place, so the recipient will know exactly what you need and how to respond.

 

5. Include a CTA

If the DM fits the situation, finish it with a call to action. Whether it’s clicking your link to join your email list, purchasing a product, or visiting your website, don’t be afraid to invite them to do it. A DM is one of the best places to include a CTA because it’s more personal and inviting. 

Usually, people want your links anyway, so you including the CTA help them get to where they want to be faster. It can be a little nerve-racking to send one sometimes because you might feel too forward or “salesy,” but think of it as you helping your audience rather than focusing on what you would gain from it. 

 

Michelle Gifford in an orange blazer smiling and looking at her iphone.

 

Main Takeaways

  • A DM stands for “direct message,” which refers to privately messaging someone on a social media platform like Instagram or Facebook.
  • You access your DMs on Instagram and Facebook by tapping the messenger icon in the top right corner of your newsfeed screen (on Facebook or Instagram).
  • 5 Tips for Using DMs as an Influencer
    • Be professional.
    • Show your personality.
    • Make the DM about them.
    • Get straight to the point.
    • Include a CTA (call-to-action).

 

How to Use a DM

Now that we’ve covered the basics of a DM and the tips to use them as part of your social media strategy, you are good to get started! I can’t wait to hear all about the success you have in your DMs. 

Follow me on Instagram @iammichellegifford and come tell me all about it. Plus, you’ll want to follow my content for more sure-fire tips and strategies for growing your business on Instagram and beyond. 

If you liked this post and want to learn more about the basics of social media or how to use it to grow your business, you’ll love these posts too:

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