Introduction
In Part 1, we laid the foundation for automating your Instagram interactions with ManyChat by walking you through the process of integrating your account and setting up Story Reply Automation. These essential first steps ensure your audience receives prompt, personalized responses to their story interactions, saving you time and effort.
Now, in this blog, we’ll delve into two powerful features that take your automation game to the next level: Post Comment Reply Automation and ManyChat Sequences. Post Comment Reply Automation helps you maintain meaningful conversations by instantly replying to comments on your posts, ensuring no engagement opportunity slips through the cracks. On the other hand, ManyChat Sequences enable you to create tailored journeys for your audience, nurturing them with timely updates, offers, and valuable content.
This guide will provide step-by-step instructions to implement these features, helping you maximize efficiency while maintaining a human touch. Whether you aim to strengthen customer relationships, drive more sales, or simply streamline your workflow, these automation tools will equip you to effortlessly achieve your goals. Let’s get started!
Integrating Your Instagram Account with ManyChat
Ensure that your Instagram account is integrated with ManyChat. If you haven’t completed this step, refer to Part 1 of the blog for detailed instructions on integrating your account.
Setting Up Post Comment Reply Automation
Automating post comment replies on Instagram can significantly enhance engagement by providing timely and personalized responses to your audience. With ManyChat, you can set up automation to reply to specific comments, send direct messages with valuable information, and even guide users to take further actions, such as accessing a workshop link. In this guide, we’ll walk you through creating automation for replying to post comments and sending personalized DMs, ensuring a seamless user experience.
To set up an automation for replying to comments on your Instagram posts, follow these steps:
1. Create a New Automation
- Start by creating a new automation in ManyChat and select the template “Auto-DM links from comments.”
2. Choose the Post
- Choose whether you want to set the automation for all posts or a specific post. For this setup, we’ll create an automation for a specific post.
- Select the post and enter the keyword (e.g., “link”) that will trigger the DM reply.
3. Set the Response for the DM
- After selecting the keyword, set up the message that will be sent to the user via DM.
4. Add a Button for the Workshop Link
- Add a button in the DM that users can click to receive the workshop registration link.
- Once clicked, the user will be sent the registration link for the workshop.
5. Set Comment Replies for User Interaction
- You can also set automatic comment replies for users who comment on your post.
- For this automation, we’ve added three different replies that will be randomly sent when someone comments “link” on the post.
This setup ensures that users who comment on your post receive an immediate, personalized response, along with a direct link to the desired content, improving engagement and convenience.
Once you’ve completed setting up your post-comment reply automation, click on the “Set Live” button to activate the automation. This will enable the system to start responding automatically to comments on your selected post and engage with users as per the defined flow.
Here’s a screenshot demonstrating the automation in action. When a user comments on the post with the keyword “link,” the system replies with one of the pre-set messages. Additionally, the DM is sent with the workshop registration link.
Setting Up ManyChat Sequences
The ManyChat Sequence feature is a powerful tool that allows you to automate the delivery of messages over time. By subscribing contacts to a series of scheduled messages, each sent with a specific delay, you can maintain consistent communication and keep your audience engaged. This ensures that your messages are sent at optimal times, enhancing user interaction without overwhelming them.
In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to create a sequence, manage time settings, and troubleshoot common issues to ensure the best performance for your automation.
Steps to Create a New Sequence
1. Navigate to the Sequences Tab
- In ManyChat, go to the Automation tab, then select Sequences to view your current sequences or create a new one.
2. Create a New Sequence
- To create a new sequence, click on the New Sequence button.
3. Name Your Sequence
- A prompt will appear asking you to name your sequence. Enter a suitable name and click Create to proceed.
Adding Messages to Your Sequence
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- To add the first message to your sequence, click on the Message button.
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- You can either use an existing automation by selecting Select Existing or create a new reply by clicking Create New Reply.
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- Each message in the sequence is enabled individually, so you can choose which messages to send. If at least one message is enabled, the sequence is considered “live,” and the enabled message(s) will be sent to any contacts subscribed to the sequence based on the defined schedule.
Setting a Delay for Sending a Message
For this example, we will set up a sequence to send a message to the user 2 days after their last interaction:
1. Select the Widget
- Click on the widget and select the Trigger option as “Date/Time Occurred” from Contact Events.
2. Set the Time Delay
Adjust the settings to trigger the message 2 days after the last interaction with the user.
1. Select the User Field
- In the widget, select the user field as “Last Interaction in Instagram”. This will reference the timestamp of the user’s last interaction on Instagram.
2. Choose the Time for Sending the Message
- Set the specific time or delay based on the last interaction. For example, choose to send the message 2 days after the last interaction, as per your sequence setup.
3. Add the Message for Instagram Users
- Add the message you want to send to the user. For instance: “Hey there! Just checking in. Have you had a chance to explore our latest workshop yet? Click here for more details!”
Subscribing Contacts to the Sequence
1. Navigate to the Contacts Tab
- Go to the Contacts tab in ManyChat, where you can manage your audience and their subscriptions.
2. Select the Contact
- Choose the contact you want to subscribe to the sequence. You can either search for a specific contact or browse through your list.
3. Subscribe to the Sequence
- After selecting the contact, click on the “Subscribe” button.
- A drop-down menu of available sequences will appear. From the list, select the preferred sequence you want the contact to be subscribed to.
Once the contact is subscribed to the sequence, they will start receiving the delayed messages based on the sequence settings, ensuring that your communication is automated and timely.
Conclusion
By setting up Post Comment Reply Automation and creating effective ManyChat Sequences, you’re now fully equipped to streamline your Instagram interactions. These features allow you to deliver timely responses and personalized experiences while focusing on growing your brand. With ManyChat, automation becomes a powerful ally in your journey to building a strong, engaged community on Instagram. Start implementing these strategies today and watch your audience thrive!
