Should you Send a Welcome DM to Your New Instagram Followers?

The upwardly trendy have been coming out in full force over the last few months with this (not so new) Instagram ‘strategy’.

I’m blaming quarantine.

The Instagram Welcome DM!

The Dm that accounts are sending to new Instagram followers after that coveted follow button has been clicked.

You have either: sent these to your new Instagram followers, or, you have been on the receiving end of one of these DMs.

I am not a huge fan of the Instagram Welcome DM nor do I teach them to my Instagram coaching clients as a ‘strategy’, and that is for these solid 4 reasons:

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1) It’s Either Impersonal or a Waste of Time

There’s no in-between on this one. If you are sending a welcome DM to your new Instagram followers you are either a) copy and pasting the same message each time, or b) sending a personalized message.

If you are copy and pasting the same welcome DM over and over, then it’s super impersonal.

Not copy and pasting the same welcome DM?

Then you are spending time (seconds, minutes, whatever) clicking over to their profile finding out what their name is, and looking around to get a sense of who they are before crafting a personalized message.

In which case, you are wasting that precious non-exchangeable time of yours.

Now is not the time to spend your time putting the effort into creating those messages!

Wait until they’ve warmed up to your brand and we know they are here to be helped.

2) You are Creating a Habit of Policing New Followers

Sending welcome DMs to each and every new Instagram follower means that you are chained to that app, my friend. 

We don’t yet know what the intent of your new follower is, are they here to stay? Looking for a follow back? Followed because their automation ‘made them do it’?

Now take these broken chains and learn to fly again!

If you are taking the time to write out a thoughtful, personalized welcome DM (see above point ‘b’) then you are spending more time getting to know them then they potentially spent clicking that follow button.

Again, for now, your time is better spent elsewhere. 

3) Treat people The Way You Want to be Treated

How often have you found yourself dying to chomp at the bits and open a new DM from someone you don’t know asking you how things are going in your business?

<chirp chirp?>

Crickets

Yeah me either.

That welcome DM is creating a first impression of you and of your brand.

Did you start out by introducing yourself, telling them what you do, how you do it, and who it helps?

Did you then ask them what they need help in their own business?

Yikes.

Would you ever walk up to another business owner at a networking event and willfully give out this same exact information, in the same format, and ask them equally invasive questions about their business if you were face to face?

I’m guessing not.

Don’t lose sight of you who or what your brand is all about just because you are in a race to test out this new ‘marketing strategy’ that everyone claims you NEED!

Which brings me to my next point…..

4) You Are Missing Out on a More Meaningful Connection

You got way too personal with that who, what, where, why how, welcome Dm that you spent time formatting.

You’ve now spent your time upfront, trying to make a connection right away by soft-selling that new follower who has now run back into their hole.

Long meaningful, mutually beneficial connections take time, and they don’t happen in the course of one DM.

Forming those connections is not something we can ‘skip over’ or cut to the chase with simply by sending a welcome Dm to each of our new Instagram followers.

We have to strive to put the work in with time, not up-front.

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Still want to welcome or acknowledge your new Instagram followers, without using a welcome DM?

1) Make sure that the link in your bio is an optimized link tree full of valuable resources that guides new followers through your brand

Here’s where you can for real help, serve, and make connections!

What resources do you have available for new followers in that ‘link in bio’? 

Is there a free guide, a blog post, or a downloadable action tool that can best help them with the sole reason that they decided to follow you in the first place?

This is the place to show off what you have!

2) Follow them back

Social media is not meant to be a one-way street.

Connection is a two-way street and I am personally a huge fan of the follow back.

Following a new follower back is the quickest way to bridge the gap.

You now have access to each other’s content and you can begin the journey of forming a deeper connection with them.

3) Engage with their content

Not entirely sure of your new follower’s commitment to sticking around, but want to acknowledge them?

Engage with two of their most recent posts!

Like both posts and leave a comment on one.

Boom. Done. Hit the easy button!

Stick around for a bit and up-level your Hashtag Game with a copy of >>The Ultimate Guide to Hashtags<<

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