350: The ManyChat Strategy Creators Aren’t Using (But Should)

[00:00:00] I've got two scenarios for you. First, have you ever posted something on Instagram and told people to comment a word? Only to realize you actually have to manually DM every single person who responds or you're already using ManyChat and all you're doing with them is a one step automation that sends a link when they comment a word.

[00:00:21] Many chat can be a game changer for your business. If you are using it in the right way and using it beyond just sending one link, let's talk about it. Welcome to the Thrive Podcast, where we believe creators deserve more, more money, more freedom, and even more love for what they do. I'm Bree p, your coach for content creators, and I know the struggle.

[00:00:49] The long hours, the endless ideas, the feeling that success is just out of reach. But here's the truth. You've got what it takes in this podcast. It's your shortcut to getting there from strategies that actually work to behind the scenes insights. We are unlocking your potential one episode at a time. So if you're ready to turn your creative hustle into a thriving business.

[00:01:13] Let's get started. I've been talking a lot lately about burnout and how I'm showing up in multiple areas without adding more to my plate. If you're not following me on Instagram, that's the vibe over there. Repair. You can follow me there. And ManyChat is one of the tools that helps me show up without adding more to my plate.

[00:01:36] It's how I stay visible even on the days that I don't post. So if you are new to MiniChat, it's an automated DM system for Instagram, Facebook. They've just added TikTok recently and WhatsApp. So what you do is you set up flows that automatically send messages when someone comments a keyword or clicks on a link and it works around the clock.

[00:02:02] So. If someone is binging your content, let's say at 2:00 AM. And they comment your keyword. You're gonna wake up in the morning and see that your amazing MiniChat flow. Send them exactly what they needed when they wanted it. That is, I think, one of the most amazing things with this tool. It provides the.

[00:02:22] Best customer service, right? Because when we are looking for something and we want to opt into something, we want it instantly. We don't wanna wait. The internet has made it so we don't have to wait for much, right? So as content creators, we need to have that same type of flow in order to elevate our brand and provide an incredible experience for our audience.

[00:02:48] It's kind of like magic. So if you wanna see an action while you're listening, head over to Instagram right now. You can either go to My account Repair or Thrives at Thrive Together blog and DM the word MiniChat and see what happens. It's M-A-N-Y-C-H-A-T. See what happens. So I'm gonna share how I use it.

[00:03:13] Then I'm gonna share where most creators are going wrong and how if you take this one extra step, you can not only grow faster than others, but you can increase your engagement, increase your memorability, and keep people coming back to you. That's what we want. We want our content to go out there and to be remembered.

[00:03:35] We want our name to have that brand recognition, which is a great lead in because in just a couple of weeks we're going to be diving into. A huge conversation on creating brand recognition. So this is a great lead in for that. We want to be remembered. We want people to keep coming back for more. So how I'm using it is Instagram reels with like a call to action, right?

[00:04:00] Like comment guide to get my freebie right. Auto dms, if somebody replies to my story or if they send me a message, right? Like I have the ManyChat automation set up, so if you go DM me ManyChat, you're gonna get a message right away. Um, you can do start here flows. For the most part, I have mine set up a lot with like those.

[00:04:22] Opt-ins, those links that I want to get people. You can even do them with common things that you're usually needing to send people and keep those in your story highlights. Right? So that, that's kind of like the basics of like, okay, I wanna get started. That's usually where people get started, right. That's where I started as well.

[00:04:42] So this is the basics. If you want to increase affiliate sales, if you wanna drive traffic to a blog post, if you wanna grow your email list or get more eyes on a brand campaign, this is the tool that you need to be using. So, like I said, DM us the word MiniChat. Not only are you going to get to see it in action, but you're also gonna get a link to use for 30% off.

[00:05:03] So no excuses, friend. Now here's where creators are going wrong with. Mini chat. Most creators are creating one step automations. Okay, so it's DM me this keyword or comment this keyword right on your reel. Um, maybe it's for an affiliate link or maybe it's for an opt-in. And you are sending them one message with the link, and then that's it.

[00:05:31] It ends right there. And that could be you. And you're like, wait, what else should I be doing? Well, that's why you're listening. Yay. And for anybody that skipped this. Podcast, let's send this episode to a friend and bring everybody up together with us, because there are so many other ways that you can engage with your audience and create a longer connection with them.

[00:05:54] So I wanna share some of my favorite ways to do this. Number one, did you know that you could send them a poll in your dms? Ooh. Imagine the possibilities. Okay, so my friend Kim, who is in shift, she is a garden expert. Okay. And with that, there are several different things that she teaches, and also if you are planting and into gardening and everything, like I am.

[00:06:27] You'll learn that apparently there are different zones. This is something I feel like I've only learned in the last couple years, so I'm new to gardening and doing it correctly. Um, but there are different zones based on where you are living. I. And so because of that there are certain things that you have to do at different times of the year and it's different for everybody based on where they live.

[00:06:48] So we were brainstorming this and we came up with a way for her to send out a poll in the dm. So right, so they kick off the conversation, DM me this, and I'll help you know when exactly you should be planting your zinnias. Okay. Now, when they DM that, instead of her just sending a link, what she does is she sends them a poll and it's like, great, I'm gonna get help you get started.

[00:07:14] First, tell me what zone you live in. If you need help with it here, click this link and you'll be able to figure it out. Then they will click their zone. So I'm in zone five. So let's say they click zone five, then it's going to automatically send them a message based on zone five and what they need to do and when they need to plant based on that.

[00:07:37] So just think of the possibilities with your brand, right? Imagine you are a mama blogger. And you have a couple of different opt-ins based on how old the kids are. And so you have them answer a poll as to how old their babies are. Right? Are, are they a newborn? Are they a toddler? Are they in kindergarten?

[00:07:58] Like where, you know, how old are they? They answer the poll and then you send them a customer response based on that automatically. They, they click the poll and then it'll automatically generate that response because that's how you got it set up in ManyChat. I, I love this feature. I love this so much because it feels so tailored to your audience right now.

[00:08:21] Another favorite way of mine. Is if you use Kit it, it is with flow desks right now, but you have to use Zapier to do this and it's, it's a little bit to get set up. If you're a Zapier Pro, then do this. Okay. I have a love-hate relationship with Zapier, so I'm waiting for them to create this integration, but if you are using Kit, you can actually collect their email in the dms so they don't even have to fill out a form.

[00:08:48] Okay? So the percentage in which. Your email list is going to grow if you can collect the emails in the dms versus having them fill out a form is massive. I don't have the exact percentage in front of me, but I want to say it was over 50% in the conversion rate. So if you have ConvertKit or if you feel like setting this up with Zapier for whichever other platform you are using, do so.

[00:09:17] Okay. Do it. Highly recommend. Collect the email in the dm, you can also send a follow up message. Okay? This is the next thing, right? So let's say you have a very simple one step automation. You send them one message with the link, instead of letting that just in there, this is a very easy step that you could add right away.

[00:09:39] I probably should have told you this at the beginning. I just got really excited about the poll. But if you wanna just like take it one step further from what you have been doing. Send a follow-up message 24 hours after the last message you sent. So say that you sent them one message with the link. 24 hours later, send them a message and it's like, Hey, friend, did you, um, so let's say if it was an affiliate link, ask them, ask them, like if they purchased that, ask them what color they got.

[00:10:05] Ask them if they're, you know, how excited they are about getting it. If you sent them a freebie, if you sent them an opt-in, ask them what they thought about it. You can also ask them a follow-up question, right? You could use this for data mining. Did you download the opt-in? What did, what did you think?

[00:10:21] Did it actually help you did, did you get it printed? Okay. Were there any issues? Right. It's just starting a conversation now. This could create a little bit more work for you. Sure. But how many of us are. Wanting more connection on Instagram, on social media. Right now, we are wanting more people to respond.

[00:10:40] We're wanting more people to be in our dms other than the friends that we are just constantly sending gifts to and funny reels to, right? We want connection with our audience. That's why we're on the platform. And by doing this, you're going to be starting more conversations, which is going to make you more memorable, which is going to make them come back, refer you to their friends, all the things.

[00:11:03] The other thing that you can do in MiniChat is you can send photos, you can send inspiration photos, you can send fun things. You can spend gif, you can send, um, carousels of different links. So similar to like a poll, like if you have like, okay, almost like a choose your own journey, you could just send that in a cute little carousel that's gonna have like a cute little image and a link, right?

[00:11:26] There's, and, and that's like just scratching the surface of what we can do, right? This is just like. Adding one or to what everybody else is doing, but this is going to make you stand out from other creators because like I said, that's what everybody else is doing. Every time I comment on something. I am just getting a one link, a one message thing.

[00:11:48] Nobody else is coming back and following up with me. Nobody is sending me something fun and interactive. And so because of that, usually what ends up happening is I'm scrolling through reels or somebody has sent me a reel and I'm like, Ooh, I wanna, I do wanna buy those pants, right? Like, let me get the link and check that out.

[00:12:04] And so I comment the word, I click on the link, and then that's it. I usually don't go and follow that creator unless I've like taken the time to go to their profile and look through things, and I usually will just open it up, whether it's in like an LTK or an Amazon and that's it. I don't typically return back to that creator.

[00:12:26] I don't return back to follow them unless something else caught my attention. So one way that you can do this is if you feel like that's probably happening to you, is send a message 24 hours after the last one, or add more layers to it. Add in a poll, add in extra things that you can send them within your follow-up message.

[00:12:46] 24 hours later, you could send them something else that they may love. Like, hey, if you really liked those pants, like here's a blog post of My Favorite Ways to Style them. Check it out. Like there's so many options that you can keep the conversation going, which hopefully they'll be like, oh, okay, wait. She not only, like that was the cute pair of pants that I went and bought, and I'm excited to get, but she has a lot of other really good information.

[00:13:11] So maybe I should go check out her profile and then maybe that leads to a follow, right. So this is a way to increase your engagement, to increase your growth and your following. So much of what I'm focusing on right now is low lift, ways to be more visible. That is just everything that I want to do. Next week.

[00:13:32] We have a game coming out called the Viral Visibility Game that I created for you guys, and so that is going to be super, super fun and help you get more visible. So you're noticing a trend here with me. I'm, I'm personally in a season where I need low lift things for more visibility. I need to be able to take more time off.

[00:13:53] I need to be able to stop hustling. I need to stay away from burnout. And MiniChat is an amazing way that you can do so, but you have to take it to the next level in order to really make it work. And most creators aren't doing that. So. You're getting the inside scoop by listening to this podcast, you can take it to the next level and send this to a friend to get them to come along with you.

[00:14:15] So, like I said, DM us the word MiniChat if, and then you're gonna get the link to use MiniChat for 30% off, so there's no excuses. Or you can always click the link in our show notes. Let's grow friends.

[00:14:31] If this episode helped you, help us grow, leave a review, share it with a friend, and tag us on social media. We can't wait to cheer you on.