#380 - Are Auto-Responders for IG DMs a Good Idea Still?

Summary

Thriving Stylist Podcast: Episode #380 - "Are Auto-Responders for IG DMs a Good Idea Still?"

Host: Britt Siva
Release Date: April 7, 2025

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In Episode #380 of the Thriving Stylist Podcast, host Britt Siva delves into the contemporary relevance and effectiveness of using auto-responders for Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). As the beauty industry continues to evolve, maintaining genuine client engagement while managing an ever-increasing volume of messages poses a significant challenge for stylists and salon owners. This episode provides an in-depth analysis of auto-responders, their impact on business growth, and alternative strategies to enhance client interactions.

1. The Rising Question: Are Auto-Responders Still Effective?

Britt Siva kicks off the episode by addressing a pressing question from her audience: "Are auto-responders for Instagram DMs a good idea still?" [00:51]. She reveals that this topic emerged prominently through a poll she conducted on her Instagram story, highlighting its significance among her listeners.

A listener's DM further contextualizes the query: "What's your take on Instagram autoresponders? I'm so overwhelmed that I feel like it's almost my personal assistant and gets back to clients so I don't have to." [00:51]. Siva acknowledges the listener's dilemma, distinguishing her advice specifically for those aiming to grow their business over the next 18 months to two years.

2. Understanding Instagram DMs and Their Purpose

Siva emphasizes the multifaceted role of Instagram DMs in fostering connections. "DMs are a connection and communication point. It's part of how we're bonding together," she explains [05:36]. She illustrates this by sharing personal anecdotes about maintaining relationships through DMs, whether it's exchanging funny content with friends or engaging in meaningful conversations with business contacts.

3. Instagram's Algorithm and DM Interactions

A critical segment of the discussion centers on how Instagram's algorithm interprets DM interactions. Siva highlights that Instagram considers likes, comments, shares, and DMs as signals to gauge user relationships [07:00]. "When a business engages with somebody through DMs and responds to their messages frequently, the algorithm interprets that as a strong connection, making the businesses content more likely to appear in their feed," she notes [09:15]. This insight underscores the importance of active engagement in enhancing content visibility and, consequently, business growth.

4. Types of Auto-Responders and Their Impact

Siva categorizes auto-responders into three distinct types, providing real-world examples for each:

• Acknowledgement Auto-Responders:
  Example: "Hi, thanks for contacting us. We've received your message and appreciate you reaching out." [12:00]
  Siva critiques this approach as "almost like white noise. It didn't really mean much," indicating that mere acknowledgment without meaningful engagement leaves clients feeling neutral rather than valued.

• Holding Pattern or Expectation Definers:
  Example: "Hi, thanks for contacting us. We'll get back to you within 24 hours Monday through Thursday. You can always book an appointment by heading to [website]." [15:30]
  While this sets clear expectations, Siva suggests it may delay potential client interactions, especially if responses are not timely.

• Full Redirects:
  Example: "Please text me, leave your name, email, desired service, preferred name, and time. I look forward to meeting you. Visit our website for more details." [18:45]
  Siva expresses skepticism, stating, "I have a lot of feelings about stylists who run their appointments in their business by text." She argues that redirecting clients away from DMs can sever the opportunity for personalized engagement, potentially hindering business growth.

5. The Pitfalls of Relying on Auto-Responders

Delving deeper, Siva discusses the limitations and potential drawbacks of using auto-responders:

• Loss of Personal Connection:
  Auto-responders can create a barrier to authentic conversations, making potential clients feel undervalued. Siva emphasizes the importance of "having human conversations in the DMs, because that's what people are looking for."

• Inefficiency in Managing Texts:
  Redirecting DMs to text messages can overwhelm stylists, leading to chaos in managing appointments and client communications. "Text is the primary form of communication for so many of us... If you want the least effective way to reach me, go ahead and send a text message," Siva remarks [19:30].

• Algorithmic Limitations:
  Passive engagement, such as using auto-responders without meaningful interactions, can signal to Instagram's algorithm that the account is less active or engaged. This can result in reduced content visibility and hinder business growth.

6. Britt's Recommendations for Effective DM Management

Instead of relying on auto-responders, Siva advocates for proactive and personalized engagement in DMs:

• Direct Engagement:
  Responding personally to client messages fosters trust and strengthens relationships. For instance, addressing specific client inquiries or appreciating their interest can make a significant difference [20:00].

• Efficient Time Management:
  Siva encourages stylists to allocate dedicated time for managing DMs, rather than allowing messages to accumulate and become overwhelming. "If you're more of a content consumer than a content creator, it's not a problem. But Instagram is not interested in helping you grow your business," she advises [16:20].

• Leveraging Trust Building:
  Referring listeners to Episode #376, "The New Marketing Funnel that Changes Everything," Siva highlights the importance of building trust through consistent and meaningful interactions in DMs.

7. Conclusion: Are Auto-Responders Worth It?

Siva concludes by prompting stylists to introspect whether auto-responders genuinely aid in business growth or merely serve as temporary solutions to overwhelm. "Do you really think that's helping you grow your business? Is it a band-aid that you put on the problem of you're overwhelmed and didn't know what else to do?" [21:00]. She introduces the concept of "bleeding out," referring to unnoticed gaps in business operations that can lead to lost opportunities.

Siva's final message is a call to action for stylists to prioritize genuine client engagement over automated responses. By fostering authentic conversations in DMs, stylists can enhance trust, improve visibility through Instagram's algorithm, and ultimately drive business growth.

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Key Takeaways:

• Authentic Engagement Over Automation: Personal interactions in DMs are crucial for building trust and fostering client relationships.

• Understanding Platform Algorithms: Active and meaningful engagement can enhance content visibility and attract more clients.

• Efficient DM Management: Allocate dedicated time to handle DMs effectively, avoiding the pitfalls of being overwhelmed.

• Continuous Learning: Embrace business and marketing strategies to adapt to the evolving dynamics of the beauty industry.

For stylists aiming to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape, Britt Siva emphasizes the need to evolve beyond traditional skills, incorporating strategic marketing and genuine client interactions into their business models.

Transcript

[A]

Do you feel like you were meant to have a kick ass career as a hairstylist? Like you got into this industry to make big things happen? Maybe you're struggling to build a solid base and want some stability. Maybe, you know social media is important, but it feels like a waste of time because you aren't seeing any results. Maybe you've already had some amazing success but are craving more.

[B]

Maybe you're ready to truly enjoy the.

[A]

Freedom and flexibility this industry has to offer. Cutting and coloring skills will only get you so far, but to build a lifelong career as a wealthy stylist, it takes business skills and a serious marketing strategy. When you're ready to quit just working in your business and start working on it, join us here where we share real success stories from real stylists. I'm Brit Siva, social media and marketing strategist just for Hairstylists and this is the Thriving Stylist Podcast.

[B]

What is up? And welcome back to the Thriving Stylist Podcast. I'm your host Britt Siva and today we are asking the question, are autoresponders for Instagram style still a good idea? Really great question. So I recently put a poll up on my own Instagram story and I said, what are some of the things you want to talk about on the podcast? And this was a big one. And then somebody actually DM'd me with more context to what they were asking about. So to those of you who voted, thank you. And to this Instagrammer who gave me more context, this is great. So the DM said, hey Brit, longtime listener and I've got a question for you. What's your take on Instagram autoresponders? Like the messages that pop up when somebody DMs your business? I'm so overwhelmed that I feel like it's almost my personal assistant and gets back to clients so I don't have to. But also, I know you talk a lot about how marketing is shifting back to more nurture and communication based versus automation based. So I'm curious to hear what you would say about autoresponders in general. Really great question and I actually really appreciate this Instagram follower who gave a little bit more context because often when somebody just enters into a poll like let's talk about autoresponders, do you still like autoresponders? My personal preference I don't think should take much into account. I think that the conversation is more around what makes sense for you and your business. And so I want to share that the advice I'm going to Give now in this episode is for those who want to grow their business over the next 18 months to two years. If you don't want to grow your business, then you could do whatever you want to do. Like you might be in a season of life where you just welcomed a baby and you're looking to make things easier in your life. If you don't want to make more money this year, you don't want to grow your business forward, this episode is totally not for you. So the point and purpose of everything I coach to in Thrivers here on the Thriving Stylist podcast is for those who really do want to build and grow business year over year. I am a huge believer in the idea that life runs in seasons. And we all have seasons where we need to choose stability. Sometimes we have seasons where we need to take things off our plate. Sometimes we have seasons where we want a aggressive growth. Sometimes we have seasons where we want consistent growth. And my podcast specifically is dedicated to those who want to have consistent or aggressive growth. And if you're in a season where that's not for you, oh, trust me, we can still hang out and be friends. But some of my advice is not going to make sense for you. So I just want you to keep that in mind. So knowing that this episode is for those who do want to make more money, who do want to attract more clients, who want to grow their business forward, let's explore some questions. So I want to ask you this question. As a user of the platform Instagram, do you know that there is a link in bio feature that allows anybody to list websites? So if I were to go to your Instagram, do you have a website listed there as your link in bio feature could be your booking link, it could be your actual website. Some people have affiliate links, links to their online reviews. But do you know that on Instagram you can have links in your bio? Yes or no? I'm going to guess most of you said yes and actually kind of rolled your eyes and were like, oh my gosh, is she going to be talking like entry level Instagram strategy? No, I'm not. But I want to just level set the room for a minute. So assuming that everybody listens to this podcast episode knows that on Instagram bios we can all have websites listed. And knowing that most small businesses do have websites listed, we can also assume that users like your potential clients, your existing clients also know that businesses put links to their websites and their booking and how to purchase and all that kind of stuff in their Instagram Bio, we can safely make the assumption that the average Instagram user knows that that feature exists. Correct? Okay, let me ask you one more question. When you choose to DM a business or a friend or a mentor or a family member, why are you DMing them? And for those of you who just said, well, I don't DM my friends or my mentors, okay, if you were going to do that, let's say you were gonna do it. Knowing that millions of DMs are exchanged, knowing that it's a very popular feature on the Instagram app, if you were going to use it, what would you be hoping that the outcome was? If you were so inclined to send somebody a dm, what were you looking to happen? Usually when we send a direct message to a friend or a family member or a mentor or a business, maybe a local small business you shop at, it's for a couple of reasons. One, you want to connect with them. Two, you want to share with them something you found that they would also find valuable. And maybe it's something you want to make a connection with them with.

[A]

Right?

[B]

So, for example, two of my really close girlfriends send me Instagram DMs several times a week. And it's always about things that, like, they know I would find funny, like things that we could have a mutual laugh over. Sometimes they'll send me something, a link to something that they think that I would enjoy. DMs are a connection and communication point. It's part of how we're bonding together. That's how they use DMs. I often use. I'll DM a business if I have a question about the content that was recently posted, or if I want to build a relationship with the person who is the founder of that business or the person running the account. I cannot tell you how many networking opportunities have come my way through Instagram DMs because it is such a powerful place to have very direct conversations with somebody in a way that you wouldn't find anywhere else. Right. Social media is meant to be social, and having the DMs available is a way to make emotional connection. Sometimes we use DMs to find clarity around something, sometimes we're looking to have support. But the hope is always going to be that you're starting a two way conversation or you're creating some kind of connection point. Okay, so I looked up Instagram's stance on direct messaging, and they said that direct messages impact the app in two really important ways. One is what they call the algorithm Signal, and there's several different algorithm signals. We all know the word algorithm and I think we learned it in relation to social media. A lot of us, I think I probably did. And it relates to how much reach you're gonna get on the platform, how effective any social media platform is gonna be in helping you grow your business. Instagram and Facebook famously have algorithms. TikTok has an algorithm, the nextdoor app, Yelp, Google Business Profile, all of these things have algorithms. Every form of social media does. And our hope is always that the algorithm plays in our favor, because when it does, that's when we get new clients and new business and we're always looking to improve that. Right. So Instagram openly talked about their algorithm signals. And what they said was the Instagram algorithm considers interactions such as likes, comments, shares and DMs to understand user relationships. Then they talked about boosting visibility. When a business engages with somebody through DMs and responds to their messages frequently, the algorithm interprets that as a strong connection, making the businesses content more likely to appear in their feed. And the feeds of those they're connected to, DMs are a way to improve your reach. DMs are a way to get out in front of those who follow you. Does everybody know the statistic that the average Instagram poster, which is most of us as stylists or salon owners, anything you post in the platform is only going to reach 1 to 3% of your followers. So if you have 100 followers and you post a piece of content, up to three of your followers are going to get it on their feed, which is wild. When you look at those who have increased that reach, where they make the post and it gets out to a larger audience, it's because of the algorithm signals and the visibility. And this goes back to the fact that social media was always meant to be social. And generally speaking, when any person or business is not doing well on a social media platform, it's because the algorithm does not believe that they are acting in a way that should be rewarded. So some of the things that a lot of us do on social media platforms are the post and ghost. So we're busy, so we like, you know what? I know I have to use this social media platform. I'm going to put a photo up and then hopefully the caption's good and then I'm going to let it ride and then I'm going to obsessively check back on that post every 15 to 20 minutes for the next five hours to see if people are like, or commenting on it. And it, like, is that little bit of affirmation of if we've done a good job or done a bad job, right? Dopamine hit big time. Some of us share quality content, but we share it super infrequently because we've decided we're too busy for social media. We don't have the time. Who cares? They're also looking for those who scroll more than they engage. And I think that that's actually the largest pool of social media users. If you're more of a content consumer than a content creator, it's not a problem. But Instagram is not interested in helping you grow your business. If Instagram knows you're logging in daily, but you're scrolling and consum content more than you are creating content or interacting with people or responding to DMs, it's going to say, okay, this Instagram user is more passive. So we're not going to promote them. They're just here to consume content. So every time you open the Instagram app or take a break from the Instagram app, you are telling the algorithm what you want it to know about you. I want you to think about how you want to be seen in the eyes of the Instagram algorithm and that should be the filter through which you make all of your Instagram business building decisions. So going back to the Instagram DMs, I read through a good chunk of the autoresponders that I receive. So some of you have reached out to me in the DMs asking for help, which I love, love, and several times a day I'll respond. And when I respond, your autoresponder kicks back to me and then eventually you'll answer the question that I asked you and then I'll respond and then your autoresponder will kick back to me again. So I'm reading all of your autoresponders and what have found is that there's basically three types of standard auto response that stylists and salon owners have put into place on their accounts. If they're using autoresponders, not everybody is, but if they are using it, one is going to be acknowledgement of the message, two is going to be a holding pattern or expectation definer, and three is going to be a full redirect. So let me give you examples of each. An acknowledgement autoresponder would look something like this. Hi, thanks for contacting us. We've received your message and appreciate you reaching out. That is a direct quote from a DM autoresponder I got earlier this week. So for those of you who don't know how autoresponders work, it's a setting available in the Instagram app where when somebody direct messages you, instantly a block of text is sent to that person. And you can customize the text, you can have it be whatever you want it to be. And this specific stylist or salon said, hi, thanks for contacting us, we've received your message and appreciate you reaching out. That one to me was almost like white noise. Like you haven't read it but you've received it. But I kind of knew that you received it because I sent it and I know the Instagram app is not broken, so it was like an auto response that didn't really mean much. Hi, thanks for contacting us. We got your message, appreciate you. It was just almost like unnecessary chatter. And it didn't make me feel positive or negative towards the business. It made me feel neutral. And for most of us, we don't want our potential, potential clients feeling neutral towards us. We want them to feel positive. Okay, so here's an example of a holding pattern or expectation definer. Dm. Hi, thanks for contacting us. We've received your message and we'll get back to you within 24 hours Monday through Thursday. You can always book an appointment by heading to. And then the salon listed their website where we have our pricing, appointment, booking and details about our team. So basically what it's saying is, hey, we'll get back to you here within 24 hours Monday through Friday. So let's say I sent this DM on a Saturday, well, sometime Monday or Tuesday they're going to get back to me. So again, holding pattern or expectation definer, depending on how you want to say it. And then they gave me an option for me to self serve. Okay. And then we have the fold redirect. So that would be something like this. Hi there, thank you for contacting me for an appointment. Please text me, leave your name, email desired service, preferred name. I love that. So it was name and preferred name and time. I look forward to meeting you. And then there was the links to their website and to their Instagram account. The link to the Instagram account gave me a tiny pause and smirk because I wanted to be like, oh babe, I'm on your Instagram account. Like I don't need the link to it, I'm here. So it almost felt like an aww, precious moment, like a baby business kind of thing. Like something you would do when you weren't really paying attention. It gave me pause of like, oh, you're reminding me of the place. I already am. It was just again, a little bit of white noise that didn't feel elevated to me. And then basically it was saying, I'm not here. So what I want you to do is send me a text instead. Leave me your name, your email, your desired service, and your time. I have a lot of feelings about stylists who run their appointments in their business by text. That would be a totally different podcast episode. I actually think we have one. My pretty big oppositions are one if you think it's easy to get lost in the DMs, it is so much easier to get lost in the text. And even if as a stylist, you're like, well, it's easier for me. I can't tell you how many people in my personal life say my texts are a graveyard. Like, my text inbox is doomsday. Because as a people, text is the primary form of communication for so many of us at this point that I don't know about you all. I have a family, I have friends, my son plays competitive baseball. I'm running a business. I get like 70 text messages a day. If you want to lose me, send me a text. Like, if you want the least effective way to reach me, go ahead and send me a text message. And the reason why, as I'm saying that, I realize I have to text the dog groomer back who texted me yesterday and is still waiting for me. So as I say that, I want you to remember, like, yeah, maybe for you as a stylist, that's great, but now you're worried about getting lost in somebody else's texts. And then you're saying to yourself, like, well, if it's important, they'll find me. Well, you better hope you're that important to them that they're willing to wait on bated breath for you to text them back. It's just not a super efficient system. The other thing is too, for you as a stylist or salon owner, it's going to keep you in a cycle of chasing your tail trying to keep up with all these text messages. And if you've not yet gotten a 1am or a 4am text from a client on a Sunday, let me tell you, it's coming. And so now you've just created this kind of chaos in your life that doesn't have to be there. Now here's another example of a full redirect. Hey, lovely. You can request a Quote or a schedule or discovery call via the link link below. And our experience coordinator will be in touch with you very soon. Please note, we cannot verify availability or send pricing via dm. Need to book an appointment or want a ticket to our classes, visit our website. So again, it's a redirect, just like the first one was, because it's saying, hi, I know you want to chat in the DMs. We don't like to chat in the DMs. We would like you to request a quote or schedule a call or check out the prices here. Yes, you would like me to adapt to your communication style. I totally understand the irony of this salon and I know they'll know exactly who they are. As soon as I read this quote is, I went to their website and I was like, okay, well, maybe they have a great website. And by the way, they do. They have an incredible website. It was super clear. But there was a quote on the website that says, communication is our love language. And as somebody who just got kicked out of your DMs and redirected somewhere else, it did give me a minute of pause of like, communication is your love language, but only when it comes in the way that you like it. And if people in our personal life were to say things like that and behave that way, it probably would make us feel a type of way. So really think about if somebody is hitting you up in the DMs, they're trying to start a conversation with you, and you're trying to say, I don't want to talk to you. Here's what I want you to do instead. For some people, that will work. For some people, you will have shut down the business opportunity before it even fully landed. The other thing too, especially when we use a full redirect, which I think is the most common form of Instagram dm. Is that like we talked about the top of this episode. I know that your links are in your bio. I know that I can click there to learn about your pricing. I know that your full team is there. I know that's where you want me to go to have a consultation because I have eyeballs and I could see the link and I know that you wanted me to click there. I'm doing this because I was hoping I could talk to you first. And you will find that you will build business so much faster. Even if you respond to the DM and you say, hey, I know you are so excited about you getting your extensions done. Which photo on my grid was most exciting to You. I would love to chat that through with you. I also saw that in your dm you asked me about pricing. Great question. That's what most of my clients are looking for. We will discuss your pricing at your first consultation. Have the conversation. I'm not saying you have to start quoting people or booking appointments in the DMs. What I'm saying is let's get back to having human conversations in the DMs, because that's what people are looking for. Why do I think this is so important if you haven't already done so? I want you to listen to podcast episode 376. It's called the New Marketing Funnel that changes everything. And it's the introduction to the trust level. Trust has always been a part of our hairstylist success hourglass. The difference being that trust moved up the marketing funnel, and it talks about the five phases of trust. And in those five phases of trust, creating friction and communication is one of the fatal flaws of a lot of businesses when it comes to radical growth. Now, I know even as I'm talking about this, some of you were like, brit, listen, the reason I have the autoresponder is I have so much going on. We are running a successful business. There's so many parts and pieces. I simply cannot get back to everybody who's hitting me up in the DMs. I, Brit Siva, have 12 team members. I have a few thousand thrivers who always want my support. I have a husband who I always want to have time for. I have kids who are my top priority. I have dogs. I have friends. I have some on the competitive baseball team. I have all of life's chaos that everybody else has. I also have 80,000 followers, and my DMs are always open. And if you've DMed me, probably 85% of you can say that you've gotten a response back. So for me, when somebody says they can't manage to have the conversations in the DMs, it does come up for me of like, wow, how many DMs are you getting? And what else is taking priority in your life that you cannot manage? Those, what I would call leads. I wouldn't even call them conversations, like the hot leads, the hot clients who want to work with you. And then the other thing I ask is, how much time do you spend a day scrolling Instagram or TikTok? I know statistically that the average stylist spends an hour or more every single day scrolling a platform. So if you kept your DMs open and doing so would guarantee that you booked 20% more clients. Would you do it? And just to kind of close the episode, I want to re ask the question is ignoring your DMs worth, you having less business, and whether you have put into place a full redirect or a holding pattern or an acknowledgement autoresponder, I just want you to ask yourself, do you really think that's helping you grow your business? Is it a band aid that you put on the problem of you're overwhelmed and didn't know what else to do? Is it something that you're calling a boundary in your business when really it's just a blocker? And listening to this episode, you were like, oh my gosh, I wonder if I'm losing business without even realizing it. One of the things I coach to a lot as a business coach is this concept of bleeding out, which means for all the marketing effort you put out into the world, all of us have these blind spots in these things we do in our business that cause us to unknowingly bleed out. And this could be one of those.

[A]

Areas of opportunities for anybody listening.

[B]

I'd love to know if this one resonated with you. Leave me a rating or review on itunes and let me know any feedback that you have. And my DMs are always open. And as I always like to say, so much love happy business building and I'll see you on the next one.