In the ultra-competitive world of digital marketing, knowing how to generate quality leads effectively is a crucial issue for the growth of your business.
In this tutorial, you will discover an innovative strategy combining the power of Instagram Stories and the ManyChat tool to capture leads with a single publication.
End the low conversion rate of shared links into Stories, in place of a more powerful approach.
By inviting your followers to answer a simple keyword, you will be able to launch ManyChat automations to collect their information and transform them into leads Warm.
Ready to boost your lead generation on Instagram? Follow the guide!
Why Story Links Aren't the Perfect Solution
Sharing links in your Instagram Stories can seem like an attractive way to direct your audience to a sales page or form.
But beware of the pitfalls:
- Low Click-Through Rate : Few users take the trouble to leave their Instagram feed to click on a link. As a result, your conversion rate will be very low.
- Decreased engagement : A Story that just serves as a billboard will not elicit any interaction. Your subscribers will go their way without even taking the time to react.
- Beware of sanctions : Too many links shared and there you have your account suspected of spam by Instagram algorithms. Your reach will take a big hit.
Instagram is designed for keep users captive in their browsing, making clicking on an external link particularly penalizing for the Instagram algorithm. This decreases the effectiveness of “links in bio” or clickable in stories and reduces your visibility.
In short, you need a smarter alternative to convert your Instagram audience into a solid lead base.
That's where keywords and our friend ManyChat come in.
How to avoid this problem?
For avoid these problems, a more ingenious approach is recommended: Instead of redirecting your followers, invite them to interact directly in Stories.
Offer them to respond to your Story with a specific keyword to receive something of value, such as free access to a course, a lead magnet, a webinar, etc...
This greatly simplifies action for the user, increases engagement and Keep the conversation going directly on Instagram.
This action will trigger an automated conversation on ManyChat to smoothly qualify your lead.
Bet on a Key Word Trigger for Automations
Here's how to do it step-by-step:
Step 1: Connect to ManyChat
- Register on ManyChat : Go to the ManyChat website and create a free account in a few clicks.
- Connect on Instagram : Click on Instagram on the proposed channels
During this step you can also connect Facebook. This is very useful if you want to share your stories on Facebook and duplicate the same strategy on ManyChat.
That's it, let's move on to the next step.
Step 2: Create an Instagram Story
- Find the perfect keyword : Choose a term that is short, impactful and easy to remember in connection with your offer. Example: “PROMO”, “EBOOK”, “DEMO”...
- Create a Top Story : Now, let's get creative! Create a catchy Story that encourages your subscribers to respond with the famous keyword. Be explicit about what you want from them.
Don't forget the best practices of Stories: vertical format, short but powerful content, visible CTA, respected visual identity...
Step 3: Set up your Campaign on ManyChat
- Creating your Bot : Once the items have been clicked, press the” buttonSet Up Template“and let yourself be guided to create the first steps of your automation.
Be sure to write engaging welcome messages and take care of the personality of your bot to make your leads want to chat with it.
Step 3: Customize your ManyChat Automation
Back on ManyChat, you will be able to build the automated conversation that will be triggered when a user replies to your Story with the right keyword.
- Define the Trigger Rule : In the “Automation” tab, create a new rule based on the keyword of your choice.
- Build your Conversation Flow : All you have to do is define the stages of the discussion with your lead:
- Welcome and thank you message
- Collection of contact details (first name, email...)
- Presentation of the offer and benefits
- Redirection to a sales page/email capture
- Etc.
Here is an example of a detailed message sequence (a simple but very effective example):
FOR INFO: The link to the lead magnet can be a direct link (e.g. Google Drive) or the link to an email capture page.
You can enrich the course with varied content (videos, images, buttons...) and branches according to the user's answers.
The objective is to obtain as much information as possible about your lead to qualify it, while providing value at each stage.
Step 4: Publish, Analyze, Optimize
That's it, your lead machine is ready. All you have to do is activate it and observe the results!
- Broadcast your Story : Publish your Story on Instagram during high-traffic hours for maximum visibility. Do not hesitate to highlight it in your front page stories.
- Watch the Statistics : Follow the answers to your Story and the conversations on ManyChat live. Your dashboard will offer you key metrics: leads collected, engagement rate...
- Adjust and Improve : Depending on the performance, feel free to change your Stories, your conversation scenario or your offer. Experiment with different variants to find the winning combination.
By continuously refining your approach, you will build a lead generation strategy highly effective via Instagram.
Advantages of this Strategy for your Business
By focusing on the interaction of your followers rather than on direct links, you develop a win-win relationship with your Instagram audience:
- Better Commitment : generating a real conversation with your subscribers is the best way to transform them into leads and then loyal customers.
- Best Qualification : no more ghost leads, you only collect the contact details of people who are really interested in your offer.
- Detailed reporting : a clear vision of the results of your operations to measure your ROI and make the best decisions on what works and what does not work.
Enough to give a real boost to your lead generation without spending hours or spending too much money.
FAQs
What is ManyChat and how can it help lead generation?
ManyChat is a conversational marketing tool that uses chatbots to automate interactions on Instagram and other platforms. It captures user data and makes it easy to qualify leads through interactive conversations.
How much does ManyChat cost?
ManyChat offers a free plan with basic features. For advanced options, paid plans start at a few dollars per month, with varying pricing depending on the additional features required.
Does Instagram penalize accounts that encourage followers to leave Stories?
Instagram doesn't officially announce penalties, but actions like encouraging followers to leave Stories to click on links can lead to reduced visibility, as the algorithm favors keeping users on the app.
Conclusion
As you could see with this tutorial, a few Story lines combined with a well-calibrated chatbot are enough to convert your Instagram account into a powerful lead qualification machine.
No more settling for ineffective links, rely on conversation and interaction to federate a captive community and detect your most promising prospects.
The Stories+ association ManyChat offers you a fun and automated framework to create authentic and engaging relationships with your followers. It's then up to you to pamper them and convert them into customers with adapted content and offers.
So what are you waiting for to test this strategy? Rethink your stories, take care of your bot, and get started. Qualified leads just have to be careful!
