Academy / Get more customers from Instagram
Lesson 4 of 5 · 5 min
Reply fast, and let automation help
Someone who asks "how much is a first class?" is often asking other studios too. The one that answers first often gets the booking. Speed is the cheapest advantage a small business has over a big one, and the easiest to lose on a busy day.
Most questions are the same five
Look through your DMs from the last month. Most are one of these:
- What does it cost?
- When are you open, or what times are free?
- Where are you, and where do I park?
- Is it right for me? (a beginner, a child, curly hair, a large dog)
- How do I book?
Write your best answer to each once, in your own voice, with the link or the detail they need.
Answer by hand in seconds
In Postfjord, the Inbox shows the DMs from your connected Instagram and Facebook accounts in one list. Save your five answers as saved replies in Chat settings, at the top of the Inbox. In a thread, type / in the empty reply box, pick one, change a word if needed and send. {name} in a saved reply becomes the person's first name.
Instagram gives businesses 24 hours after the person's last message to reply freely. The thread shows how many hours are left, so nothing slips past it.
Let automation answer the rest
Three automations cover most of the gap between you and a fast answer. The free plan runs one, so start with the first; the paid plans run all three:
- Keyword reply. Someone writes "price" or "schedule" and gets your answer at once, day or night.
- Comment to DM. Sends a DM with your link when someone comments. For posts that ask people to comment a word. The course Turn comments into customers builds it step by step.
- Default reply. When nothing else matched, answer once a day, for example only between 10 pm and 7 am: "Thanks for writing! We are closed now and answer from 8 am. Book any time here: [link]."
When you reply in a thread yourself, the automation waits, so two voices never talk at once. Someone who writes STOP gets no more automated messages.
Try it now
Write your answer to "what does it cost?" in two lines, with the link to book. That is the text for your first keyword automation. The button opens Automation; press New automation and pick the keyword template.
Quick check · 3 questions
Check what stuck
Why does replying fast matter so much?
Show the answer
People often ask other businesses too, and the first answer often gets the booking. Speed is the cheapest advantage a small business has.
How do you send a saved reply in a Postfjord inbox thread?
Show the answer
Type / in the empty reply box and pick one. Saved replies live in Chat settings, at the top of the Inbox. {name} becomes the person's first name.
What does a default reply do?
Show the answer
Answers once a day when nothing else matched, for example at night. It can be limited to certain hours, like 10 pm to 7 am.
In this course
- 1A profile that turns visitors into customersThe name, the bio, the link and the highlights, checked from the eyes of someone who found you a minute ago, with a before and after. · 5 min
- 2Reels and stories, the basicsWhat Reels and stories are each good for, three Reel formats you can film on your phone this week, and stories that start conversations. · 6 min
- 3Captions with one next stepHow an Instagram caption is read, a three part shape that works, why links in captions do not work, and which ask to use instead. · 5 min
- 4Reply fast, and let automation helpWhy the first reply wins the booking, how to answer the same five questions in seconds, and which automations to switch on first. · 5 min
- 5Collaborations and local reachReach new people through the businesses and customers around you: collab posts, partner offers, location tags, and thanking everyone who mentions you. · 5 min