Maximizing Instagram Engagement: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Automation

Running an Instagram takes hustle. As an influencer or creator, it’s your job to juggle creating memorable content, consistently engaging with your audience, promoting and monetizing content, and boosting brand awareness while running your business behind the scenes. 

It’s a lot. 

So naturally, utilizing Instagram automation tools is an easy choice. But are they the key to greater efficiency and engagement? Or are they only taking away the human element of your Instagram strategy, leaving you with more headaches than you started with? 

To help you strike the right balance between efficiency and authenticity, we’re covering all the bases of Instagram automation. We’ll explore the benefits, potential challenges, and how Manychat’s Instagram DM Automation has already been a real game-changer. 

What is Instagram Automation? 

Managing an Instagram is a full-time gig. Throw in 10K followers and thousands of comments, queries, and Story mentions, and you’ve got — well, another full-time gig. 

With Instagram automation, creators can employ tools (like Manychat) to handle stuff like comments and Story replies as well as publishing, reporting, and analytics.

Sounds great, right? But like any other marketing tool, there are pros and cons to consider. Let’s dig in. 

Pros: What Instagram Automation Can Do for You 

Less time marketing, more time growing your business

Time is money, but with 1,000+ unread DMs in your inbox… you won’t have much of it. Time, that is. 

Luckily, the first — and probably most obvious — benefit of automation tools is efficiency. Rather than manually responding to thousands of the same questions and comments, automated Instagram bots can respond for you, night and day. 

Amplify your engagement (even while you sleep)

IG automation makes the show go on. These tools trigger auto-responses to every comment and Story mention, ensuring your engagement never slows down (even if you do). 

We’ve found that creators have seen increases from 50 to more than 800 comments per post with Manychat DM Automation. Not to mention those quick responses boost posts to the top of users’ IG feeds, which means more eyes on content and an ever-growing audience. 

Optimize, optimize, optimize

Content automation tools don’t just enhance the way you interact with your audience; they uncover insights to enhance those interactions down the line. 

From tracking engagement rates and follower growth to analyzing what hashtags people use, automation tools can offer numerous detailed analytics to help you understand what’s working — and what’s not. You’ll keep iterating on your automation strategy so that it makes the maximum impact. 

Create more meaningful customer relationships

Your engagement rate can be up, your follower count can be skyrocketing, and your sales can be through the roof — but what matters most is that you’ve built meaningful, lasting relationships. 

That’s what DM automation is all about — starting the chat, personalizing the response, and building a real connection. 

Cons: Potential Roadblocks of Instagram Automation 

Don’t be a robot

Customers can spot a bot from a mile away. But if your goal as a creator is to form meaningful relationships with your customers, the last thing you want is for them to feel like they’re talking to R2-D2. Personalize responses so that they are both sincere and relevant to the user — not just sales-driving.

Spamming isn’t cute

Yes, the convenience of IG automation is great. But you know what’s not great? Straight-up spamming your followers. 

The goal of DM automation should be to provide real value for your customers — not annoy them. Instead of automating likes and comments left and right (especially ones that are generic or completely irrelevant), ensure every interaction is purposeful, genuine, and personalized. 

Steer clear of Instagram penalties

On the note of spam… Instagram hates it, too. 

As social media algorithms get smarter daily, Instagram deprioritizes content that’s deemed too robotic. 

If you’re caught gaming the system or interacting too quickly (faster than a human would), you may risk not just losing customers, but maybe even losing your social media account altogether. 

Prevent automation overload

Quality over quantity — that’s the name of the automation game. 

As we said, you never want to spam your audience. But you also don’t want to overwhelm or bore them. 

By relying too much on automation tools, you could be missing out on prime opportunities to make real human connections. The goal of automation should never be to replace your personal interactions, but to encourage more engagement. 

Best Practices: How to Automate the Right Way 

There is such a thing as a right (and wrong) way to implement Instagram automation. It all boils down to staying authentic, being real with your audience, and using automation as a tool — not a crutch — in your marketing strategy. 

Let’s look at a few best practices to make sure you’re striking the right balance.

Ease into it

While there are many easy-to-use automation tools on the market, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to go all in overnight. Test the waters with one tool to see how it works, whether you see

positive engagement, and if it’s even a good fit for your business. Depending on your niche or industry, automating content will likely look different for you than for the next creator. 

Monitor your performance and pivot as needed. Just like constantly adjusting organic content, be prepared to make tweaks. 

Keep it personal

People don’t want to be an Instagram handle on a screen — they want to be seen and understood. 

Automated interactions should meet audience needs, but also engage and entertain. Your responses should never be generic (and definitely not irrelevant). Keep the human in your automation by studying your audience and customizing responses. Send out personalized offers and discounts, or provide custom recommendations based on past purchases or browsing history. 

Segment your audience

Chances are your followers aren’t just one big, indistinguishable blur. You have many sub-audiences composed of varying ages, interests, engagement levels, and demographics. 

Your automated content should reflect those differences. Before diving headfirst into IG automation, take some time to segment and tailor messages to each group’s preferences. 

Manychat Automation Success Stories 

Regardless of any potential challenges of Instagram automation, one thing is certain: It provides real results — and we have the stories to prove it. 

Candace Junée 

If you’re an influencer or entrepreneur like Candace Junée, you know the struggle of keeping up with a bustling Instagram account. As the founder of Epic Fab Girl, a membership community for Christian women entrepreneurs, Junée also manages a personal IG account — which boasts over 64,000 followers — all while juggling her own podcast, brand, and coaching business. 

But with a constant influx of IG comments and requests from her followers, Junée needed a way to thoughtfully respond to DMs and give them the attention they deserve. Turning to Instagram Automation by Manychat, Candace found the ability to engage with her followers more quickly and foster meaningful relationships with them along the way.

The result? A 99% decrease in response time, a 118% increase in leads versus email landing page opt-in, and 15 hours per month saved answering Instagram DMs. 

Frazer Brookes 

Similar to Candace, Frazer Brookes is no stranger to busyness. As a second-generation network marketing influencer, best-selling author, and founder of Success Summit, Frazer is also one of the biggest influencers in his industry, with an Instagram following of over 240,000. 

Brookes was experiencing a high volume of Story mentions, comments, and direct messages. But while he valued creating meaningful interactions with his followers — especially through his Facebook page — he didn’t have the time to engage. 

The solution? Instagram Automation by Manychat to quickly engage from Story mentions and live streams. Brookes saw a 40% lift in IG Story engagement and an increase in organic leads for his upcoming Success Summit. 

The Verdict: Instagram Automation is Worth the Hype 

Like any marketing tool, IG automation is precisely that — a tool. It can present more challenges than benefits if used as a crutch or a bandaid to your marketing strategy. But if used thoughtfully and strategically, automation can increase efficiency, engagement, conversions, and real connections. 

The key is to strike a healthy balance between automating repetitive, manual tasks and keeping the human element in your content. For Candace Junée and Frazer Brookes, this meant continuing to create valuable, organic Instagram content — from live streams and Q&As to Stories and Reels — that showcased their brand and authentically connected with followers. From there, you can utilize automation to streamline more time-consuming tasks and keep that engagement going.

If you see the untapped potential of your Instagram, reach out to our team to find out how Instagram Automation by Manychat can help you respond to comments on autopilot, amplify engagement, and boost conversions overnight.