Feature Best Practice: Quick Replies and Flow Builder

No more long response times. No more manual responses. No more leaving Instagram users hanging. It’s all possible with Instagram Automation by ManyChat.

Through Flow Builder, you can create automated, personalized conversations using key Instagram Automation features like Quick Replies and Buttons. 

Now, before you jump into the features, we have a few best practices to help you get started. 

A closer look at Quick Replies & Flow Builder

You can use Quick Replies to create different branches of the conversation in Flow Builder. 

Flow Builder is a visual editor that allows you to build out your automated conversations by connecting one block to another. You can include various actions and steps that will result in a personalized and authentic experience for your users. 

Creating personalized conversations with Buttons

Quick Reply Buttons allow you to create different “branches” of the conversation within the flow. 

For example, if you owned an online pet store, you could use a Quick Reply Button to ask the user specific questions, such as if they are a dog or cat person. If the user clicks on the dog button, they’ll enter a conversation flow about puppies. If they hit “cat,” you send them to a different message flow related to felines.

The best way to personalize conversations specific to your business is by using saved information (such as the data that comes from Buttons) about your customers.

For example, when the person clicks on the dog Button we mentioned earlier, you can set an Action to add a tag called “Dog Lover.” Now, you’ve saved information to ManyChat’s CRM that this person is a dog lover. 

With this information, you can then set a Condition within Flow Builder that tells ManyChat to send them down a specific automated flow that’s relevant to their interests (in this case, dogs). 

Tags, Conditions, and Actions orchestrate the way conversations will flow while staying true to your voice and style. 

Tips for getting started

Here are some pro tips for making the most out of Quick Replies and Flow Builder: 

1. Create personalized conversations by building different conversational branches.
2. Use Quick Replies to create these branches, giving Instagram users the option for how they want to interact with your brand. Companies typically use communication channels like SMS, live chat, email, or direct message. 
3. You can create up to 12 Quick Replies per message, but try to keep it simple. We recommend going with five or fewer Quick Replies per message. 
4. Make it a habit to ask customers questions and save information about them via Tags and Custom Fields. 
5. Write copy that embodies your voice, style, and tone. This is a great way to make the conversation authentic and personable.
6. Consider the ultimate goal of the conversation. Personalized conversations are terrific, but make sure they all lead to a marketing goal, whether that’s generating sales or leads or answering a customer inquiry. 

We’re so excited to see how you use the Quick Replies and Flow Builder. Make sure to mention the @manychat Instagram account if you want to share your results! 

Check out our video course to learn more about using Instagram DM Automation, or go to our Facebook community to learn more ways people use this convenient feature.

Ready to automate your DMs? Get started with Instagram Automation by ManyChat.