Connecting your Instagram account to Manychat is a powerful way to take your Instagram marketing to the next level. Instagram is a powerful platform for connecting with your audience, but standing out amidst growing competition can be tough. ManyChat simplifies this by automating engagement, lead generation, and customer interactions, allowing you to focus on creating quality content and building stronger relationships.

Example: You’ve likely seen posts on Instagram where people say, “Comment the word ‘XYZ’ to receive my guide on how to…“ When you comment, you instantly receive further instructions or prompts. That’s ManyChat in action, seamlessly automating the interaction. See example below:

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to connect your Instagram account to ManyChat and harness the platform to grow your Instagram presence, increase engagement, and generate high-quality leads for your business.

Note: This guide is perfect for anyone looking to grow their personal brand on Instagram, drive more traffic to their offers, and generate substantial revenue—all without sending a single manual DM.

What is Manychat and Why Should You Use It?

ManyChat is a robust chatbot platform designed to help businesses automate customer communication through messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and SMS. Specifically for Instagram, ManyChat enables you to automate direct messages (DMs) and conversations. This means that when someone messages you on Instagram, replies to your stories, or comments on your posts, ManyChat can automatically respond and initiate a conversation, eliminating the need for manual replies.

By using Manychat, you can significantly improve the engagement of your Instagram account, expand your reach, and generate leads 24/7 on autopilot. The best part? 90% of all Instagram accounts are not using Manychat yet, which means you have a competitive advantage over the majority of your competitors.

Instagram Account Types That Can Connect to Manychat

There are only two types of Instagram accounts that can be connected to Manychat:

• Business Accounts – These accounts are designed for businesses and brands to showcase their products, services, and content to their target audience.
• Creator Accounts – These accounts are tailored for individual content creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs who want to build a strong personal brand on Instagram.

If you currently have a personal Instagram account, you’ll need to switch to either a Business or Creator account before you can connect it to Manychat. To do this, simply go to your Instagram profile, tap on the menu icon, and then select “Switch to Professional Account.” From there, you can choose between a Business or Creator account, depending on your needs and goals. See below:

Setting Up Manychat for Your Instagram Account

Now that you understand the core concepts of Manychat, let’s dive into the process of setting up your account and integrating it with your Instagram profile.

Step 1: Create a Manychat Account

To get started, click on the “GET STARTED FOR FREE“ button below. You can choose to sign up with your email address or connect your Facebook account.

Once you’ve created your account, you’ll need to connect your Instagram profile to Manychat.

Step 2: Connect Your Instagram Account to Manychat

Now that you’ve created your Manychat account, it’s time to connect your Instagram account. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Manychat dashboard, click on the “Instagram” icon.

2. Click on the “Go to Instagram” button, which will open a new tab and take you to the Instagram authorization page.

3. On the Instagram authorization page, click on the “Allow” button to grant Manychat the necessary permissions to access your Instagram account.

4. Once the authorization process is complete, you’ll be taken back to the Manychat dashboard, where you’ll see your Instagram account listed under the “Channels” section.

It’s important to note that if you have multiple Instagram accounts, you can connect them all to Manychat by repeating the steps above for each account.

Creating Your First Manychat Automation

Now that your Instagram account is connected to Manychat, it’s time to create your first automation and put it to the test.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Manychat dashboard, click on the “Automation” tab.

2. Click on the “New Automation” button to create a new automation. You can simplify the process by choosing a ready-made template or starting from scratch. Let’s go with starting from scratch.

3. In the “Trigger” section, select “User comments on your post or Reel.”

4. Choose the specific post or Reel that you want to monitor for comments, and then click “Continue.”

5. In the “Conditions” section, add a keyword that you want to trigger the automation (e.g., “Guide” “Guid” Guied“). Create variations of the keyword, as people often misspell it.

6. In the “Actions” section, add multiple replies that you want Manychat to post as comments on your Instagram post. Ensure the replies build excitement and anticipation for viewers about what they are about to receive. Refer to the example of replies below:

Save the trigger, and let’s proceed to the final step of sending a direct message (DM) to individuals who have commented on your post.

7. Click on Instagram’s “Send Message” button and type the message you want to send to users’ DMs. It could be a simple “Thank you for the follow” message, or you can include a website link or a call-to-action (CTA) button. You can include their first name by clicking on the brackets {} or add an emoji☺️ by clicking on the emoji icon, as shown below:

Once completed, click “Set Live” in the top-right corner to activate your automation.

Testing Your Manychat Automation

Once you’ve set up the automation, open the Instagram app on your phone. Using a different Instagram account, search for the specific post on @topbusinesstools associated with the automation and leave a comment containing the keyword you specified (e.g., “Guide“). If the automation is functioning correctly, ManyChat should automatically reply to your comment with the pre-configured messages. See the example below to understand how it works seamlessly for me:

This test is a great way to ensure that your Instagram account is properly connected to Manychat and that your chatbot is functioning as expected.

Note: It is recommended that you upgrade to the Pro plan to access advanced features, such as Data Collection, which will be helpful for gathering names and email addresses for your lead funnel. With the Pro plan, you can also automate responses for all future posts without needing to select each post individually.

Additional key points to consider for enhancing your automation efforts

1. Define More Than One Trigger

You can set multiple triggers to initiate your automation. By using different triggers, you ensure that your lead generation funnel is activated through various methods, maximizing its effectiveness.

2. You can collect contact information and deliver a lead magnet efficiently

You can easily request your audience’s first name and email address using ManyChat’s Data Collection fields, making the process smooth and straightforward. Once they provide their contact details, you can deliver your lead magnet, such as an eBook, checklist, or video, by including a clickable link or button for instant access to the content.

3. Integrate with Your Email Marketing Platform

To further leverage the power of Manychat, you can integrate it with your email marketing platform, such as MailChimp or ActiveCampaign. This will allow you to automatically add your new leads to your email list, enabling you to nurture them with additional content and offers. Manychat offers a wide range of integrations, making it easy to connect your chatbot with your other marketing tools. (On your dashboard, simply go to “Settings” and then select “Integrations.”)

4. Testing and Optimizing Your Manychat Automation

Once you’ve set up your lead generation funnel, it’s important to test and optimize it to ensure maximum effectiveness. Here are a few tips:

• Test different messaging and calls-to-action – Try out various approaches to see what resonates best with your audience and encourages them to engage with your funnel.
• Monitor your conversion rates – Keep a close eye on the percentage of users who complete each step of the funnel, and make adjustments as needed to improve your results.
• Analyze your contact data – Use the insights from your Manychat contacts to better understand your audience and tailor your content and offers accordingly.

Remember, the key to success with Manychat is to continuously test, iterate, and optimize your automations to ensure they are delivering the best possible results for your business.

Conclusion

Connecting your Instagram account to Manychat is a powerful way to take your Instagram marketing to the next level. By automating your engagement, lead generation, and customer interactions, you can free up more time to focus on creating high-quality content and building stronger relationships with your audience.

Remember, the key to success with Manychat is to start small, test your automations, and continuously optimize your strategies based on the results. With the right approach, you can unlock the full potential of this powerful platform and drive real, measurable results for your business or personal brand.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to Top Business Tools via email at: expert.reviews@topbusinesstools100.com

Additionally, if you encounter any issues during the connection process, you can refer to this ManyChat guide for instructions on how to connect your Facebook account to ManyChat.

Happy automating!