In 2024, direct message (DM) marketing is set to cause a major shift in social media engagement. The trend has been apparent for some time now, Meta reported that over a billion people were direct messaging businesses in its apps every week since 2022.
As newsfeeds become increasingly competitive, brands are noticing the power of properly having conversations via DM marketing. Especially community interactions and rewarding loyal followers, DMs are key to engagement and growth this year.
What is Direct Messaging (DM) Marketing?
A direct message (or DM) is a chat tab on social media that enables two individuals to talk privately to each other, or in groups. The user interface might change depending on the platform you are using but it commonly include time stamped messages, notifications for new or unread messages, emojis, links, images or files exchange, search tools, pin a chat to the top of the screen, mute a chat (very useful for busy groups).
DM marketing enables communities to achieve deeper engagement and long lasting connections. Unlike social media one-way broadcasts, this tool can focus on social networking and interactivity:
- Ability to have two-way discussions between key opinion leaders and their communities.
- Encouraging meaningful interactions to strengthen community bonds.
- Establishing community loyalty and trust.
DM Marketing on Farcaster
- Decentralized Messaging: Secure, private communication through blockchain technology.
- End-to-End Encryption: Ensures high-level security and privacy.
- Frames: Third-party mini-apps running on your timeline or DM’s.
- Subscriptions: Mass DM important updates or notices to all your followers.
- Real-Time Notifications: Instant alerts for new messages.
- User-Friendly Interface: Easy navigation for sending and receiving messages.
- Seamless Integration: Switch between public and direct casts effortlessly.
DM Marketing is the main tool for Community Engagement on Social Media
Social media timelines and reels, newsletters and email inbox, are all very busy, dynamic, and, if we’re being honest, cluttered with not so interesting content. Direct Messages allow for taylormade short content to right audiences, it can actually reach the point of an individually customized approach.
With onchain platforms investing in DM tools and functionality, DM marketing will play a meaningful role in your brand's social media success. Here are three reasons why DM marketing boosts community engagement:
- Real-Time Interaction Channel: 79% of people expect a reply within 24 hours. DM Marketing tools help you automate a big part of this workload.
- Gen Z’s: they prefer sending memes in DMs’, according to recent research. NFTs are the next step.
- Truly peer-to-peer: Connect directly to active community members and expand engagement exponentially.
How to Strategize your DM Marketing to Farcaster
Ready to leverage DM marketing? Here are five steps to harness its power:
1. Make it easy for community members to send you a DM
- Use tools like Percs to send messages to your followers.
- Use interactive frames to inspire 1:1 conversations.
- Redirect users to contact your community via DMs from your website.
2. Use CTAs in your casts to drive DM engagement
- Add calls-to-action (CTAs) to casts to inspire DMs.
- Example CTAs: "DM us [WORD] to join our [COMMUNITY EVENT OR INITIATIVE]."
3. Leverage automation with saved replies and FAQs
- Use saved frames to answer common questions.
- Set up automated welcome greetings and updates for your channels.
- Use FAQ and other links to provide broader content.
4. Harness DMs to share exclusive community resources and offers
- Recognize and reward loyal followers with exclusive NFTs and token gated experiences.
- Use NFTs to unlock special offers and access through DMs.
5. Prioritize Fast Response Times
- Respond quickly to DMs to enhance community experience and build loyalty.
- Turn on notifications for your Farcaster client to ensure no interactions are missed.
Percs is a powerful tool for engaging with your community through DM Marketing. By incorporating these strategies into your social media plan, you can enhance community interactions and drive growth in 2024 and beyond.
