Meta Business Agent on Instagram DMs – What businesses need to know now
WhatsApp gets the most attention when it comes to the Meta Business Agent. This is understandable, as WhatsApp is the channel with the largest user base. But Instagram DMs are just as relevant for many businesses, and the Agent works in exactly the same way there.
This article is part of our comprehensive Meta Business Agent Guide – there you’ll find everything you need to know about the Meta Business Agent at a glance.
Instagram is underestimated as a business channel
Instagram has over two billion active users. A significant proportion of them use the platform not only to consume content, but also to actively engage with brands. Direct messages enquiring about prices, availability, collaboration opportunities and product queries: for many businesses, particularly in the D2C and lifestyle sectors, this is the primary inbound channel.
The problem is the same as on WhatsApp. Enquiries come in at all hours of the day and night, they are often repetitive, and they require a quick response to avoid losing potential customers. Until now, the only solution was a dedicated social media team or spending hours manually processing the DM inbox. Both are expensive and not scalable.
How the agent works on Instagram
The Meta Business Agent on Instagram DMs works on the same principle as on WhatsApp. It automatically replies to incoming messages, accesses the Knowledge Base, recommends products and conducts qualifying conversations. Messages from the agent are labelled ‘AI’ for the user, just as on WhatsApp.
Set-up is carried out via the Meta Business Suite in your browser. If you’ve already set up the agent for WhatsApp, you can also activate it for Instagram with just a few clicks. The Knowledge Base and instructions are shared, so you don’t have to enter everything twice.
How Instagram differs from WhatsApp
The technology is the same, but the context is different. Instagram users who send a DM are often in a different frame of mind to WhatsApp users. They have just seen a picture or a Reel, have been emotionally moved by it, and act more impulsively. This is a different purchasing psychology that the agent should take into account in their instructions.
For example: someone who enquires about a product on WhatsApp has often already done their research and is primarily looking for facts. Someone who sends a DM following an Instagram post is often still in the discovery phase and is primarily seeking enthusiasm and inspiration before they want facts. An agent who responds in exactly the same way on both channels misses this nuance.
Instagram Pro and the Agent
Meta has launched Instagram Pro, an enhanced version of the Instagram app for businesses, which offers, amongst other things, deeper integration with the Meta Business Agent. Instagram Pro allows users to manage the Agent directly from within the app, in a similar way to the WhatsApp Business app.
The Morning Briefing feature, which is currently being rolled out, has also been announced for Instagram Pro. Businesses that use Instagram as their primary channel will receive a daily summary of their DM activity, including highlights of frequently asked questions and suggestions for optimisation.
The advantage of a multichannel strategy
Anyone who activates the Meta Business Agent on both WhatsApp and Instagram has a structural advantage over competitors who only use one channel. Customers choose the channel that is most convenient for them. Some prefer to message on WhatsApp, others directly on Instagram. Those who respond promptly and to a high standard on both platforms will win over customers, regardless of which channel they choose.
Centralised management via the Meta Business Suite makes this possible without any extra effort. One agent, one knowledge base, two channels. The efficiency of automation doubles, whilst the configuration effort remains the same.
What companies should be doing specifically right now
Anyone who already has the Meta Business Agent active on WhatsApp should enable Instagram DMs over the coming weeks. The effort involved is minimal, whilst the potential benefits are considerable.
Those who haven’t started yet should set up both channels together from the outset. The Meta Business Suite provides the ideal framework for this and saves time in the long run compared to a sequential roll-out.
We’ll soon be showing you how to write instructions so that the agent sounds different on Instagram than on WhatsApp without creating extra work, and how to compare and optimise performance across both channels, here in the Memacon® Meta Business Agent video course.
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