Do you remember when Instagram introduced it’s Direct Message feature in 2013? Probably not. The feature was relatively underwhelming and a little late-to-the-punch in comparison to it’s social channel contemporaries.

According to Instagram, only 85 million people use Instagram’s Direct feature each month, which is less than a third of Instagram’s user base. But today Instagram announced a massive overhaul of the feature and this one is timed perfectly. What’s included in the update, and what can your brand do to capitalize on this new feature? We have a few ideas…

1. Create a Thread with Your Advocates

Test the new feature out! Before you just slide into some random’s DMs, identify some brand advocates.

An easy way to do this is by running a Simply Measured Instagram Hashtag Report on one of your branded hashtags, and identifying who the top users are. Then you can reward them with a customized DM! This is great way to nurture your biggest fans and get familiar with Instagram’s newest feature.

2. Discover Best Times for Engagement

Make sure you’re attempting to connect with your audience at the correct times. There’s no worse feeling than having your excitement disappear and your DM collect dust. Using Simply Measured’s Instagram Account Report, discover the best times for engagement with your public posts and share content with users through DM during those times.

3. Slide into Your Competitors’ Followers DMs

Next, do the same thing, but flip it onto your competitors. Analyze your competitor’s Instagram audiences and pluck out some of their top fans. Once you’ve compiled that list, slide into their DMs with a personalized message! We promise your competitors will never see that one coming.

4. Use Location Tags

You should be doing this anyway. In our latest Instagram study, we found that photos tagged with a location received 79% more engagement than those without. But now that Instagram Direct is also allowing users to share locations, this is more important than ever before. Make sure you tag your photos with a location, seeing as though this feature is getting more and more attention.

5. Optimize your Profile with CTAs

Instagram Direct isn’t only about sharing photos. One of the new things users will be able to share are profiles. If someone stumbles upon your Instagram page and knows that their friend might want to follow it, they can send it right over! Make sure you optimize your profile for this by adding a powerful profile photo, a succinct description and calls-to-action.

We’re definitely excited for this new feature! What do you think about the Instagram Direct update? Let us know in the comments!