Let’s talk about the biggest bottleneck for any business selling on Instagram in the MENA region.

• It’s not your content.
• It’s not your ads.
• It’s your Direct Messages (DMs).

Your DMs are a chaotic, multilingual flood of “how much?” “do you deliver to Jeddah?” and ” عندكم خصم؟”. Managing this 24/7, in Arabic, English, and French, is the single biggest point of failure. Every missed DM is a lost sale.

Well, Instagram just quietly rolled out two of the most significant updates for social commerce we’ve ever seen. And they are tailor-made for our market.

As of this month, business profiles are getting access to DM Translation and DM Scheduling.

In other words, this isn’t just a small feature update. This is a direct move by Meta to professionalize “DM selling” and turn your inbox from a box of chaos into a streamlined sales funnel.

Here’s the chain of thought on how to use these tools right now.

1. DM Translation: Your New “E-E-A-T” Superpower

For years, we’ve told clients how critical E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) is. The “T” for Trust is the most important.

What’s the fastest way to break a customer’s trust? By not understanding them.

The new DM Translation feature, now rolling out, allows you to translate messages inside the chat with a single tap.

The Old Way: A customer messages you in Khaleeji (Gulf Arabic). You don’t understand it. You copy the text, paste it into Google Translate, get a weird translation, write a reply in English, and paste it back. The customer feels ignored and leaves.

The New Way: The same customer messages you. You tap “Translate,” see they’re asking about delivery to Riyadh, and you can reply instantly and respectfully.

This is a complete game-changer for building trust in a multilingual market like the MENA region. It allows any member of your team to handle inquiries in any language, making your brand feel instantly more professional, accessible, and therefore trustworthy.

2. DM Scheduling: Stop Losing Sales After Hours

Here’s the second most common sales leak: The 10 PM inquiry.

A customer sees your Reel, is ready to buy, and sends you a DM. But your social media manager has gone home. They get an automated “We’re closed and will reply in the morning.”

By morning, the customer’s impulse is gone. They’ve either changed their mind or bought from a competitor who had a 24/7 AI bot.

The new DM Scheduling feature gives you a powerful new weapon.

Instead of just a generic “away” message, you can now set up an automation that replies: “Thanks for your message! Our team is back at 9 AM. I’ve scheduled a follow-up with our top product specialist to message you then. In the meantime, here is our full catalog.”

This is a psychological masterstroke. The customer doesn’t just feel “handled”; they feel booked. They have an “appointment.” They are far more likely to wait for your message instead of shopping elsewhere.

3. The New Omnichannel Hub: The “WhatsApp” Banner

Here is how you tie it all together.

Instagram has also rolled out a new, prominent “WhatsApp” banner that can be added to your business profile. This is different from the small “contact” button. It’s a clear, unmissable call-to-action.

Now, your strategy is complete.

A customer discovers you on an Instagram Reel.

They click your profile and immediately see the WhatsApp banner, instantly giving you credibility and offering them their preferred MENA communication channel.

They decide to send a quick DM instead. If it’s in Arabic, your team uses DM Translation to reply instantly.

If it’s after hours, your DM Scheduling automation books them for a follow-up.

You’ve just built a seamless, professional, omnichannel customer service funnel without ever leaving the Meta ecosystem.

The Takeaway

Stop thinking of your Instagram DMs as a simple “inbox.” It’s your new sales floor.

For years, businesses in the MENA region have been held back by the language barrier and the 24/7 demands of social commerce.

This week, Instagram just gave you the tools to solve both. The businesses that adopt these features first will build trust faster, look more professional, and, most importantly, stop losing sales in their DMs.

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