Feature Availability

Vtiger Editions: One Pilot | One Growth | One Professional | One Enterprise | One AI

Introduction

Vtiger CRM’s Social module lets you connect and manage your Instagram Business account directly from the CRM. With this integration, you can post content, reply to comments, track conversations, and link Instagram activity to CRM records like Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases.

This helps your team stay engaged with your audience, streamline social media workflows, and improve marketing and customer service, all from one place. 

Key Features

The following are the key features of integrating your Instagram account with Vtiger CRM:

• Create and publish posts
• Comment on posts and reply to comments
• Create a dedicated comment stream for tracking discussions
• Schedule posts for future publishing
• Delete unwanted comments or replies
• Link CRM records (Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases) to posts
• Use the Search Stream to find content using hashtags and keywords

Note: The Social module can be accessed by all users, but only Admin users can configure its settings.

Requirements

Before integrating Instagram with Vtiger CRM, ensure you have the following:

• An Instagram Business account
• A Facebook Business account
• A Facebook Business Page

Benefits of Instagram Integration with Vtiger CRM

The benefits of integrating Instagram with the Vtiger Social module are:

• Centralized Management: Post, comment, reply, and interact with your audience directly from the CRM.
• Improved Customer Engagement: Track and respond to customer interactions in real time.
• CRM Record Linking: Associate Instagram posts and comments with Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases.
• Scheduled Posting: Plan and automate your Instagram content with post scheduling.
• Advanced Search: Use hashtags and keywords to search and monitor relevant content streams.
• Enhanced Marketing: Gain insights and control over your brand’s social presence, boosting marketing efficiency.

In this article, you will learn about:

• Integrating Instagram with Vtiger
• Using Instagram in Vtiger CRM
• Managing your account from Social settings

Key Terminology 

Integrating Instagram with Vtiger

Vtiger CRM’s Social module allows you to connect only Instagram Professional accounts. 

Integrating Instagram with Vtiger requires you to do the following:

• Step 1: Switch to a Professional Instagram Account
• Step 2: Create or Use a Facebook Business Page
• Step 3: Link Your Instagram Account to Your Facebook Page
• Step 4: Log in to your Instagram Account from the Vtiger Social module

Now we will learn about each in detail. 

Step 1: Switching to a Professional Instagram Account

Follow these steps to switch from a Personal to a Professional Instagram account:

1. Log in to your Instagram account.
2. Click on the Profile. 
3. Click Menu in the top right corner of your profile. The Settings and Activity page opens. 
4. Go to For Professionals > Account Type and Tools. The Account Type page opens. 
5. Click Switch to professional account.
6. Select Business.
7. Click Next.
8. Select a Category for your business.
9. Click Done. 

To learn how to set up a Business account, click here.
To learn how to set up a Creator Account, click here. 

Step 2: Creating or Using a Facebook Business Page

Follow these steps to create or use a Facebook Business page:

1. Log in to Facebook.
2. Create a new Facebook Page or select an existing one.
3. Ensure the Page is Active.

To learn how to create a new Facebook page, click here. 

Step 3: Linking your Instagram Account to your Facebook Page

Follow these steps to link your Instagram account to your Facebook page:

1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Switch to the Facebook Page that you want to link to Instagram.
3. Click your Page's profile picture in the top-right corner.
4. Click Settings & privacy > Settings. The Settings page opens.
5. Click Linked accounts under Permissions.
6. Click Instagram.
7. Click Connect account.
8. Log in to your Instagram account when prompted.
9. Click Allow or Continue to complete the linking process.

To learn how to add your Instagram account to Facebook, click here.

Step 4: Logging in to your Instagram Account from the Social Module in Vtiger

Note: Log in with the Facebook account linked to your Instagram Business account and Facebook Page.

Follow these steps to log in to your Instagram account on Vtiger Social:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing > Campaigns.
4. Click Social. The Social module opens. 
5. Select Manage accounts. A Social Settings page opens
6. Click Add Account. The Add Social accounts window opens.
7. Select Instagram.  The Facebook login screen opens.
8. Enter your Facebook login details.
9. Click Log in. The Choose the Pages that you want Vtiger to access screen opens, displaying all your Facebook business Pages. 
10. Select Opt in to all current and future pages.
11. Click Continue. The Choose the Instagram accounts that you want Vtiger to access window opens.
12. Select Opt in to all current and future Instagram accounts.
13. Click Continue. The What is Vtiger allowed to do? page opens, where you can configure all the settings for your Instagram account on the Social module.
14. Click Save. An account added successfully message will be displayed

The Social module opens with your connected Instagram account now visible.

Using Instagram in Vtiger CRM

The following sections will be available after adding the Instagram account in Vtiger:

• My Posts
• Scheduled

Let us understand each section in detail.

My Posts

My Posts section is where you can post and view your posts that will be available publicly on Instagram. In this section, you can perform the following:

• Compose a post.
• Comment on a post.
• Actions such as creating a Comment Stream, adding and selecting Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases, and viewing the same from a Post.
• Reply to a comment.
• Delete a comment.
• Actions such as viewing, adding, and selecting Contacts, Leads, Deals and Cases from a comment. 

Let us look into each of these functionalities.

Composing a Post

Follow these steps to compose a Post:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing > Campaigns.
4. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
5. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
6. Click the Compose Post icon. The New Post window opens.
7. Enter or select the following information to compose a Post:
   1. Post to - Select your Instagram account.
   2. Message - Enter the content you want to post.
   3. Upload media - Upload media files if any (image, video). You can drag and drop your files from your system here or click Browse to upload files from your system.
   4. You can preview your post on the right panel of the New Post window. 
8. Click Post.

Your posts will be displayed under My Posts in the Instagram page of the Social module.

Commenting on a Post

The reply comment option allows you to respond or add your comments to a post.

Follow these steps to comment on a post:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing > Campaigns.
4. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
5. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
6. Choose the post you want to comment on.
7. Click the Comment icon at the bottom of the post. 
8. Enter your comment in the comment box that appears.
9. Click Post.

Your comment on the post will be displayed under My Posts > Commented Post. To view your comment, click View all comments; reclicking the same will hide the comments.

Note: You will not be able to Like a post on your Instagram page from the Social module.

Actions on a Post 

Actions for an Instagram post allow you to select and add a contact, lead, deal, or case record to a Post.

Using Actions, you can perform the following:

• Create a Comment Stream
• Add a Contact
• Select a Contact
• Add a Lead
• Select a Lead
• Add a Deal
• Add a Case
• View Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases already added

Creating a Comment Stream

Creating a Comment Stream allows you to view a specific Post and the comments and replies to it individually in a separate section called Comments. If you comment stream a Post, it will be streamed on the Comments window.

Follow these steps to create a comment stream: 

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Choose your desired Post to create a comment stream.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click + Create comment stream.

The specific post will immediately be displayed in the Comments window.

Note:

• Separate comment windows are created every time you create a comment stream for a post. 
• Under Comments, all the functionalities for a comment-streamed post remain the same as the functionalities for a post under My Posts.

Replying to a Comment

The Reply option under every comment allows you to reply to a specific comment.

Follow these steps to reply to a comment:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing > Campaigns.
4. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
5. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
6. In the My Posts window, choose the comment you want to reply to.
7. Click the Reply icon at the bottom of the comment. 
8. Enter your reply in the reply box.
9. Click Post

Your reply will be displayed below the corresponding comment on the post.

The number of replies is displayed as Replies. Click Replies to view all replies to the post or comment. Click it again to collapse the replies.

Actions on a Comment

Actions for a Comment or Reply to an Instagram post allow you to select and add a Contact, Lead, Deal, or Case from the post.. 

Using Actions, you can:

• Add a Contact
• Link a Contact
• Add a Lead
• Link a Lead
• Add a Deal
• Add a Case
• View Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases already added
• Delete a Comment or Reply

Adding a Contact

Adding a Contact lets you add new Contacts who have commented on or replied to your posts.

Follow these steps to add a Contact: 

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to add a Contact.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Add Contacts.
10. Click New Contact. The Add Contact window opens.
11. Enter or select the following details to add a Contact:
    1. Last Name: The user’s name by default is taken as the Last Name for the Contact record.
    2. Description: The user’s comment or reply is by default taken as the Description for the Contact record.
    3. Enter the mandatory fields for the Contact record.
12. Click Save. 

A Contact record will be created for the user associated with the selected Instagram post. 

Linking a Contact

If existing CRM users have posted on Instagram, you can link these posts to their Contact record.  Adding these links to a Contact record saves customer interactions and helps you know more about them. 

Follow these steps to select and link a Contact: 

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to link a Contact.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Select Contact. The Select Contact window opens.
10. The User (Contact) who commented or replied is displayed if they are already available in the CRM as a Contact. 
11. Select the respective Contact record.

The selected CRM Contact record will be linked to Instagram. 

Adding a Lead

Adding a Lead lets you add Users who commented or replied to your posts as new Leads in the CRM.

Follow these steps to add a Lead:  

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to add a Lead.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Add Lead. The Add Lead window opens.
10. Enter or select the following details in the Add Lead Window:
    1. Last Name: The Instagram handle of the user is added by default as the Last Name.
    2. Lead Name: Enter a name for the Lead. 
    3. Assigned To: Select the user or group to whom the Lead is assigned. 
11. Click Save.

The newly created Lead is displayed in the Leads module.

Linking a Lead 

If existing CRM users have posted on Instagram, you can link these posts to their contact records.  Adding these links to a lead record saves customer interactions and helps you know more about them. 

Follow these steps to select and link a Lead:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to link a Lead.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Select Lead. The Select Lead window opens.
10. The user (Lead) who commented or replied will be displayed if they are already available in your CRM contacts.
11. Select the respective Lead record. 

The selected Lead record is now linked to the Instagram account.

Adding a Deal

Adding a Deal lets you add new Deals commented on or replied to on your posts that you think are good enough business deals to pursue.

Follow these steps to add a Deal:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to add a Deal.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Add Deal. The Add Deal window opens.
10. Enter or select the following details in the Add Deal Window:
    1. Deal Name: Enter a name for the Deal. 
    2. Sales Stage: Select the current sales stage for the Deal. 
    3. Assigned To: Select the user or group to whom the Deal is assigned.
    4. Type: Select the type of Deal. 
    5. Pipeline: Select the pipeline to which the Deal belongs. 
    6. Lead: Select or enter the Lead associated with the Deal. 
11. Click Save. 

The Deal record is successfully created and saved in the Deals module.

Adding a Case

You can create a Case when a user reports an issue or asks a question in your posts.

Follow these steps to add a Case:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post for which you want to add a Case.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click Add Case. The Add Case window opens.
10. Enter or select the following details in the Add Case Window:
    1. Case Title: The user’s comment or reply (Case) is by default taken as Summary and Case Title for the case record.
    2. Assigned To: Select the user or group to whom the Case is assigned.
11. Click Save. 
12. Click Send Email to email the Case details

The created Case record is now saved in the Cases module.

Viewing Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases      

Once you add or link (by using Select) Contacts, Leads, Deals, and Cases from a comment or reply to an Instagram post, you can view them by clicking Actions. From the Actions pop-up, you can: 

• View Contact: View the Contact record that was created.
• View Lead: View the Lead record that was created.
• View Deal: View the Deal record that was created.
• View Case: View the Case record that was created.

You will be directed to their respective records in the related modules. 

For a quicker search, enter the keyword Instagram in the source field.

Deleting a Comment or Reply

Deleting a Comment or Reply allows you to delete a comment or reply on your posts or comments.

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side. The Instagram dashboard opens.
7. Select a comment that you want to delete.
8. Click Actions.
9. Click the Delete icon. The Are you sure you want to delete? pop-up window opens.
10. Click Ok. 

The selected comment will be deleted.

Note: The Reply symbol lets you reply to the comment, whose functionality is just as the Reply option illustrated in the ‘Replying to a Comment’ section.

Scheduled

The scheduled section is where you can compose your posts and publish them later. You can perform the following:

• Scheduling a Post
• Rescheduling a Post 
• Deleting a Scheduled Post 

Scheduling a Post

The scheduled section is where you can compose your posts and publish them later.

Follow these steps to schedule a Post:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing > Campaigns.
4. Click Social. The Social module opens.
5. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
6. Click the Compose Post icon. The New Post window opens. 
7. Enter or select the following details:
   1. Post to - Select your Instagram account.
   2. Message - Enter the post content you want to post.
   3. Upload media - Upload your images, audio or video files to be posted. You can drop your files here or click Browse to upload files from your system.
   4. Preview your post on the right-hand side of the New Post window.
   5. Click Schedule Post.
   6. Click the Calendar icon.
   7. Select the required month and date.
   8. Click the time icon to set the required time slot. The delete icon helps you clear the selection.
8. Click Schedule Post.

Your post scheduled for the specific date and time will be displayed in the scheduled section and posted at that time.

Rescheduling a Post

Rescheduling allows you to reschedule an already scheduled post.

Follow these steps to reschedule a post:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the scheduled post that you want to reschedule.
8. Click the Actions in the top right corner of the post.
9. Click Reschedule. The Reschedule window opens. 
10. Click the Calendar icon.
11. Select the required month and date. 
12. Click the time icon to set the required time slot. The delete icon helps you clear the selection.
13. Click Save.

Deleting a Scheduled Post

The Delete schheduled post lets you delete a scheduled post.

Follow these steps to delete a Post:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Click Campaigns.
5. Click Social. The Social module page opens.
6. Click Posts > Instagram on the left-hand side.
7. Select the post that you want to delete.
8. Click Actions in the top-right corner of the scheduled post.
9. Click the Delete icon. The Are you sure you want to delete? popup opens. 
10. Click Ok

The scheduled post is deleted and is no longer available in the Scheduled section.

Search Streams

Search Stream lets you find Instagram posts with specific hashtags. Once you enter a hashtag in SearchStream, all Instagram posts with that hashtag will be displayed.

Follow the steps to add a Search Stream:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module opens.
6. Look for Search Stream on the left-hand side of the screen.
7. Click the plus mark beside Search Streams. The Add Search Stream window opens.
8. Enter or select the following information:
   1. Name: Enter a name for your search stream.
   2. Select Account: Select your desired account. 
   3. Hash Keyword: Enter your desired hashtags to retrieve all the posts available on Instagram.
9. Click Add Stream.

The matching posts are displayed based on the configured search stream conditions, and the search stream is saved under the Search Streams section with the specified name. 

Note: Search Streams allow you to search up to 30 unique hashtags within a one-week period. It displays the hashtag count and the hashtags that have already been searched. Duplicate hashtags are not counted.

Adding Channels

Under Search Streams, Vtiger offers a very beneficial Add Channel provision.

Add Channel allows you to simultaneously search streams on two social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, helping you avoid entering keywords twice and save time.

Follow these steps to add a Channel:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module opens.
6. Look for Search Stream on the left-hand side of the screen.
7. Hover over the desired saved search stream.
8. Click Add Channel. The Add Channel window opens.
9. Select your Instagram account.
10. Click Add Channel.

All Instagram and Twitter posts with the same hashtag will be displayed simultaneously.

Managing your Account from Social Settings

You can manage your social accounts from the Social Settings window.

You can perform the following:

• Add, disconnect, or remove your account.
• Set up automation for actions like creating leads.

Let us understand each section in detail.

Adding an Account

Follow these steps to add an Instagram account to the Social module:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module window opens.
6. Click Manage Accounts in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Social Settings window opens.
7. Click +Add Account.
8. Select Instagram from the list of social accounts. The Instagram login screen opens.
9. Enter your Instagram login credentials. The Instagram account appears.
10. Select your Instagram account.

The Instagram account is now added to the Social module. 

Note:

• You can add multiple Instagram accounts.
• You can switch to different Instagram accounts on My Posts and Scheduled by clicking the dropdown next to the titles and selecting the Instagram account.

Disconnecting an Account

Disconnect helps you disable your Instagram account from the Social module. When you disconnect your account, only the sync stops between Instagram and CRM. Old posts and data will still be visible.

Follow these steps to disconnect an Instagram account from the Social module:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module opens.
6. Click Manage Accounts in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Social Settings window opens.
7. Click the Actions icon on the account you want to disconnect.
8. Click Disconnect.
9. Click OK.

The Instagram account is now disconnected from the Social module. 

 Removing an Account

Removing deletes your Instagram account from the Social module. When you remove an account, it will no longer be visible in the Social module.

Follow these steps to remove an Instagram account from the Social module:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module opens.
6. Click Manage Accounts in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Social Settings window opens.
7. Click the Actions icon on the account you want to remove.
8. Click Remove.
9. Click OK.

The Instagram account is now removed from the Social module.

Note: Deleting a post from Instagram will not be reflected on the Vtiger CRM Social Instagram page.

Automation 

With automation rules, you can automatically create Contact, Lead, and Case records in the CRM. You can trigger record creation when a user leaves a comment on your Instagram page.

For instance, if you receive a comment that says, How do I buy this product?, you can assume this to be a lead for your business and create a Lead record for the user.

Additionally, you can specify tags or keywords that must be present in the comment or reply. For instance, if the tag is subscribe, a user posts a comment that matches the tag. You can assume them to be a lead and trigger the creation of a lead record. 

Follow these steps to add a rule: 

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Marketing.
4. Look for Campaigns.
5. Select Social. The Social module opens.
6. Click Manage Accounts in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Social Settings window opens.
7. Click Instagram under automation on the left-hand side.
8. Click +Add Rule.
9. Enter or select the following details:
   1. Name - Provide a title for the rule.
   2. Select trigger - Choose when the record must be created (on receiving a comment).
   3. Contains Keywords - Enter the keywords that must be present in the comment. 
   4. Choose action - Choose which record to create. 
10. Click Save​​​​​​.

The automation settings will now be configured for the Instagram account. 

References

• Vtiger Social Module
• Twitter Integration with Social Module
• Integrating your Facebook Account with Vtiger Social
• Instagram DM Integration with Vtiger CRM