By Bill Fletcher
When I first started my home based business, I was hesitant at the idea of using social media for building my home based business. I thought “what a crazy idea.” to sit at a computer and just type or push buttons instead of going out and having face-to-face conversations with people.
My up-line and even my MLM Company discourage me in using social media but instead make a list of people to talk to.
Now I will stop here and say that Social Media is great for getting leads and interacting with people, but social media can’t take the place of having that in-person interaction when recruiting people to your business. I still use that face-to-face strategy today but I also roll in social media for growth.
Back to social media: Social Media has become a valuable and effective means to reach out to all new potential prospects, grow your team, and build a successful business.
I have seen many top leaders in Network Marketing rise in ranks because of the strategies they developed to blend social media with the “old-school” concepts.
Old School Marketing Is Dead
Social media is a powerful tool for your business when used appropriately.
I put together a few ideas why Social Media is a valuable tool.
-
You Can Expands Your Reach
With Social Media, you’re no longer confined to your town, city, or even country. You can reach thousands of people around the world in an instant. Now even entrepreneurs in the smallest towns around the world can build a business without spending all of their money and time traveling to other places.
You can think bigger and expand your Network Marketing business to reach places previously unattainable.
-
Strengthen Relationships
One of the problems with Social Media is not developing a relationship.
When you do expand your MLM business, it is important that you maintain connections and relationships with your long-distant team members. If possible, you should make a point of meeting with those team members face-to-face on occasion.
Of course, I understand that this may not be possible. However, the power of social media provides you with a way to nurture those relationships on a more consistent basis by simply staying in contact with them on a consistent basis.
You can keep in touch with your team members with social media through messages of encouragement or tips on best practices. Of course, that type of interaction can also be easily accomplished through simply liking a post, making a comment, wishing them a happy birthday, holiday or simply saying “good job.”
Social Media gives you the tools to interact with your team and prospects consistently through simple acts that let those people know you are thinking of them and invested in their success.
-
Build Your Brand
One of the best advantages of using Social Media is how you can actually have the prospects come to you instead of you trying to find and go to them.
Your brand—who you are, what you stand for, your interests, etc.—can attract like-minded people to you.
Branding is so critical to your Network Marketing business that many articles and top network producers have called it the number one goal in building a successful business.
How To Create A Personal Branding Strategy
Your brand will help to introduce you to more people than you’ll know what to do with. You’ll attract fans, followers, friends and be able to build rapport with them.
Social Media allows you to do this and so much more. The “old-school” strategies of in-person meetings is still okay, but very limited. For example, I can talk or visit with 4 to 5 people a day but with Social Media, I can talk to hundreds per day.
If you want to learn more about how to use Social Media in your business, register for the Social Media Recruiter!
Here you will learn How This Busy Mom Built a Team of Over 8200 Distributors on Social Media, Without Leaving Home….Social Media Recruiter!
How Social Media Can Grow Your MLM Business
Social Media Can and Will Grow Your MLM Business
Social Media is an awesome tool that has made life easier for Network Marketers in growing their MLM Business.
Social Media has allowed us to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world.
However, Social Media is a double edged sword and can also HURT you and your network marketing business if you use it the wrong way.
Here are 10 common mistakes that MLM distributor make with Social Media that can hurt you in your efforts to grow your MLM Business.
1) Social Media is Hear To Stay
There are still some who are afraid of Social Media. This is mainly because of a lack of understanding.
Not taking advantage of using Social Media as one of your marketing strategies will not destroy your business but will definitely slow your growth.
For example, using the “old-school” marketing, “One-On-One” will require many months or years and a lot of rejections. However, the power of Social Media allows you to reduce your growth time to a few months by reaching hundreds.
Social Media is nothing more than meeting people. People like you and me who want to communicate with you (branding).
Understand that, Social Media is here to stay and is an excellent way to grow your business.
Which leads us to the next mistake.
2) Treating Social Media As Something Different
The good news is that Social Media is NOT anything your not doing today on a daily basis…. meeting people.
There are NO new rules nor etiquette that you have to learn!
Social Media is just another powerful way to meet new people.
There is only ONE RULE to remember,
PITCHING! So many Social Media amateurs begin to Pitch their product or business opportunity immediately. So my question? Would you go to a party and immediately pitch your business opportunity to everyone in the room? Of Course Not.
So don’t do it.
3) Focus On One Social Media Strategy
If you are a part-time, even full-time network marketer, you have limited time and there is no way you can be active and do well on all Social Media channels.
The mistake I see here is many Network Marketers try to use all media channels without really understanding how they work.
Focus on one Social Media strategy such as Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin or any other media until you master that strategy. Then and only then go to another program.
When you lack focus and try to be active on all Social Media channels, what ends up happening is you do a poor job on all of them and it ends up hurting you and your business.
It’s better to focus on just one.
I might suggest that you focus on Facebook. That’s where most Network Marketers seem to find the best marketing strategy.
4) Pitching Your Products and Business Opportunity Immediately
As mentioned, many amateurs use Social Media to PITCH their business opportunity or product to people they haven’t met.
Get to know your new prospect. What do they want, desires, challenges or…..What Is A Customer Avatar
Become the go-to person and offer solutions to problems or issues.
You have to provide value to people before you start posting links to your products and business opportunity.
5) Promoting Your MLM Company and Products
This may go against what you’ve been taught by your up-line or even your MLM Company, but top online Network Marketers don’t use Social Media to sell.
They use Social Media to create curiosity, help and advice then when a lead or prospects become interested, then they sell them.
When you post links to your company before establishing a relationship, you kill the curiosity. As mentioned, Pitching will only turn people away. Remember, people can use Google to learn everything on their own. You have to develop that important relationship and be the solution.
That brings us to VALUE
6) Many Social Media Marketers Don’t Provide Value
Always think about how to help your audience (Avatar) and provide value.
You get people’s attention when you help others.
“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar
Here are 4 Simple Ways to Provide Value in Social Media:
1) Sharing knowledge or experience
2) Sharing interesting personal info
3) Sharing something interesting
4) Answer questions and offer solutions
7) Not Engaging
By now, you already understand that Social Media is just like attending social events. You socialize. You meet. You develop a friend.
It takes time but you have to do it otherwise you’ll just be like the person who walks into a party and annoys everyone and leaves.
Its the same with Facebook for instance. Engage with your followers. Get to know them. Ask question. Understand how they are.
If you don’t engage with your followers, you are telling Facebook or other Social Media platforms, that you have no interest in people and only want to sell them.
In other words, “they don’t matter”
And if they don’t matter, Facebook will “penalize” you by decreasing the number of people who sees your posts.
Engage and you will soon have “follower” who looks forward to your Blog Post, Tweets or comments.
8) Posting Things That Are Not Consistent With What You Represent
People forget that followers are watching what you do. If you post things that are inconsistent with your business you will only confuse your prospects by your lack of focus.
An example is a distributor in a health wellness company that posted pictures of him eating fried chicken wings!
I’m not saying he shouldn’t be eating them but if the does, he shouldn’t be posting about it!
Be consistent with your business.
9) Not Commitment To Your Business
….What is your vision?
….Are you committed to your business?
….Are you an entrepreneur or just a wanta-be?
….Consistent
Most important, are you a SERIOUS Entrepreneur?!
A distributor claims he’s an entrepreneur and serious about his business when he prospects. However this same entrepreneur is on Facebook playing dumb Facebook games like Candy Crush Saga or posts about his high scores on video game such as Game of Thrones.
Sorry but the last time I checked, serious entrepreneurs are not wasting their time playing video games!
If you want to be taken as a serious entrepreneur, make sure your posts are consistent with that image you want to create.
10) Lack of Consistency in Posts
When you are not consistent people start doubting your commitment and vision.
You have to make it a daily habit to post to Facebook consistently. If you have a Blog, post new Quality articles at lease once a week.
This is another reason why you should focus on only 1 – 2 Social Media channels. It’s better to post consistently on one channel than being on every Social Media but with no consistency.
Summery
Those are the top 10 common mistakes that I see many MLM distributors or Network Marketers make with Social Media. Do I see others? Yes, but these seem to be the big mistakes and easy to correct.
So the question?…..Which ones do you need to work on?
If you want to learn more on creating your Avatar, Social Media, Network Marketing:
- Avatar: How To Create Your Avatar
- Branding: How To Create A Personal Branding Strategy
- More on Social Media: How To Prospect & Recruit On Social Media
- Network Marketing: Are You Self-Destructing Your Network Marketing Business
There are so many advantages of using Social Media for recruiting that you just can’t pass up this strategy.
If you are still not sure how to use social media marketing to build your MLM business, check this out: Social Media Recruiter.
Here’s to your success,
PS: Social Media is a great way to build a Network Marketing Business. But like everything else, it requires learning the proper way of using Social Media. I invite you to meet this busy MOM who became very successful with Social Media….Meet her here….Social Media Recruiter.
