In order to be an MLM or Network marketing success today its critically important that you brand yourself by creating a presence within the Social Media. As a Network Marketer that means mastering ‘Social Network Marketing’. In order to reap the benefits to be had here you must have a master plan, but more importantly put it into action. This article will tell you the exact steps that need to be followed in order to do just that.
Before we get started let me just state that social network marketing is unlike every thing else you’ve seen out there. It is unlike all other types of marketing that you may have done previously when trying to generate leads and build your business. It is important to recognise that in order to have any level of success, both persistency and consistency will both be needed. The great news is that your efforts will produce visible results very rapidly.
Okay lets get going, the easiest way to explain how social networking comes together is to give you an overview from a training that I attended last night. This training was delivered by Perry Belcher and Mike Dillard. There are many people jumping on the bandwagon and doing social media stuff these days . However there are some who do it well and others who just don’t get it. Perry is regarded by many as one of the top authorities in this emerging field. He states that your plan for Global domination with social media should comprise of three distinct phases. The secret is finding the balance with them so you can cash in.
Phase 1 – The Party
Phase 2 – Your House (your Blog)
Phase 3 – Your Porch (your sales funnel)
Get these steps wrong and you will have every man and their dogs talking about you online…. but for all the wrong reasons. Your reputation will be in ripped to shreds before you even get out of the blocks.
Phase 1 – The Party
The aim here is to meet people and begin the relationship building process. Perry’s a fun type of guy who just hangs out with people to have a good time. Every now and then work may pop up in the conversation but its rare. Think about it if your out with your pals who in their right mind wants to sit and talk about the job they hate or things that go on at work. However, there’s always one, and I bet you know who I mean! Its usually the Jackass with the Amway White board or the ‘Wanna Get Rich, Ask Me How’ Button. This guys pockets are full of business opportunity flyer’s, ready to be throw in the air at midnight!
You may laugh but I have a confession to make here, that was actually me. Looking back it is very embarrassing but given the slightest opportunity I used to pitch my MLM opportunity to anything that moved. My only defence is that this is how my up line trained me to build my business. They told me to strike up conversations with anyone who encroached within 3 feet, so that’s what I did. I was like a Lion hunting for prey and anyone who came to close was fair game They said to turn every conversation around to my products or business opportunity, so that’s what I did. You see, I was so desperate for success that I literally copied everything I was told to do no matter how uncomfortable it felt. In fact I was very teachable and became a master of striking up conversations in the most unlikely of places. However, Social Media has changed the ‘rules’ for MLM and you no longer want to be this type of guy, especially online.
The sad thing is that MLMer’s are still being told to Pitch, Pitch, Pitch all their way to the top. How do I know this. Well its simple, just log into any one of these sites and you’ll see the posts. I still see hundreds of people on social sites behaving just like I did. They are jumping in and pitching their business opportunity even before they get to know the other persons name. As I mentioned if you start to do this your reputation will be in tatters in no time.
I seriously hope that you learn from my experience. Don’t go to parties with a hidden agenda for your business. Just go to chill out, socialise, be yourself, have fun and of course meet new interesting people. If you do this, guess what happens? People will actually like you and you will begin to attract people to you. This is EXACTLY HOW you must view your Main Social platforms like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube etc.
Treat web2.0 as a party, and Your social sites are places to meet new people and places to expand your Personal Network. Although business may slip out from time to time it is to be the exception rather than the rule. A good number to keep in mind is 80% Personal/Helpful/Resourceful etc and 20% Business/Sales. Your Social Networking sites are not the place to Blatantly Pitch your products all day long… Nobody will want to hang out with you if that’s what you do, Trust Me. So by now you are probable thinking to yourself, “if I can’t pitch my business, whats the point of hanging around here”. Well that’s a great question and you’ll find the answers on how to monetize the process in the following phases.
Phase 2 – Your House or ‘Your Blog’
The goal here is to develop the relationship further. Build trust with the people you meet at the ‘party’ I’m sure you have been at some great parties and social functions. You will have met some new people and get on great with them. Sometimes you will invite these folk over to your house. In this scenario your house is ‘your Blog’. Its important to remember that you are still building the relationship with these people. These people are coming to your house to socialise and have a good time. So you wouldn’t herd them all into a room, jump straight into a business presentation and start drawing circles all over a white board. You must resist at all costs any urge you may have to do the same thing here. Do not fill your blog with all your business opportunity information and propaganda.
Your Blog is the ideal space to get more intimate and personal with your new friends. It will show people a little of who you really are. The best way to cover this in a blog is to write a proper ‘about me section’. Include information like some personal history, your interests, achievements and hobbies. You should also have pictures of you and your family. Finally you should provide something of value related to your business. This tells people what you do. It may tell them that you train people on how to use social media and how to drive traffic to their Business opportunity. Although you are telling them about what you do keep it brief. This is still not the place to blatantly start pitching your business to them.
Phase 3- -Your Porch – Sales
The goal here is to introduce your solutions to problems that these people may have. With reference to your house, this phase usually takes place out the back at the barbecue. By now friendships are forged and people tend to open up more. They’ve had a chance to look round your house and find out fair bit about you, and now they often ask what it is that you do. The Porch is where ‘Business’ is often done and introductions take place. Your friends may ask how that business of yours is doing, or inquire to as what exactly that you do. They may even open up to the fact that they need to earn more money.
I want you to imagine that your porch is where all the links to your business opportunity are. These would be in the form of subtle links to articles you have written or videos that you have posted etc. You can view this phase as the entrance to your sales funnel. Your links should be subtle just offering a teaser of what it is that you actually do to make money. They could also answer a problem that your friend may be facing. The trick or balancing act is to make sure that the are subtle, but also visible and prominent.
Your aim from this whole process is for them to ‘Click’ your link. However because of the system we have used we want them to feel as though it has been their choice and that they have been totally responsible. They will only do this after a certain level of trust has been built.
So that’s it, simple, just keep these tips and 3 steps in mind as you build your social media presence and you will experience fantastic results and growth. Just remember to be Patient, as anything worthwhile will take time. Be Passionate it shows through your actions and words. The more Value that you can offer the better. Be totally Honest with people as integrity is truly a force to be re-conned with. Be Transparent, social media is not the place to hide and be deceptive but most of all just be yourself and have Fun.
There is masses of evidence to show that people prefer to do business with others with whom they have rapport and that they like and trust
By utilizing Social Network Marketing in this fashion you will experience Tremendous Success and harness the full power of Social Media. You will make a lot of friends, build Credibility, make connections and consequently reap the rewards.