Archive For The “Social network marketing” Category

Note — This is the second in a continuing series about social network marketing. A previous post showed why most people fail and how you can succeed in social network marketing.

To make it in social network marketing (and for that matter to make it in any method of MLM), you have to build relationships. The easiest way to do that is to have one place where you work on those relationships.

Your real goal is to find friends. One of my mentors likes to say that you should only go in business with people you’d like to join you on a 30-day cruise. To do that, you have to get to know them.

photo credit: Rennett Stowe

Many networkers try to relate to people in too many places. It’s OK to meet people in a variety of ways, but the best place to form relationships online is your blog.

A blog is basically an online journal. It lets you talk to the world about most anything. What many never realize is that it lets anyone in the world talk back. Many powerful conversations take place in the comments section of blogs.

Here’s some suggestions to get your blog off to a good start.

• Comment on other blogs and participate in online forums. Let people get to know you. Put a link to your blog in your signature file. If they find what you say in your comments interesting, they’ll find their way to your blog.

• Once they come to your blog, interact with everyone. Respond to every comment. And it might sound obvious, but allow comments.

If you want to impress someone, send him or her an e-mail thanking them for their comment. The other day, I got such an e-mail. I made a point to respond to the blogger. You can be sure I’ll go back to his site.

• Let people have their say. Even with they disagree with you. OK to moderate comments to keep spammers away, but don’t delete a comment just because they don’t think like you do.

• Be flexible. It’s OK for your view to be challenged. If your stance is correct, it will become stronger. If it’s not, you’ll see why you need to change.

• Be nice. Don’t come down on people who disagree with you.

• Let your guard down. Be transparent, likeable and trustworthy. People join people they know, like and trust.

• Most importantly, be you. You can blog about your business, but don’t make your blog just about your business. In fact don’t make your business the main focus of your blog. Talk about your life. Be real. Let people get to know you.

When you talk about business on your blog, focus on giving tips and suggestions to help other people succeed.

• Never come on like a salesman. Very few people react well to being sold. Keep your links to your business in your blog’s sidebar.

• Provide valuable content. Write stuff people want to hear.

• Help people. This is one of the strongest ways to build relationships. You can only help people by discovering what their needs are. You can only discover that by communicating with them.

Once you get to know people, you’ll also learn their primary motivation. Many network marketers automatically think everyone’s main drive is to make more money. It’s not.

While many people are motivated by money, a lot of folks have other, stronger motivations. Once you discover that, you can help them scratch that itch.

In his book, “Success in 10 Steps,” (you can download a free electronic version of the book at lifechangingebook.com), Michael Dlouhy talks about the importance of being able to determine what your distributors and customers want most passionately. He says successful networkers should study people and learn how to find people starving for what you have to offer.

Once people come to your blog and start commenting, it won’t be hard to determine how hungry they are.

Steve DeVane

(NOTE — This is the first post in a series on social network marketing.)

photo credit: jcestnik

Many network marketers (and marketers in general) have tried to use social networking to market their products. And they failed. Failed miserably.

As a result, many in MLM have written off social networking. Given up. Not worth the time, they say.

Good news. They’re wrong.

They’re wrong mostly because they tried to take traditional marketing methods and somehow graft them onto social networking. Even worse, some took traditional network marketing methods that don’t work and transplanted them into social networking.

Charles Heflin, the founder and CEO of SEO 20/20, has expertly pointed out how many businesses mistake social media networking initiatives for social media marketing campaigns. These businesses try to market their products and services in places better suited to social networking.

Heflin says he starts social media marketing campaigns from his blog. He syndicates the content, which greatly enhances its visibility, and then networks with prospects that come to the blog.

Instead of trying to network with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who may or may not be prospects, Heflin spends his time networking with people who have responded to his marketing campaign.

It’s like fishing in a small lake with only the fish you want rather than fishing in a huge lake filled with all kinds of fish.

Network marketers would do well to take note of Heflin’s strategy and his success.

Many in MLM cast too wide a net. They dive into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube and other sites looking for prospects. These network marketers are under the mistaken impression that the more people they market to, the better off they are.

In this and other ways, the missteps in social network marketing mirror errors made in traditional MLM efforts. Many network marketers are still taught to think of  “anyone who breaths” as a prospect. They are taught the infamous “three-foot rule” — to present their business opportunity to anybody within three feet of them.

Many network marketers wrongly think the busyness of all their social networking efforts will pay off in their business. Then they wonder why hundreds of Facebook friends and thousands of Twitter followers don’t translate to a growing downline.

The reason is simple. MLM is at its heart a relationship business. People tend to get into business with people they know, like and trust. Sending “join my business” invitations to thousands of people does not communicate your openness, likeability or trustworthiness.

Others in MLM take a different approach, marketing their products or services on social networks largely populated by family members and close friends.

Old friends who want to know how you’ve been and family members looking forward to the next reunion don’t want to hear a sales pitch or even a low-key business presentation.

Networkers who prey on friends and family members are a big reason MLM has such bad reputation. When they meet someone new, they automatically think of them as a prospect, not a friend.

Hitting up friends and family doesn’t work despite the general inclination to join people you know, like and trust. This is because friends and family members see the business pitches as an abuse of the trust you had with them.

So sending marketing messages to friends on social networks is a wrong strategy poorly implemented.

OK, we know what doesn’t work. So what does work?

Glad you asked. Here are 10 social network marketing strategies that work. They will be further explored in future posts.

1. Build relationships. You can’t do that everywhere. You can meet people in various places, but it’s important for them to be where you can get to know each other better. That place is your blog.

2. Find the reason you’re in business and share it with others. Share what makes you do what you do. Tell people what’s important to you. Then help other people discover what’s important to them. Make your blog about you, not about your business. Provide valuable content.

3. Help people. Earn their trust. Show them the path to success. People should learn their own way. Interact with them on your blog. When you see they have a need, offer to help.

4. Don’t sell. Care about people. There’s an old saying that’s true here — people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Don’t make your blog or your other relationships about selling. Nine out of 10 people will be immediately turned off if you try to sell them.

5. Approach people where they are. Learn about different personalities. Look at their profiles. Learn about them. Pay attention to the way they interact with you. Then help them get what they want. Don’t try to manipulate them. Just help them.

6. Be up front about your business. Don’t hide what you’re doing. When they ask what you do, tell them. Consider what they’re thinking. Let them get to know you. Let them know, like and trust you. If they’re interested in joining you, help them believe they can do it.

7. Once they join, be sure you have a simple system for them to follow. Show them what you do and teach them how to do it.

8. Take advantage of the advantages you have. These days everyone is looking for ways to “monetize” their blog. They want to know how they can make money on the Internet. You know how. Show them. They’ll join you.

9. Don’t just show people how to make money. Show them how to live. Teach people how to think, not what to think. If you’re opportunity is right for them, they’ll join you. Build a community made up of people who are your business partners and others who just like your blog.

10. Stay focused on your business. Concentrate on your blog — the place where you can network with people. Don’t get sidetracked by money-making schemes that come along. Don’t fall for the myth of multiple streams of income. You’re in this for the long haul. It’s your business. That provides your income. Specialize in it.

Those who are truly great at what they do have a die-hard commitment to it. Find your thing. Commit to it. Blog about it. Make it your business.

Steve DeVane