Social network marketing is definitely a great opportunity for you to promote your business through your business website. It allows you as the business website owner to expand your MLM or Network Marketing businesses to enormous numbers of prospective customers.
However, if not performed correctly social networking can seriously damage your business health!
Social Networking
Whereas network marketing through the medium of social networking is a great opportunity it is important to understand that there are many things which could go drastically wrong.
Social networking, as the name suggests, is primarily for the purposes of expanding the individual’s social network, for building friendships and sharing information. Network marketing should not be seen to be your prime purpose for joining a social network.
MLM – Old Style!
Think back to the 80’s or 90’s style Multi Level Marketing (MLM), making a list of family and friends and hitting them with your business opportunity or invitation to your group meeting. It was in this way that some years back I was introduced to Amway by a friend and persuaded to attend a small group meeting. It didnt work out for me for reasons I won’t go into but I spent weeks avoiding the follow up pressure sell and found out later that a large number of other people in my friends social network were doing likewise.
His social network evaporated and that is exactly what will happen if you blast your online social network with pressure sell. Probably much faster now than in the 80’s or 90’s.
Social networking means getting involved in the network, utilizing social networking marketing requires that you as a business website owner must become involved within particular social networking communities. You must contribute and communicate with people within that network and must ensure that your internet friends are interested in your products and services.
Publish great and relevant content
You must publish information on your business website about the products and services offerd by your business. The content will need to be informative as well as relevant. Do not ever deceive your customers by not telling the truth about your products and services only to lure them to your business website.
For example. Do not be dishonest in the published content on your business website. Do not leave post or blogs recommending your products or services while disguising yourself as a customer.
Be honest with your customers.
Do explain how valuable your products and services can be to your customers. If you perform MLM methods which are dishonorable your customers will eventually find your techniques unethical and this will harm your reputation as a business website owner.
Social First, Marketing Second
Social network marketing requires a lot of patience and its no coincidence that the phrase is social network marketing. The social network must come first. Your social network must get to know you, you must impress your network with your online presence, your contributions, you are sociable, helpful, offering advice when asked, you are part of the team.
As you establish your presence within the social network you will attract like minded members interested in your product, services or opportunity, and through your guidence word spreads and the network marketing gains pace through each members own network.
Farming Social Networks
I often use the phrase “harvesting” when earning credits from traffic exchanges or safelist emails, but harvesting suggests that some effort actually went into earning those credits.
The first thing a farmer does is not harvest. He invests in seed, water, fertilizer, labor, time and helped by suitable weather nurtures the product that eventually he harvests.
Social network marketing is very much like this. It requires time and patience. It requires a soft sell approach but the opportunity is massive because of the nature of the beast. It is a network and once word spreads the numbers grow. By nurturing your social network you will harvest success.
