Online MLM and Social Media: Three Things You Might Wanna Know

You gotta love social media.

Why?

Cause anyone with a computer and an internet connection can “do” social media.

Whoopee! Or not.

It’s true that anyone can do social media, including MLMers who want to market online, but can anyone and everyone do social media well?

Uh-uh. Nope. Not happening.

Online MLM and Social Media: Three Things You Might Wanna Know
MLM already has a bad name, and at the rate some people are going, online MLM is going to have just as bad a name. Why? Because the people who approach MLM in an aggressive, over-the-top sales-pitch way are the same people who are likely to approach online MLM in a spammy, yellow-highlighter, hype-driven way.

Yuck.

So here’s the deal. Online MLM using social media is a great way to work your MLM business, as long as you do it tastefully and with integrity. How do you do that? Well, here are three things you want to keep in mind.

Tip #1: Lurk, Listen, and Learn
If you don’t know the first thing about social media or how to promote your online MLM business through social media, go with the three L’s: Lurk, Listen, and Learn. Learn from the best online marketers out there. Check out Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, John Jantsch and others like them. Notice how they aren’t MLM folks, but they are the best online marketers.

Once you see how they do what they do, adapt their methods to your own personality, schedule, and MLM business. Notice how they don’t spam people, send out the same tweet 18 million times, or offer only hype. Notice how they do interact with real people in real ways, connect people together even when there is no evident self-benefit, and offer genuine useful information.

Tip #2: Start with Product First
Doing online MLM by promoting the business first IS a harder proposition, no matter what people tell you. Products are, by nature, easier to promote online because they usually target very specific and immediate needs, such as health goals.

If you are new to online MLM, try promoting your company’s products first. Start with a goal of earning at least $500 a month from your online MLM sales, then look at promoting the business. This way, you can “prove” that your online MLM model works, which attracts people to your business.

Tip #3: Start Small, Do It Right
Social media is fun, interactive, and entertaining. It can also eat up a whole work day if you don’t clock yourself. If you plan on pursuing social media, start small. Choose a single home base (like a blog or custom website) and a single social media platform. Then work both of these with a plan.

For instance, if you use a blog as an online “home base,” then plan the number of times you will post to your blog weekly. If you decide to post twice weekly, stick to that schedule religiously. Create an editorial calendar to ensure that your topics are fresh, interesting, and information. Decide which topics will help you offer your readers good information and, at the same time, promote your products. Then follow your plan.

For your chosen social media platform, decide how often you will visit that platform. Decide what you will do each time you go there. For example, if you choose Twitter, decide:

how many times a week you will get on Twitter
which kinds of direct messages you will respond to
whether Twitter is a one-way output stream or an interactive space for you
which kinds of people you want to follow and retweet
what kinds of people you want to attract and how you will find them
how many times approximately you want to retweet others
how much personal versus business information you are going to put forth
how long you will spend each visit

The above list gives you a bare-bones plan that will allow you to spend productive time on Twitter. Remember, it’s fine to do social media as a form of entertainment, but if you want it to become a true asset for your online MLM business, then work it like a business. Do social media with a plan … otherwise you’ll find yourself wandering around in the wilderness wondering where your whole day went!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or contact me if you want to join our MLM team. We are teaching people to dive into online MLM head first … successfully! Find out how to work with me. I’m holding out for a few good people. Really.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardwhitaker/3320106019/

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