Standing Out in Multi-Level Marketing
Everyone has an opinion of Multi-Level Marketing.
Whether you believe it’s a great business model and a way to grow wealth independently, or you think they are scam-laden pyramid schemes, here’s what…they’re here, they’re working for a large number of people, and they are not going away.
Advocare, Beach Body, LuLaRoe, It Works!, Isagenix, Rodan and Fields, et al, are MLM modeled businesses that rely heavily on social media to attract customers and move product. On my personal Facebook account, I have upwards of twenty close friends working with these companies. I do love the passion they have for their business, how knowledgeable they are of the product, but you know what I can’t stand?
Lack of creativity.
Now, I know each company has their ‘tools’ that they impress upon their team members, and that’s obviously a good start. It makes sense to go with an approach that has worked for the successful in the past. However, when you’re someone like me who gets a random message from someone you haven’t talked to since the early nineties, and suddenly they want to hear all about your kids and then work in the MAYJAHHHH OPPORTUNITY they want to share with you, it’s a bit obvious, if not mostly off-putting.
The same goes for Instagram, where you see a lot of the Health and Fitness MLM’s capturing their audience. It’s very much the same canned delivery. Sweaty selfie grinning with whatever shake/juice in the frame and how it makes them feel so amaaaaaaaazing!
Guys, let me give you the tough love and tell you it’s boring.
Remember 80% of what you’re posting on social media needs to be conversational. You want to connect with your audience on a level that sees you as ‘Nancy’ and not ‘The sweaty shake lady preaching about working out.’ You want to show AND tell about your individuality while promoting your brand.
I always recommend going with a platform you love to use and that converts well for you. For me, Instagram (@yourmomentofjenn) is my star followed by Snapchat (@writewinerun). I love these platforms and it shows, because I love having a visual component to the story I’m telling. I am not a Facebook whiz, not because I can’t be, but because I don’t find Facebook all that fun to use. Your best conversion will always come from where your passion lies. So where is that for you?
Once you figure that out, go from there. Keeping with the Instagram theme, if that’s where you’re seeing the most success, learn each and every single thing you can about Instagram. Read articles, watch videos, look at super successful IG accounts, become an expert. Then look at your brand and goals, figuring out how you can apply these new tools to what you’re already doing. For me, I had to give myself a Photo 101 refresh. Last spring, I read everything I could possibly get my hands on about mobile photography and editing. Dynamic visuals are what drive Instagram. Each platform has their thing, it is in no way, shape, or form one size fits all.
When you’re the expert to beat all experts on your best platform, it’s time to talk voice and reach. How are you going to project those tips and guidelines you’re hearing from your brand to your followers and potential customers so that you not only get the company message across, but you also remain true to yourself and your brand? Remember, Only You Can Be You, so what is it about Nancy the Beachbody coach that makes her different than Donna the Beachbody coach? How can I, a potential consumer, connect with Nancy? Take out a sheet of paper and write those things down. Then take those things and start to build conversations around them.
Congrats. Now you have the start of a marketing plan!
At the end of the day, the goal is to stand out. You have to get into a groove where it’s really about you and your personal brand, rather than the product having all of the spotlight. The product is there. A million people sell that product. The game changer will always be how you set yourself apart and have an audience that is invested in you first, and a great product second.
Want a free consultation on your brand presence? Shoot me an email at jennifer@brandmediainc.net
