This is a guest post by Janette Stoll
How will you set your business apart from other direct sales consultants? With so many direct sales distributors promoting their business opportunity and products as being the best in the business, what will you do? You can choose to do the same thing but then you’ll be just like the rest of the pack. Or will you take on something different that will help you stand out?
Let’s be honest, name a distributor that doesn’t think their company has the highest ORAC value or the best compensation plan in the industry? Of course they do! The point is, it’s the same info repeated over and over, only by different distributors. You’ll have a hard time attracting quality prospects to your business unless you’ve got a unique position. And what would that be? Learn these 5 internet tips to start branding YOU, instead of your company, and position yourself as a leader in your business.
Set up a Blog
There’s a ton of online resources on blogging. Whether to choose WordPress or Blogger, why search engines love blogs more than a static web site. You will find more info than I could offer in this short post. Some excellent blogs to check out are: Copyblogger, Problogger.net, and Dailyblogtips, to list a few.
What’s important about starting a blog is to brand you. It’s not to sell products, promote your business opportunity, or clutter it with banners, affiliate links, and so forth. Your blog is a professional representation of you and what you want your audience to know about you. Once you’ve established credibility, trust, and likability, it’s much easier to sell your products especially if it’s something that your audience has a need and see value in.
Remember, you’re positioning yourself as a leader and an expert in whatever topics you choose to blog about. If you want to attract top-notch, quality readers, potential business partners, then your blog content needs to reflect that. Focus on content, content, and content and be sure to post at least twice a week, and aim for a minimum of 500 words. Think of keyword phrases when you’re writing and what sort of keywords web surfers might use if they’re looking for something in your topic.
Syndicate Everywhere
If content is king then I guess syndication would be queen. The importance of syndicating your blog will increase your search engine rankings and create more visibility for your blog. If you’re not indexed by search engines Google, Yahoo, RSS directories, or blog search engines then you’re not being found by your prospects, customers, and potential business partners that are looking to join your business. Incorporate social media marketing in the mix if you haven’t already. You get so much bang for your buck with social media! Get onboard with Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as hundreds of other niche groups through Ning. There are so many ways to syndicate your blog.
Social Networks
When it comes to social media, think of it as relationship building, and not business opportunity promotion. Invest in building genuine relationships on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. LinkedIn has huge potential and since it’s under the radar compared to Facebook and Twitter, makes it promising especially its large and active Group members.
Don’t get sucked into socializing because it will be counter productive. You can be productive and socialize by keeping it to 30 minutes a day on social networks. With Twitter, focus on Retweeting if you find something valuable and use @reply to engage with your followers and start having conversations. Do NOT spam your followers or constantly promote your products or business opportunity.
Niche Social Networks
What I like about niche sites is that you can reach a targeted audience that’s specific to your business. The numbers might be smaller but you’re targeting the right prospects. Always focus on quality instead of quantity. Ning offers thousands of groups as well as direct sales and network marketing forums like WAHM, Warrior Forum, and Better Networker. There are also Squidoo, Hubpages, and social bookmarking sites. These are just the tip of the iceberg on what you can add to your online marketing mix.
Leverage a Community
Start commenting on other blogs in direct sales and in your business. Add their blogs to your Blogroll, link to their posts often, syndicate by Retweeting or share with your Facebook friends. Your direct sales pals will appreciate it if the content is relevant and valuable and might return the love. You’ll also gain new readers and even attract the blog’s editor especially if your comments are helpful and engaging. Reach out to your team members and uplines that have blogs. Ask them to link your blog to theirs and network with fellow consultants. Build a blog tribe. As long as your goal is to help build each other’s business, the collaboration will enhance your business, and you’ll develop new friendships along the way.
For more tips on incorporating online marketing to your direct sales business, be sure to subscribe to Marketing Direct Sales via RSS or by email: www.marketingdirectsales.com
Photo by jenny downing
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