4 biggest mistakes we made in the beginning when using social media to grow our network marketing businesses
If you use social media to be a connector, then you’ll have great opportunities to build relationships with your connections through your content and your reach outs if you do it the right way.
Posting regularly and doing your “reach outs” is absolutely part of the process of growing your business but there’s a difference between posting just to post or sending blanket messages to a bunch of random people over being intentional every time you put something out into the digital universe with your name on it.
We’re listing out the 4 biggest mistakes we made in the beginning when using social media to grow our network marketing businesses that took us years to learn… and quick fixes you can make so you can save time and make more money right away.
To cut to the chase… if adding value isn’t your main priority then all the time you’re spending posting on social media will go to waste.
Mistake #1 Copying + Pasting
Shiny object syndrome on social media has become its own pandemic. When you take someone else’s words and use it as your own, it is easily identifiable. People can spot a copycat from a mile away.
So for instance, you’re about to sit down to send messages to some of the new connections you’ve recently made online and you’re sending copy/pastes like, “Hey girl! I thought you’d be interested in learning more about my business. You’d be great for it! Can we set up a call?”
Or how about copying someone’s IG caption one day and someone else’s the next and it sounds NOTHING alike? It’s disingenuous.
It’s like playing a game of I spy… they’re so easy to catch.
The truth about posting just to post or spending 5 minutes a day copying and pasting the same generic message to a bunch of people is that it WILL. NEVER. CONVERT your new connections.
What WILL eventually convert your prospects is DISCOVERING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND.
Your personal brand is about understanding who YOU are and how you fit into the marketplace. What’s your story, your values, your experiences that can be woven into your personal brand and how can you use your experiences to help the people you want to impact most?
Once you have a better understanding of what makes you, YOU, then you will be able to start leaning into those traits and speaking about them so much that you become known for them. People will begin to feel connected to you in such a powerful way that they become invested in you and what you have to say.
Have you ever noticed that some network marketers post about their company all of the time essentially trying to convert people without building a relationship first? Truth is that they’ll have an easier time attracting and connecting with new leads by being known for their brand… Get it? Attract, Connect and THEN Convert. Not the other way around.
Some things to think about when creating or reinventing your personal brand:
Who are you?
What do you want to be known for?
Who are you most excited to help? (Your ICA)
What do you value most?
All of these questions will help give you direction when you sit down to write a post or reach out to a new connection to start a genuine conversation.
Mistake #2. Thinking everything is about you, your products + your company
People care about two things in this life: themselves, and their own problems. If your copy isn’t speaking to that, you will struggle to earn attention and build trust and eventually show how you have the solution your prospect is looking for.
People are not buying your products or joining you in business because you’re amazing. We mean… you ARE AMAZING but it’s just the cold hard truth. They’re also not gonna jump on the bandwagon for what we call “features and benefits” either. In other words, if you’re selling pet food, clothing, skincare… you’re not going to talk about the ingredients in the toner, or the fabric of the leggings or the ingredients in the food. That’s not what’s going to make your ICA jump up and say, “That’s it! I need that product right now!”. They’re most likely not going to do that either if they see you posting all the time tooting your own horn about what an amazing job you’ve done growing your business.
THE WAY TO DO IT IS BY SHOWING THAT YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR ICA’S NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND GOALS EVEN BETTER THAN THEY DO and can share examples of how you helped someone with the same desires. People want to know how you can help them and solve their biggest pain points. And if you haven’t gotten to the point of helping someone else through a specific struggle then you can share an aligned story of a friend or side line partner who has. The proof is in the pudding… you know what we mean?
People buy the transformation and opportunity of how their life will be changed for the better. In order to start making some serious sales and building your team with quality business builders, you’re going to want to talk about the transformation your ideal customers and teammates will feel when they… use your product or start their own business… so ditch the posts about YOU and messages about the ingredients in your products and start doing your market research to better understand the changes that your ICA craves in her/his life.
Here’s one of our favorite exercises we give our clients when they want to learn more about their ideal clients/customers so they can be more intentional and informed before putting in the time to write their posts or send messages.
Contact 3 of your most consistent/ideal clients/teammates and ask them the following questions:
What are their pain points?
What is the value you provided to them?
What she/he didn’t like about working with other people/or other products before you?
What have you done differently in their eyes to give them value?
What was their life like before they bought your product or joined your team and how has it changed since?
QUITE SIMPLY, YOUR ICA IS THE HERO OF EVERYTHING YOU WRITE.
And when you talk about your products or business opportunity (and you should often) — do so in the context of their current problems, ultimate goals, and relevant RESULTS. This is how you become, and remain, relevant + influential to your audience.
Mistake # 3 Disregarding a content theme
Likes and comments on your posts are like little doses of dopamine and why social media has been the detriment of so many network marketing businesses. When you let vanity metrics control your IPAs, that’s when you’ll feel overwhelmed and directionless. You’ll spend all of your time on choosing pictures and writing captions that you think will get the most attention but it’s very likely coming from your close friends, family and IG supporters who are never going to buy from you. You’ll spend hours on end putting that perfect post together and then complain that your sales are down.
It’s not enough to create content that attracts attention and grows your audience. You’ve got to stand out by being consistent with your message and speaking about a similar theme of topics or what you’ve most likely heard as being your content pillars or buckets.
Content pillars act as a foundation for every successful content marketing strategy. Like a physical foundation, pillars are necessary to support the overall objectives of a content strategy. So your buckets will be relevant topics for your industry and target audience that share your position, ideals and morals. Without content pillars, your social strategy can lack direction, leading to lower engagement and brand recognition with the RIGHT people.
Having a recognizable theme throughout your feed will help you to attract people into your world to learn from you and potentially buy from you and at the very least a strong awareness of what you do and how you can help them.
Here’s a basic example: Molly sells weight loss products through her direct sales company but she regularly shares content on her social media platform about her travels throughout the country.
The ideal prospect who finds Molly through all the content she posts about the places she visits and the adventures she goes on might not even know that she can help them with their weight management and she might get all these followers who just enjoy seeing areas of the country through the lens of Molly. But what if Molly incorporated her love of travel into her business and showed her ICA that not only can you manage and lose weight when traveling but you can also grow a thriving business on the go and she gave tips on how to work (and eat) when remote?
You want to be known for 3-5 topics that relate to your ideal clients’ needs and goals, in addition to your product/opportunity. Start pumping out content on these topics like clockwork and become the first phone call or DM your ICA makes when they need what you’ve got!
Mistake # 4 FORGETTING A CALL TO ACTION
This one drives us crazy! You’re spending all this time worrying about your social media but not leading people to take any action on it. What’s the point?! The best way to get your ICA to take the actions you want them to, and the #1 thing network marketers miss on social media which results in lack of engagement with their ICA is an effective CALL TO ACTION (CTA)!
Remember, not all CTA’s need to ask people to buy, buy, buy… but on your next social media posts… no matter which platform you are using – be sure to ask your readers, listeners or followers to:
Light CTAs:
“DISCOVER”
“TAKE THE QUIZ”
“VIEW”
“SEE YOUR OPTIONS”
“LIKE”
“COMMENT”
“SHARE”
Strong CTAs:
“TALK WITH US NOW”
“SIGN UP”
“MESSAGE ME”
“CLICK THE LINK TO BUY”
and be sure to respond to their comments too!
Even if you’re not promoting your product or opportunity, you still want your audience to interact with you on your content so never forget a CTA! Begin to condition your audience to take action with your content. This interaction will help you to learn more about your ICA and build a deeper connection to them too. That’s how you build influence and authority!
So there you have it! We TRULY want to help you save time and make money with these quick and powerful tips! We have zero doubt in our minds that your connections will feel more real and personal and that it will begin to impact the speed at which your team and business grows.
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