Today, Jennifer is my guest blogger and shares her insight into whether or not social media is for you.
Social media is the hot new “buzz word” in direct sales. Your company most likely talked about it at your national convention. You may see other consultants shamelessly plugging their businesses on Facebook. (Buy my stuff! Join my team!…NOT the right way to do this, BTW) But you may be asking yourself: Do I REALLY need to be involved with social media? Will it help my business, or distract me from the things I should really be doing to make money with my business? The answer is: it depends.
I believe that social media has an amazing amount of potential for direct sellers. It gives us an opportunity to reach people we couldn’t have reached before. It is FABULOUS for helping us get bookings and generate reorders. Yet there are certainly right and wrong ways to use it (just like every social situation), and your decision about whether or not social media is right for your business depends on a couple of things.
- First, do a personal inventory of yourself. How comfortable are you with technology? How well do you communicate online? If you enjoy talking with others online through applications such as Facebook, you are able to type reasonably well, and it won’t take you a year and a day to accomplish a simple task on the computer, then social media is most likely for you. However, if the thought of doing anything on the computer besides checking email gives you hives, then there are plenty of other income-producing activities that may be better fits for you. And that is perfectly OK.
- Next, do a personal inventory of your target market. Will the people you want to reach be hanging out online? Remember, the whole idea behind social media is to reach your target market, and establish yourself as an expert by providing valuable content that helps people. If your target market isn’t going to be there to consume that content, you either need to identify the needs of a new target market, or find the places that you WILL reach your target market.
See how some strategic planning will help you make good decisions? It is my firm belief that every successful social media marketing effort begins with a good strategic plan.
Social media marketing is a very exciting tool in the direct seller’s toolbox. Direct sellers who are putting it to work strategically are universally reporting success, meeting new prospects, recruiting more people, and ultimately, making more money. If you’d like to learn more about social media marketing and how it can work for your business, I invite you to check out my blog, where I provide free articles every week about using social media for your direct sales business. You can visit my blog at http://jenfongspeaks.com.
Here’s to your great success!
Jennifer Fong
Jennifer Fong
About Jennifer Fong
Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies, direct sales professionals, and other home-based business owners leverage the power of social media to grow their businesses. A former direct sales company CEO, Jennifer is passionate about teaching direct sellers how to use social media tools to enhance their businesses, while remaining true to the basics of a party plan business. She helps business owners put the principles of social media to work in a profitable way, maximizing the return on their social media investment.
Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies, direct sales professionals, and other home-based business owners leverage the power of social media to grow their businesses. A former direct sales company CEO, Jennifer is passionate about teaching direct sellers how to use social media tools to enhance their businesses, while remaining true to the basics of a party plan business. She helps business owners put the principles of social media to work in a profitable way, maximizing the return on their social media investment.
To learn more about Jennifer, visit her blog at http://jenfongspeaks.com and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/liajen.
