Branding and Blogging in Social Media

OK, so it's a cute picture of Remy and Martin as kittens. But, as I wrote to my fan page today, why in the world would I want to use it as my profile picture. Network marketing is all about branding yourself as a person of value, a trustworthy colleague, and someone of interest. So it always puzzles me a lot when I see people put up pet pictures, logos, group photos and what I call squiggles and wiggles for their profile pictures. That tells me your interested in social media, but not for business development. I love cats, dogs and horses, and cute logos are neat, but I don't do business with them. I want to see who you are. I'll look at your photo albums to see your family, friends, and pets.

Yes, the 'social' part is what social media is about. It's not the place for business promo. But most of us are there for exactly that purpose. What you need to do in network marketing is to draw people to your business site. And that's where your blog comes in. Blogging is one of the fastest-growing segments of this industry. It's where the action is now. And your blog(s) can be the central hub for your business activity. People come to your blogs to see who you are in detail, to evaluate your content and to look to see if your opportunities are of interest to them. You can develop both a personal blog to put up good content or elaborate on who you are and also create a business blog to promote your activities and add your links. Start by writing simply in your blogs. Write about what you know and love and maybe explain a bit about why you're in the business you've chosen. Let your enthusiasm show. It will pay great dividends.

Blog to Stand Out From the Social Media Crowd

In social media, you really want to stand out from the crowd. And most people just don't do this. Blogging is hugely important to set you apart from the masses. A good blog provides a safe haven where your friends and followers can come to find out more about you and see your content. It builds your presence and your credibility in the industry. You build trust, brand yourself and position yourself as a leader. And that's the name of the game. Your blog is your primary asset to building your network marketing success. It is the center of your social media universe, your hub. Without a good blog, you have no brand and no authority - and probably no money either. Your blog is key to your conversion ratio.

Most people don't have a blog at all. And many of those that do (like me at the moment), don't own their blogs. Pundits say that people will spend three to five minutes reading a blog. And if it's got good content, they'll come back for more. Moreover, if you use the right key words, the search engines will find it too. Even more important, though, is the impact your blog can have on your list building and conversion efforts.

So, why aren't more people creating their own blogs? I think it's mostly fear. "I don't know what to say." "I can't write." "I'm not making any money really, so how can I be an expert?"

The most important thing to remember is that you are unique. And that's your most potent weapon. Set your blog up professionally. Use a good picture to identify yourself. Set up a background design that's attractive, simple and clean. I'd suggest you start with a personal blog that's all about you, what you like, where you live and why you love it, your family and friends and pets. Start building your presence. Let people see who you are. Start writing simply about things you know. You don't need to be a best-selling author. You just need to be writing with enthusiasm. And if you start writing about things you know, it will be much easier for you to get started.

I recommend both a personal and a business blog. And I'll have a lot more about some breakthrough technology that will take care of the business side for you. But for some valuable info about where to set up your self-hosted personal blog, go to the postings on my Facebook group, MLM Marketing Thoroughbreds. Or contact me directly through Facebook. I'll be glad to chat with you.

Taking a Bath in MLM & Social Media Marketing?

Horses usually like their baths and Turnup is no exception, especially with Sara to give him carrots. But you sure don't want to take a bath in MLM or Social Media marketing. And the plain fact is that most of us do - 97% inadequate or dismal failure results. It's not the products themselves that cause this, although if you haven't done your research and got a good product/service, your results will probably be poor. The problem really lies in not knowing how to set up your approach to developing your business, and how you execute your task.

So many people try to promote their products directly on the social media sites. And they are most likely doomed to failure. They forget the point of 'social' in social media. It's not about business opportunities. It's about you and your friends getting to know and trust one another. But you can develop any number of friendships and establish relationships with them - and still fail to develop your business. Why? Because you haven't developed a center, a hub, to which you can bring your interested friends so they can explore your opportunities.

You need that hub. It's your office, your center for converting your efforts into money-making endeavors. It could be your website, but in today's world, more and more people are developing blogs as the hub for their activities. Why a blog instead of a website? Well, once you've set up your website, it's pretty static. But a blog is alive, it changes and moves, allows for constant creativity and can be linked to your social media sites.

Many people are intimidated by the thought of developing blogs. They don't think they can write well or just don't like to write, they don't have any confidence that they can keep a blog going and they don't know how to do it. Since the language in social media is predominately English, a non-native faces a real problem if they can't write English well - or think they can't. But most of those obstacles can be overcome - even the inability to write English very well. It takes a bit of work but it can be done. And I'm working with some innovative people who have developed a blog that can really revolutionize the industry - and eliminates virtually all the problems that a blogger novice faces.

My own blog isn't set up properly - not because I don't write well or have good content (she said modestly). But because I don't OWN it. So before you go rushing out to start a blog, wait a bit. I'm going to have a lot more about blogging. In the meantime, keep building your personal presence in social media, via Twitter, FaceBook, and You Tube. Brand yourself as a person of value and people will start to respond to you.

It's All About How You Manage You in MLM

Brother Richard's ball sat comfortably on the green, but I hit my tee shot fat and popped it to the right. Tricky shot ahead over the sand and onto a small portion of the green that slopes off a bit at the rear. Ouch. Took a lot of thought and pretty near perfect execution - plus some luck. Did I make it? Yup. Got it right up to the flag for an easy gimme putt and split the hole with Richard, much to his chagrin.

One maxim in golf is that you have to set yourself up comfortably and consistently. And it sure applies to MLM too. How you manage yourself and your activity is crucial. And with social networking, it is very easy to become distracted - and addicted. You can spend hours tweeting and chatting without accomplishing anything that you had planned.

The most important thing is to maintain balance in your life. And to get yourself set up the right way. All social media is entwined and you want to gradually build your presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Digg and other social media. But don't try to do it overnight. And don't forget that they won't help you or your business at all unless you brand yourself as a person of value and entice your friends to look at your hub - generally your personal blog. That's where it all comes together, where you're going to convert and sell to interested people - not on the social media sites.

It all takes time and patience. But you have to maintain a realistic approach to yourself. It really isn't about managing time. It's about managing you. Keep yourself in shape. Get up from your computer and take a walk. Play with your kids and your pets. Get out and meet people. You can still get plenty of work done. And set yourself up for the payoff you want.

Are You in the MLM Game or Just Running in Circles?

Remy is always up for something new - and never hesitates to do whatever he can to get into the action (Mark and Sara probably were less than thrilled with his participation). But he likes instant results and gets bored if things stop moving.

Stop and think for a minute. The pundits tell you that 97% of people just aren't making real money in MLM. That's a stunning statistic. And it says to me that people just aren't focused on what they need to do to be successful.

Are you really in your MLM business for the long haul? Are you willing to put in the effort it takes to learn the business and move forward? I've come across quite a few people who say things like: "It takes too long to go through all the training," "I need to make money NOW" and "There's just too much stuff to get through."

Any guru worth his/her salt will confess that they've struggled mightily to succeed - for years, in fact. How do you find the ones who really offer you insight - and training - to help you avoid their early mistakes? The best source for me was through recommendations from my social network friends. Then I went to Alexa.com and searched on: site info on .... to check out what who they were and what they had to offer. I also investigated several products that I was interested in and looked to see whether my chosen mentors were affiliated in any way - and checked out a few others whose names cropped up. But I kept my list short and used the maxim "too many cooks spoil the broth" to make sure I stayed on track and didn't overload myself with more information than I could digest.

I've set up a realistic work schedule that allows me time both to take action to develop my business and to learn and develop new skills. I focus on one thing at a time, work to master and develop a skillset, and then move forward, building on what I've already done and expanding my opportunities with new tactics as I learn them. Most important, I keep my day balanced and my mind uncluttered so that I really concentrate effectively when I work.

In the end, you have to have realistic expectations and be willing to undertake the research and invest in the training time in order to really make progress over the long term. It's not about the quick buck. It's about making consistent income over time. And you can only do that with a firm foundation.