MLM and Network Marketing in Social Media - Facebook

Facebook! The mega-gorilla of the social networks, ranked second among sites with 350 million users. Some say it will surpass Google in the not too distant future. So of course, you want to build relationships there if your serious about developing your new business through social media. It's probably the most viral social media site. And it's fun.

Setting up your profile is key. I've talked about it before. Your picture should be professional and friendly, and the information you put in about yourself needs to be transparent, complete, interesting and informative. Don't make the 'About You' section too long, but keep in mind that your profile page is how people get to know you. So you want to convey a likable, trustworthy and personable portrait of you on your profile. Let people get a bird's-eye view of you and your life.

Facebook is an ideal place to post pictures - it's a photo scrapbook. And you should post videos there too. Both are very important tools to grow your circle of friends by showcasing you, your family, your pets, your hobbies and what you are interested in. (More about this later.)

Keep in mind, however, that Facebook is SOCIAL. So don't start beating your new friends over the head with your business opportunities. You'll be designated as a spammer and lose your account. Facebook's rules are quite strict, so be careful. You want to use Facebook to draw people to your hub, your blog - that's where you'll market directly.

Facebook currently limits you to 5,000 friends (there's some indication they may expand that number, but for now, that's the limit). Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Well, quite a few people I know are at that level, and many more are closing in. It's not that hard to build a large circle of like-minded friends. There are plenty of ways to expand this - through Fan Pages and Groups, about which I'll also talk more in a later blog.

Your Facebook page has four labels in the upper left: Home, Profile, Friends, Inbox and to the right side, Your Name, Settings, Logout and a box in which you can Search for people or groups. Once you get set up and select your settings, get started by adding a few friends (you can import your email address book, if you like, or former classmates). But if you are trying to build a business, you want to add friends who are like-minded. So I recommend you use the Search feature. Type in areas in which you are interested professionally - mlm, mlm groups, going green, health, wellness, photography, etc., etc.

Groups are a great place to find friends who have similar interests. So if you type in 'mlm groups,' a list of those groups will come up. Click on any of the groups, join it, go down to the list of group members, click on 'see all' and start adding those group members as friends. But remember to send a message with your friends request (you can set one up on your word files and copy it into your message box)- keep it short and personal, something like "I saw you in the XYZ group and wanted to connect with you. I hope you'll confirm me as your friend." And when they confirm you (and most will), send a direct message back thanking them and starting a conversation (not a sales pitch!). And from here, just repeat the process, but don't do more than 30-40 per day - Facebook won't like it if you add too many friends at once.

Regularly check your Home page and it's NewsFeed and Live NewsFeed and make sure you participate in the conversations. and don't forget to monitor your Inbox and stay up to date on your messages. But, a word of caution. Facebook can be addictive, so don't let yourself get too hung up. Spend an hour or so in the morning and maybe a bit more occasionally throughout the day or evening. But remember, you're developing a business and you need to be focused on that.

More Facebook detail will be forthcoming in my next blog.

Social Media in the New Year - Tips on Setting Up Your Twitter Site

Everyone is looking toward the New Year. I've learned from experience to keep my New Year's goals simple and achievable. Foremost for my mlm and network marketing business is to have a rational mix between my action and learning plans. Taking action is paramount to success, but you really need to have time to learn and evaluate. Most mentors suggest a ratio of 90-10. But I think a start-up in the industry needs a bit more learning time. So I recommend 70-30 for the first few months and a shift to the 90-10 as you gain experience.

Setting up effectively on your social media sites is crucial for your new business. But a word of warning: be careful not to get so immersed in these sites that you don't leave time for critical marketing and other efforts. I limit myself to no more than an hour in the morning and another hour later in the day to make sure I stay in touch with my followers and friends. Now to some specifics:

I really didn't see the value of Twitter at first. The 140 character limitation to my tweets and the text of other peoples tweets impressed me as pretty dumb and useless. I was wrong.

Why Twitter? It's your billboard. It's quick and easy to join and build, and you can point it anywhere. And it's growing FAST. Alexa.com currently ranks it 14th among the top websites and I think it boasts around 7 million users. It's a perfect place to get started. Just go to Twitter.com and join up - it's free and you can set up your account easily.

Remember that your profile is key. Use your own name and brand yourself. Get a quality smiling picture of you - and keep in mind that you probably want to use the same photo throughout your social media sites. Your Twitter profile description is limited to 160 characters, so you need to keep it short, informative and focused. A key is that you can link Twitter to your other social media accounts - but be a bit careful because if you really tweet a lot and you've linked Twitter to Facebook, you can really annoy people and run the risk of being deemed a spammer. Mine is linked to Facebook, but I use Twitter carefully.

What about a background for your Twitter page? Twitter offers several free backgrounds that you can use, or you can develop a customized background. I opted for customization and used twitterbackgrounds.com - it cost me about $100 but I really liked the way they executed what I wanted - and it was easy to get them to correct the copy (if you'd like to see it, go to twitter.com/pamhemmings and note that I include the locations of all my other social media sites).

Start tweeting (remember your limit is 140 characters). Keep in mind that Twitter is a social media site, so focus on getting personal information out that shows your personality and interests - and get some humor in too. People really do enjoy laughing.

Ok. That's it for just getting started. My next blog will focus on some basic tools and building followers. Stay tuned.

And a Happy New Year to all - may we all enjoy success!

It's All About I CAN and I WILL

Well, I couldn't find the Little Engine that Could, so I went for the Little Red Train chugging along through the countryside. But if you remember the little engine, it was "I think I can, I think I can, I knew I could." And in social media marketing, that's what it's all about. I CAN, I CAN, AND I WILL. Your mindset is so important. And it's got to be positive at all times. There's no room for "I can't", "I don't really know how to do that", "I just don't think that's for me", and "maybe tomorrow."

I did a deal with my mentor. Every time I say "I can't," I have to put $0.25 in a jar and take him out to lunch on the proceeds next summer (when I hope he'll find time to visit beautiful Saratoga Springs). It's probably going to be at McDonalds 'cause I don't plan on having too many quarters.

So get rid of the negatives in your approach to mlm and network marketing and building your business. Work on developing a positive mindset - I CAN, I CAN, I CAN. And, guess what, YOU WILL.

It's All About You in Social Media - Your Motivation and Branding

In social media, it really is all about you - your motivation and commitment, who you are, whether you're trustworthy, and whether you have something of value to say or offer that will help others.

If your motivation in social media marketing is just about making money, you probably won't be around long. It's why you want to make money: For your kids' education, to change your lifestyle, to gain financial freedom so you can do all the things you want, and maybe to allow you to work at your real passion, which doesn't generate income. You can't survive in this business unless your motivation can keep you going - and you'll be totally discouraged if all you want is dollars. Money doesn't flow in that quickly.

It takes commitment and hard work to develop your own on-line business. To get started, you have to build your presence throughout the major elements of social media. And the first step there is to develop your profiles. Start with a professional looking picture. People want to see who YOU are, not your cute little logo, pets, family, and not even your husband, wife or partner. So get a nice smiley profile picture of yourself - just of you. That's the first - and maybe the most important - step to get your new business efforts under way on-line. I'd recommend you use the same picture throughout the various media sites - it's your identity.

And here's a useful site if your picture is too big and you need to resize it: Just go to http://resizepic.com.

Next set up your written profiles on each site. Focus on making them as complete and interesting as possible - they should describe who you are and what you're about - what you're doing in network marketing, how you can help others, the things that interest you, golf, tennis, theater, animals, movies, books, etc. People should be able to get a clear view of you, your personality and your goals. And add picture albums of your family, friends, pets, trips, and whatever else interests you to share with your new social media friends.

Remember always that people aren't interested in your business. So build your friends lists and build relationships with them - exchange ideas and thoughts, but don't hit them over the head with your opportunities. People buy from people they know, like and trust.

You Can Get to Anywhere You Want in Network Marketing

It isn't as difficult as it looks. Just take a look at Remy. He always gets to wherever he wants to go. He just has to want it enough and then he experiments until he figures out how to get there.

Network marketing isn't much different and it really isn't that complicated. But if you think you can achieve your goals without hard work, then think again. Your new business endeavors will take you through a series of what Dr. Tom Barrett describes as "The Three Psychological Stages of Network Marketing" in his book Dare to Dream and Work to Win.

Stage One is "It's Not Worth It". And an awful lot of people just plain give up right here, or flit off to some other business opportunity. Money doesn't come in and your efforts don't seem to be getting anywhere. No one misses this stage, including the most successful marketers. But that's when you have to reaffirm your motivation and commitment. Keep focused on learning and training to foster your dream, and keep following up on your plan. "In network marketing," says Dr. Barrett, "entrepreneurs are paid for their vision, courage, and stamina." It may take a while but you do eventually move on.

Stage Two: "It Is Worth It." Suddenly, the money flow into your coffers improves and the financial rewards seem acceptable for the effort you're putting in. Momentum builds. Your whole being is uplifted and you begin to feel successful. But, as Dr. Barrett points out, there's an inherent danger here. You become a bit self satisfied, relax, concentrate on other things and take your foot off the accelerator. But you won't enjoy the view for long. Because as you slow down, so does your business - and your income. You have to stay focused on what you did to reach this level, and keep going.

Dr. Barrett describes Stage 3 as "I'm Not Worth This Much." When he wrote his book, he acknowledged that he wasn't there yet. Neither am I. But it sure is a nice place to dream about - and work to achieve. What does it take to get to this level? Motivation, commitment, effort, learning, training, more effort. As Dr. Barrett opines: "Entrepreneurs .... are paid for staring down fear, ignoring fatigue, fighting loneliness, pushing through discouragement, and walking by faith."

All it takes is motivation, commitment, and dogged determination.

Fear Can Kill Your Network Marketing Dreams

Fear seems a timely topic, given that it's Halloween, but haunted houses, witches and gremlins can't be worse than the fears that you allow to govern yourself. It's so easy to give in. You just tell yourself not only that you can't do it, but that you don't want to do it and, hey, you can get around it by doing something else. And there goes your potential for success in MLM and network marketing.

One of my favorite books is Dr. Tom Barrett's Dare to Dream and Work to Win. Understanding the Dollars and Sense of Success in Network Marketing. I recommend it to all. Dr. Barrett says: "You will face the fear of doing this business or you will face the fear of not doing this business." If you dream of succeeding as an entrepreneur, then you need to confront your fears head on. Take each one at a time and work to overcome it. How? You just have to DO IT and keep on doing it til you're comfortable. You can't succeed in social media marketing, or in any new business endeavor, if you don't. And avoidance only increases stress, derails your goals and sabotages you.

You need to nurture your dream, protect it, be committed to it and give it a chance to grow. Dr. Barrett says: "...an intact dream, when properly fueled and cared for, gives enormous light. Protecting the dream is your responsibility. Be careful not to let others damage or steal it....Do not let the inability of others to see what is immediately in front of them cause you to doubt the reality of your vision."

Every 'guru' I know or follow will tell you that your mindset is what ultimately governs your success. A positive, confident bearing is communicated to others and will help you close the deal. And you need a personal commitment to do whatever it takes, and that includes, first and foremost, taking steps to deal with and overcome fear. If fear is in charge, you will slowly sink into the quicksand and disappear from the industry.

Having Trouble Reaching Your MLM Goals?

Old Scratch was quite a character. He always wanted to share Sara's dinner, but could never quite reach it. Not for want of trying though. And that seems to be the case with most of the people who are trying to make it in MLM. They find their niche, start building their network, and then they start to market. But success is elusive. And the checks aren't big enough to make it worthwhile. So, what's the problem and how can you solve it?

First of all, you need a marketing approach that works for YOU. If you've chosen a company to represent, chances are you'll be trying to promote through the company's website. They'll give you all kinds of sales training. And your upline tells you that the 'warm' marketing approach is the way to go. They suggest you build your list of friends, family, acquaintances, professional contacts - people you know or with whom you have at least some contact. You'll get scripts which they insist are effective. And they may suggest you buy 'opt-in' leads.

You enthusiastically slog your way through everything they suggest. But your family, friends and acquaintances/associates want no part of your opportunity. You've talked with everyone you can think of - in stores, at social gatherings, anywhere and everywhere. Your personal social network gets exhausted and all you feel is that you're a pest. And cold-calling leads produces next to nothing. You wind up feeling stupid, inadequate and discouraged - and pretty much empty handed in your new MLM business. And all you get from your upline is "Just don't quit. The next call may be THE one that gets you going".

Yes, sometimes it does work - for people who are comfortable with the concept of 'warm' marketing. But that's a very small percentage - mostly people who are truly sales-oriented and have the personality to go along with it. But most of us aren't and can't work effectively that way. We're uncomfortable, unsuccessful and frustrated. We just can't reach success using the 'warm' approach.

I had some neighbors stop me once as I was working on my rose garden. They admired the bushes and asked me what I did to make them grow so beautifully. We chatted for quite a while. Wow. If I were a professional gardener, I had some new customers right there. I thought about that a lot. The difference was that they came to me! If I represented a gardening company, I could probably have signed them up on the spot, without doing any 'marketing' at all.

And that's the power of 'attraction' marketing. People come to you. They don't care about your product. They care about who you are, whether you're an honest and trustworthy person and professional. Someone who has something of value to offer them. Remember, people want to do business with people.

Building Your New MLM Business Budget

It's time to consider your budget. Any new venture has upfront costs, maintenance costs, promotion costs and other costs you may not have thought about. So your first step is to determine how much you have to spend and for what. If you're a multi-level marketing (MLM) beginner, you can wind up buying lots of stuff for a lot more money than you have to spend. A lot of people go out of business very quickly because they outrun what they can afford to pay.

Let's start by considering your income goals. Let's say you want to get to $15,000 per month within two years, sooner if you can. You can see yourself doing it - you're excited and committed to do what it takes over the long haul. You've found the businesses you want to opt into - you're sure they can get you there - eventually.

Now let's say you only have a budget of $2,000 for the next six months. That's all you can spare from your or the family's budget. Believe me, you can chew that up in no time at all, unless you plan carefully. Assume you have two MLM businesses you opt into. One costs $75 and the other costs $400. Once you join, there are, say, $30 web maintenance fees for each business ($360 for both businesses over six months). Now you want to buy business cards, cds and other promo materials to help you get started; let's assume those cost you a total of $150 for both businesses. Wham. You've used up $985 of your $2,000 - and you haven't started yet. Now you want to do some videos, but you need a digital cam corder (another few hundred). And you decide you need to do advertising (say you want to spend $300 a month to get your ads to the right places). And what about lead generation and autoresponder systems? Whoops you're way over your budget and not much is coming in income-wise because it takes time to build a business.

No. You don't need to give up. Think and plan. Consider realistic options and their costs. But get going. Take action now. There are ways to generate income that can help you keep going while your new business is developing.

Branding You, Not Your Business

Every one of the jockey statues outside Saratoga Race Track represents a winner. And you want to be one too. But how do you find the right vehicles for you? First of all, you want to start branding yourself as a valuable, reputable, trustworthy person. Get your profiles up in your social networking vehicles, on Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace and LinkedIN. Be honest. Let people see who you really are. Maybe you want to start a blog. Just remember, people want to do business with people - not companies. You need to offer value or they won't bother to come.

So your first step in your work from home business is to build and brand yourself in your social network. That's key to getting your home-based - or your traditional new business - off the ground.

The When in Life is NOW - Don't Put Your New Business on the Shelf

People can always find reasons to put things off - Too busy is a favorite. But take a look a your family. My brother Richard has three generations to look after, daughter Laurie and her husband Scott, grandchild Emma, and, of course, his wife Madeleine. Why would he delay in trying to make their lives better? And the more hustle and bustle you have in your life, the more you need a rational plan to break out of the rat race and create your own financial freedom.

My own home-based businesses are designed to help people save time and money, and to build residual income that will allow them to achieve real independence. I've introduced the first at http://goforgreen.ownanewbusiness.com/ And now it's time to introduce my second:

I have partnered with a growing American company to capitalize on the deregulation of electricity and natural gas for residential customers. Service is currently limited to New York, northern Illinois and Texas. But the company will expand as other states deregulate. It won't cost anything to switch suppliers. Absolutely nothing changes except the size of your bill. There are no contracts and no exit fees. And there’s an attractive rewards program for customers that could reduce the supplier side of their bill significantly, even to zero. It offers a very attractive opportunity to build a home-based business that can lead to real financial freedom. For more information, contact me at phemming@nycap.rr.com.

The when is NOW. You can't afford not to get started. You can find time. Allocate five, ten or 20 hours per week - whatever fits your schedule. But get going and stick with it. Whatever you decide to do will take time to build. The most important thing is not to quit on yourself and your dream.

Getting Your Traditional Business in Gear

Little Emma Stull has rested up and is thinking about what to do next. And once she gets going, believe me, that little dynamo will be hard to stop. But you'll want to take a bit more measured approach to discovering how to get your start-up business off the ground and on the road to success. And as you do your research and development, you'll be getting all the parts you need to put a solid, realistic business plan together.

Once you've established your what and why, there are two preliminary but crucial questions for your traditional start-up business: 1) Is there demand for your product/service and 2) What is your competition?

For starters, get your list together - people you know, people in your town or city, store owners, groups or associations you've joined, professional associates you've worked with or used, competitors in or outside your area. Talk to them. Float your idea and note the response.

Go to your local Chamber of Commerce - they are probably your best front-line resource. Check out local universities and colleges - many of them have courses that can help you get started. Investigate professional associations in your field and contact them. And don't be afraid to talk with your competitors - you'll be surprised to find that many of them will share some of their experiences and knowledge with you, especially if you're not going to be in their backyard.

Use the internet to help establish and brand yourself - and extend your contact lists. Join Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (they're free) - you can find people and groups to join in your industry that can be enormously informative and helpful.

Put all those serving men to work, gather the responses and information together and then THINK. Put together a checklist of all the things you need to do and then get started on each one - but remember to set a realistic schedule for yourself. You want to finish each day with a sense of achievement and if you overload yourself, you'll be overwhelmed.

http://www.banhem.com

Six Honest Serving Men - Keys to Your New Business

I KEEP six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.

From Kipling's 'The Elephant Child'

I read an article the other day in the Saratogian (Sara and Remy read it too) that talked about the stress of 'too much information." After searching the Internet for the last several months to find appropriate (for me) business opportunities, I confess that I was really stressed out and wondering how I could get it all sorted out and who I could really trust. And then I thought about Kipling's six honest serving men and how I could apply those questions to help me. I think they are a pretty good set of guides to help you get started with your home-based business. Just knowing the 'what' and 'why' of your work-from-home endeavors can narrow the breadth of your search considerably and allow you to focus your research more effectively.

Afraid to Change?

Unlike little Martin, who worries everything to death, flees from all strangers and reacts to anything new with extreme caution, your new business, home-based or otherwise, requires you to adapt and move out of your comfort zone. Taking the reins and getting started means that you have to explore the possibilities, and be thoughtful, creative, organized, disciplined and tenacious.

Most important: Don't quit on yourself. You can get it done!

Snooze - Ya Lose

Remy and his best bud Martin (yes, they were named for our favorite after-dinner drink) love to relax. But your business won't go too far if you nap too much.

I managed a department in the financial services industry and had a management trainee going through a 3-month stint. Assigned him a project, gave directions,and offered constant guidance and help - then watched him snooze away his time. When his report was due, he submitted one of the worst drafts I've ever seen. My criticism was biting and to the point. Sent him on his way and never thought much more about him.

To my shock, 6 months later, he was at my office door to thank me. He'd quit and gone into another line of work. His comment went something like this: 'You made me realize that I wasn't happy with what I was doing. So I quit and started my own business in the consumer services area. It's slow going, but I really am loving it and I think it will grow'.

You need to enjoy your home-based business, the company you work with and its products/services. If you do, you won't be beaten. But it takes work to be a successful entrepreneur.