Role of Social Media in Direct Selling

Direct Selling is a retail business model away from traditional retail. Unlike traditional retail, it involves person-to-person interaction without having any physical stores or intermediaries in between. Direct Selling is more about being personal and social media effectively provides that feel.

Whether you like it or not, social media is an efficient way of promoting your products or services to keep the momentum and attention in your Direct Selling business. This article discusses the role and importance of social media in your Direct Selling business, also referred to as Network Marketing or Multilevel Marketing (MLM) or Referral Marketing.

The Advent of Social Media

Social media has gone from being just a direct electronic info exchange platform to a virtual gathering one in a very short period. And from a retail platform to now becoming a vital marketing tool.

The broadband infrastructure in the early 2000s was the major reason that allowed social media to grow quickly. It allowed people to download and upload much more quickly.

The advent of social media dates back to 1844. The exchange of information in the early days was a series of electronic dots and dashes on a telegraph machine.

The growth of the Internet in the 1980s and 1990s led to online communication services like CompuServe, Prodigy, etc. The introduction of digital communication followed it via emails, bulletin boards, and real-time online chatting.

Blogs, another form of digital social communication, gained popularity with the publishing site – LiveJournal in 1999. Following that, in 2003, another publishing platform – Blogger, was taken over by Google.

More social media platforms started to surface in the early and mid-2000s. LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and Facebook in 2008. While LinkedIn is the choice for job seekers and human resources personnel, Facebook remains the most popular social media platform.

Social Media: Driving Network Marketing Business Growth

Every business wants to gain social media recognition. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are some of the most active social media networks.

Having an effective social media presence can enable you to grow your business beyond imagination.

To grow your Network Marketing business on social media platforms, you need to have a decent following to showcase your business and give them what they really want.

Ways to Grow Your Social Media Presence

Some ways how you increase your social media presence to grow your Multilevel Marketing business are shown below.

·       Know Your Goals and Objectives

When you step into the world of social media, the very first thing you need to do is to list and know your goals and objectives. You need to know what you want to achieve. You should know what to post before starting on social media.

You should know what each social media platform is meant for and how it works. You should know what audiences you want to target and on which platform. Knowing your objectives will ensure a great start to your business.

·       Know the Needs of Your Prospects

You should always be aware of the needs and pain points of your target audience. It will enable you to offer them the right solutions and interact with them more personally. Knowing their needs will help you post the appropriate content on social media that they would be interested in reading.

·       Insert Your Social Media Icons on Your Website

You must display your social media icons on your business website instead of making people search for you on social media platforms.

Displaying your social media icon on your website will enable visitors to like and follow you. It will ensure to grow your followers on social media, thereby increasing your reach and visibility.

Further, it would help if you also linked your social media profiles to your website. It will increase the traffic to your website and facilitate your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

·       Share Your Social Media Account

Sharing your social media accounts with people you know will allow them to know about your presence. And when the ones with whom you share your account start sharing with everyone they know, it will enable you to get the word out and increase your visibility.

·       Post Relevant and Valuable Content

You need to post valuable content on your social media accounts. Addressing your audience’s pain points and showcasing the highlights of your business will attract more customers and drive your sales.

·       Optimize Your Social Media Accounts

By using keywords on your social media that goes with your business will help to optimize it. Imagine people searching for something on the website using Google or other search engines; when they use those keywords in your posts, search engines will rank you higher in the resulting search list.

·       Implement Hashtags in Your Social Media Posts

Using hashtags on Facebook and Twitter will attract and bring more people onto your social media accounts and drive traffic to your website. However, a word of caution, use them carefully. Avoid using unrelated hashtags.

·       Add Social Icons to Your Emails

Emails are still relevant today, and email marketing is a strategy most marketers implement in their businesses.

When you send out those emails the entire day, it is a good idea to insert your social media icons and links in your email signature. It will generate curiosity among receivers who will start checking out your pages. Ultimately, it will lead them to your website.

·       Give Reasons Compelling Visitors to Follow You

You should ensure to give your visitors a reason for liking your social media accounts or pages. Let them know what content you will often be posting. Let them know you will be keeping them updated about your products, new launches, or services. Doing so will give them a reason to engage with you.

·       Tackle Customer Complaints with a Smile

When interacting with your customers or followers on social media, tackle it smoothly and efficiently if someone comes up with a complaint. Be interactive and respond professionally. Ensure to answer them politely and quickly. Offering good customer service is the hallmark of a genuine business.

You may even go a step further and beyond to help them conclude. It will create trust among your followers and make them want to come back.

·       Implement a FAQs Section

Having a questions and answers section under the header FAQs on your social media accounts and website can be useful and helpful for visitors to know you better and answer their doubts efficiently.

Social Media – An Ideal Platform to Promote

In a fast-transforming digital world, most businesses use social media to spread the word about their brands, products, or services.

Social media platforms are great for word-of-mouth advertising. They are great for any promotions. You can set your campaigns at the click of a button.

Social media makes it easy to implement personalization in the most relaxed and conversational manner. Social media today is indeed a part of everyone’s everyday life!

Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are low-cost social media tools that combine technology and social interaction using content, images, and videos. Using social media, marketers get a voice and a way to interact with peers, customers, and prospects.

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Just as creating and developing a website is important for your business, a presence on social media platforms is essential to expand your online outreach. Social networking websites enable you to maintain a competitive edge. Being active on social media can help you explore numerous marketing opportunities.

The biggest advantage of social media for your Network Marketing business is that it helps you communicate with your prospects and customers. When your prospects or customers tweet or post on social media, it gives you an insight into what they are looking for and their needs. Analyzing it can help you to formulate a strategy that can address their needs. Social media plays an important role in your Direct Selling business, summarized in the below points.

• Helps to stay competitive using digital marketing strategies.
• Helps to ease the process of receiving feedback.
• Helps to generate interest among prospects and customers.
• Helps to identify potential customers using hashtags and keywords.
• Helps to promote your business cost-effectively.
• Helps to create a social environment.
• Helps to derive information and know what your competitors are up to.
• Helps to maximize your online presence.

Benefits of Social Media in Network Marketing

Marketing is an activity that informs consumers about you, your products or services, and what you are offering. Listed below are those ways how social media helps you to accomplishes all of these goals.

• Helps you to define your brand identity.
• Enables you to generate relationships with people.
• Helps you to associate with peers serving the same audience.
• Enables you to share your personality with followers.
• Helps to make communication with consumers the way they want.

Social media marketing certainly adds value for your business, but you need to implement it the right way. There are several success stories surrounding businesses that use social media effectively. For example, placement firms looking out for job applicants, a new business that wants to introduce a product or service, or a well-established company that wants to strengthen its brand.

Conclusion: Social media facilitates communication and branding.

Communication is a vital clog in the success of any business. Engaging with your customers enhances your business image. Social media platforms are effective in interacting and dealing online with your customers – personally.

Effective communication on social media enables potential customers to view brands as approachable and responsive. Social media platforms help to create a positive perception of your business. It makes customers receptive to the entertaining and informative content you share with them. Social media profiles and websites form an important component when devising your digital marketing strategies. It lets you improve your branding efforts. Your interaction on social media with your prospects and customers matters. It lets them identify the characteristics of your brand. The role played by social media is crucial in the success of your Network Marketing business.