It is often thought… and taught… that it is bad business to try to develop your MLM business through the use of Social Media.
This is true in one respect. You don’t want to use your personal blog, video channels and social media to brand yourself as a top MLM recruiter for a specific company. Unless, of course, that is the only objective to your online presence.
It is not necessary to involve your personal blog and video channels in your MLM marketing effort though.
So, in fact, yes, you can build downlines for your MLM business using internet marketing techniques. You just shouldn’t be using your personal blog and video channel to do it. Those should be reserved for offering generic content that can apply to any online business.
An effective way to promote exclusively to prospects for a particular MLM opportunity is to create a separate video channel and blog site dedicated purely to training and informing those lead. Then cross-promote between those videos and blog posts.
Video
Create a YouTube video channel dedicated to trainings for your company.
Create a series of video trainings branding yourself as a leader in the company.
Link the videos to blog posts you write about your MLM company on your blog site dedicated to that company.
Blog
Create a blog site dedicated to your company or your company’s niche.
Post information on your blog to teach potential downlines how to market your company’s product or service.
If you cannot or do not wish to use your company name, you can discuss products your company features, such as travel discounts or vitamins. Use keywords that would be likely to attract prospects researching your company, its services or products.
Create information products designed to help market your company. Give them for free as Opt-In offers. Develop a prospect auto-responder mailing list from these opt-ins.
Offer free webinars, teleconferences and other marketing trainings in email blasts to your auto-responder list.
Social Media
You can even create dedicated Social Media sites, such as a Facebook Fan or Business Page, to syndicate your video and blog content, and to create friendships and associations with prospects.
Personal Branding
Using the videos in conjunction with your blog, and ultimately conducting live trainings via webinar or teleconference will brand you as a legitimate leader of your MLM company. Prospective downlines will be attracted to your leadership and your training, and will want to join your organization to capitalize on your professional guidance and stature.
This is the most effective way to use free social media and blogging to develop a downline for your MLM company. Social Media is a powerful recruiting tool. If used properly, it can be the backbone to building your MLM downline organization.
Hi David,
Interesting perspective here. I am intrigued with the idea of creating a separate blog for my business opp, as well as a YouTube channel that focuses on specific trainings related to products and business development. Connecting all my blogs and videos together is also a powerful piece of the online marketing puzzle that will be part of my next steps.
Once again, you have delivered some precise and straight-forward information that will be simple to implement.
Thanks!
Mary Lou
.-= Mary Lou Kayser´s last blog ..How to Be an Online Hall-of-Famer (It’s Easier than You Think…) =-.
Love to know how you make out with your marketing strategy, Mary Lou. Glad to hear you plan on implementing some of the advice I shared here.
Thanks, David, for the clarification on separating your social media marketing for a specific networking business as opposed to social media exposure for your personally branded site. Very important distinctions apply.
It is important to separate, Val. It allows you to do business where appropriate, not as spam.
Hey David,
This is a great post for those who are learning attraction marketing. You lay out a good foundation for those who setting out to use social media as a way to build their list to recruit people into their chosen business opportunity. I have been using attraction marketing for quite a while now and it works great. It is all about creating solid relationships with the people you give value to.
Scott
You bring out an really important point, here, Scott. All of the positioning in the world (via blogging and social media) won’t get you to where you want unless you use it to create solid relationships. That’s really the goal. Thanks for underlining it, Scott.
I’m trying David. It is hard to be disciplined in not sneaking in a plug for you MLM. So far I’ve avoided it. I do need to develop my Business page however. Thank buddy for the help and insight.
.-= Nelson Schroeder´s last blog ..The Power of One =-.
I feel your pain, Nelson
It’s so tempting to start talking about your business, especially when YOU are so into it. I’m not saying not to, I’m only saying to pick the right place and time… and the right viewers… for it.
Once again, David, you are helping to clear a lot of confusion up. There are so many tools available to market online today. All too often I see people attempting to use them in what they perceive to be the way to market their business online. Before they know it they’ve chased away all their friends and family, not to mention any prospects.
Thanks for shedding light on the right way to use the tools on the internet to market effectively.
.-= Don Enck´s last blog ..How To Survive Today’s Online Gold Rush…A Lesson From 1849 =-.
That’s a great point, Don. If you don’t promote your business in the right way, you’ll actually lose a lot of people who sought you out for value, but only found a “pitch”.
Losing friends, family and prospects hurts… but wait til you lose your SEO in the process. You’ll probably have to start all over again.
So promote where it’s appropriate. Otherwise, keep kicking out value ONLY.
David,
Always very insightful and valuable information.
Thank you for wisely pointing the subtlety of
the approach and the name of the successful game.
Gratefully,
´s last blog ..Who Are You Really? (part 1) =-.
Venus
.-= Venus
Good to hear from you Venus.
Glad to clear up some of the confusion for you!
David,
Great tips about separating your business from your personal if utilizing Social Media to build your business. I also agree with Bradning yourslef – not your MLM. People want to build relationships with the person, not the company.
Thanks so much for clearing up this fine line with Social Media.
Val
.-= Val Wilcox´s last blog ..Along The Path of Self Discovery… =-.
Anything you can do to build relationships will help you build your business. But as you point out, Val, you can build them out through your business in one place, and through personal interaction in the other. Bottom line in either case… people want YOU, not your company.
Thanks David!
Great info as usual
Karla Setchel
.-= Karla Setchel´s last blog ..Myofacial Stretching on Foam Roller =-.
Good to hear from you Karla. Keep up the learning! I’m here for you.
.-= David Merrill´s last blog ..Building Your MLM Downline with Social Media =-.
Hey David,
This is great info you are sharing about seperating your business from your personal! The bottom line is… building relationships! Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Sharon
.-= Sharon Hartman´s last blog ..Hold On To Your Dreams… =-.
You’re right Sharon. The bottom line IS ALWAYS building relationships. Everything else is just a prelude to that.
Great looking post David. You have definitely demonstrated how you can link everything together and have some continuity. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Steve
.-= Steve Hachey´s last blog ..Why Blog? What’s The Point? =-.
Thanks for the visit, Steve. Just trying to keep it real out here, give some nuts and bolts for people to build with. Glad you found it helpful.
.-= David Merrill´s last blog ..Building Your MLM Downline with Social Media =-.
Great Post Again David. There is a fine line here that needs to be tread carefully, but you’ve skillfully shown us how to pull it off.
Thanks my friend!
Sincerely,
David Haines
.-= David A Haines´s last blog ..Is There Value In Your System, Or A System In Your Value? =-.
We’re gonna have talk soon, David. I’m interested in finding out how you walk that fine line with your MLM.
Hi David,
Once I wrote a review for my mlm and was so excited that I couldn’t wait for my Business page and published it in my blog. After doing that I realized it was a huge mistake!
Thanks for sharing this…
Cheers
Raisa
.-= Raisa Garrido´s last blog ..Tu Inc: Como crear una Marca Personal Indestructible =-.
That’s how you learn Raisa. The road to success is paved with failure. The FB business page was designed to give us a platform for business.
Hello David,
Thanks for sharing that post.
However this pop-up a serious question for me.
If this works so good, then why bother mange a personal blog at all and so splitting your time & energies in 2 marketing efforts?
I’ll really appreciate if you can clarify this to me.
Other than that I want to congratulate you for your new face lifted blog. There are cool plug-ins here that I wish to know them as well such as the floating twitter-facebook box on the left and those cool comment & reply boxes you are using.
Regards,
Yossi
.-= Yossi Steinblatt´s last blog ..Get Yourself Ready To The New WordPress 3.0 Release =-.
As for the blog design, here’s the blog design team I used:
http://nanacast.com/vp/95995/50923/
Very cool guys, but I don’t know how they do this stuff. I’m not good with tech stuff.
As far as your MLM question, the reason to have a personal blog AND a separate MLM one is that the they draw from different people. Those interested STRICTLY in the MLM you represent, may want to visit your MLM blog or FB Business page dedicated to that MLM, but nobody else will.
The rest of your prospects will funnel through your personal blog, where they get to know you and, in time, may wish to inquire about your opportunity… or not!
I actually think a separate MLM blog for your business is only required if your MLM is the main thing you are internet marketing for. Most of us have other things that are as important or more so. In that case, let your MLM just linger on your personal page in the “Work With Me” page. But an MLM-dedicated FB Business page and You Tube channel are much easier to maintain and update, and for most of us are entirely sufficient without creating a dedicated blog. Blogs, as you know, are much more work to create and maintain.
Thanks for the great question, Yossi. I’m sure you’re not the only reader who was wondering about that. You gave me an opportunity to clarify it.
Hi david, nice post here. Thanks for sharing this valuable post. You have emphasized great details how to link everyone for MLM.
.-= Jon Alfredsson´s last blog ..Blogging For Beginners – Initial Tips On How To Blog =-.
People won’t pay attention when you do promote your own projects. What you have to do is bring about more confidence in your mlm business to show you are a trustworthy person, and they should have no reservations about buying anything from you.