When I first started out
in internet marketing – incredible though it seems now – I knew nothing about
list-building. And as a result I dove into MLM without a clue really and nearly
burnt out after 6 months of banging my head against the proverbial brick wall.
List-building is not as
easy as every product owner will have you believe, but there are ways of doing
it effectively and without burning the midnight oil.
For those of you just
starting out, I’ve drawn up 7 points you should focus on for making any kind of
MLM opportunity work for you. (Without the head injuries!)
1. Build
your network one by one
If you think you can email
a few friends – Facebook or otherwise – and build a business network, think
again. It just won’t happen. This business, like any other business, takes time
and hard work. To some people chatting online isn’t hard work, to some it
sucks. If it sucks for you, stay away from network marketing. If you enjoy it,
or at least can do it effectively, it’s simply a question of thinking one
person at a time, not blasting groups and websites with your link.
Remember,
if you can get one person on your side/team, he or she may well be motivated to
do the same. With time you will build a solid foundation – or downline – not a
bunch of people who wondered how in hell they ever came to have your name in
their inbox.
2. Write
posts and articles on and around your subject
The more you put out there
that informs people about the opportunity you are promoting, the more traffic
to your sites and your links. You need to produce content to build your list
AND to come across as an expert on your chosen opportunity.
3.
Attract interested parties to your squeeze page and free gift
Put up a squeeze page
where you offer a gift relevant to your opportunity, so that you can collect names
and emails.
4.
Build a theme oriented site
Once you’ve build a
squeeze page which is specifically geared toward one opportunity, you can build
a site that caters for various MLM opportunities. Once again this can help
project you as an expert in more than one field. You also benefit from a sort of
cross-fertilization of leads, as parties seeking one of your number one
opportunity decide to sign up for your number two opportunity.
5. You
must remain tenacious and consistent
Most network marketers quit within the first year. Cos it’s tough. It’s not
work that delivers instant riches, it feels at times like you’re being sold a
lie. But think of this, when the going gets tough, most businesses don’t turn a
profit in their first year. You simply have to stick at it. And that means
doing one task a day to build your list AND motivate your downline. One hour a
day is probably enough. Heck even 30 minutes is better than nothing and keeps
you in the loop.
6. There
is no real secret to a large downline!
Unless you enter network
marketing having just inherited wealth or sold a business for a nice lump sum,
the only way you’re going to build a downline fast is by steadily recruiting. And by encouraging your downline to recruit
too. Let me give you an example of what I mean: with the FantaZ (social gaming)
opportunity I’m working, I direct traffic to a squeeze page where I not only
inform my visitors of this amazing business opportunity that is about to take
off, I also offer them customised and customizable marketing tools to help them
build their own downline. Work with your downline members, as most of your growth will come
from their efforts. Try to get them to chat with you on Skype or in a
Facebook group.
7. Diversify for even
greater profits
Once you've developed your
downline and your contact list, you should market new opportunities to the
list(s) you’ve built. Multiple streams of income will take you to the next
level and your monthly income will continue to grow. What I tend to do is bring
people in on one opportunity, help them get the hang of it, then introduce them
to other, perhaps similar, opportunities and products that will help them build
their own lists and downlines.
Follow
these magnificent 7 and you'll be mining network marketing gold after about 12
months – sooner if you like hard graft!
Nic Penrake is a senior copywriter and online marketing mentor. If you want to see an
example of what I'm talking about in action check out this link - Nic's FantaZ - and
give yourself a headstart.
