Category Archives for Social Media

Common mistakes direct sellers make on Social Media and what to do instead.

Are you in Direct Sales and wondering why you’re not getting the results you expected? Here are eight mistakes that many consultants make and what to do instead.

Social media has made it so much easier to grow a direct sales business from home whilst juggling a family or a full time job. However, there are a lot of people making mistakes that could be costing them sales and alienating people.

I’m a direct seller for Young Living Essential Oils and the reason I started wasn’t to earn money, I have my coaching practise for that. I started because I fell in love with the purity and quality of the oils. Hopefully you joined your company for the same reason – you fell in love with the product.  The thing is, once you join you might be told by your upline to use social media in a way that doesn’t really reflect this. I’m here to tell you these mistakes might be costing you sales and just as importantly might get your social media accounts shut down!

MISTAKE 1 – Adding people to groups and events without asking

There’s nothing more annoying than being added to group after group without even the courtesy of a message.  Instead, send a personal message to build the relationship and you can then explain you have a group or event going on that they might be interested in.

MISTAKE 2 – Using social media like an advertising channel

People aren’t on social media to be sold to. So if you’re sharing post after post of your products, business opportunity or promotions you’ll soon lose fans/followers.

You’ll get much better results if you use the 80:20 rule. 80% of your posts should be interesting and  engaging with only 20% promotions.

MISTAKE 3 – Not having a personal brand

People buy from people they know, like and trust. Once you have a personal brand other people will feel like they know you. You will stand out from all the other consultants within your company and ultimately your prospects will be more likely to buy.

Here are a few of questions to ask yourself.

• What makes you different, unique and approachable?
• Why should someone buy from you or join your team?
• What are you really good at when it comes to network marketing?

For example, do you like getting new customers? or do you prefer being a leader and supporting your downline?

Once you have the answers to these questions you’ll have a much better idea about what you’d like to focus on.

MISTAKE 4 – Posting sales posts on your personal Facebook page

Selling on your personal page is against Facebook terms and conditions. It’s also the quickest way to alienate your friends and family. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let them know what you do. Instead, share your journey, show how you are using your product or share tips on how they can get the best out of it.

MISTAKE 5 – Sharing the same image as all the other consultants in your company

By sharing images produced by your company you are you missing an opportunity to get your name out there.  With so many people sharing the same image it means yours probably won’t get noticed and will just blend in to the background.  Creating your own branded images doesn’t have to be difficult. There is easy to use software like Canva and Picmonkey.  A word of caution, don’t use images you find on a Google search. They may be copyrighted, in which case you could get a hefty fine. Instead go to places like Canva,  Pixabay  and Librestock to get free or low cost images.

Mistake 6 – Not investing the necessary time and money

Don’t expect to reach top consultant level without investing the necessary time or money to get there. Any business requires a certain level of commitment if you want to make it a success and direct sales is no difference.  If you look at the stats, the percentage of people earning big money in network marketing are relatively small compared to the number of consultants and distributors. That doesn’t mean you can’t make big money. Only that you can’t do it without investing in yourself and your business.

Mistake 7 – Trying to be on all the social media platforms

Trying to be on all the social media platforms but not doing any of them particularly well is another common mistake.  You’re much better choosing one or two and doing them well.  Being inconsistent or not responding to comments is unlikely to produce the best results.

Mistake 8 – Trying to be someone you’re not

Even on social media people can tell when you’re being fake. Be authentic, talk as if you are talking to a friend or colleague and focus on building genuine relationships.

Remember, you don’t have to make these mistakes

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re starting out, especially when your upline is putting pressure on you or you’re struggling to find the time.  Remember, you don’t have to be on all the social media platforms.  It’s better to choose a couple, learn how to do them really well, be authentic and trust that if something doesn’t feel right then don’t do it.

If you want to learn how to use Instagram successfully for business, then download my free eBook ‘ 15 Quick Tips To Mastering Instagram ‘

As always I’d love to hear from you.  Are you making any of these mistakes? Or do you have any tips you can share?