Does this story sound familiar?
You are very excited about a new home business you just started and can't wait to tell everyone about your product. You are particularly eager to set up a website and some ads online because you just know that this is going to be "it" and the internet is going to help you get the word out!
You join online, you get your kit, and you sit down to get started. But first, you glance at the company manual and decide to quickly flip through the pages for ideas on what to say and how to position your product's features and benefits professionally.
And then it happens: In dismay, you flip to "Marketing And Advertising Policies" chapter and in big bold letters you see "Internet advertising of any form of the company's trademarked names or products is strictly prohibited, which includes auction sites, social sites, personal websites outside of the company's replicated sites, and any and all advertising of our stuff online regardless of the website used".
Oh boy! Not exactly what you had in mind so you settle for just talking to friends and family and your new business quickly fizzles because your friends and family can only buy so much of your [fill in the blank with your product here].
Well, I am here to provide you with a plan that can be applied to any business, that will generate leads who will seek your information and want to hear what you have to offer. It will not violate any company's policy (unless they trademark your name).
Actually, even if your company didn't have advertising restrictions, you would probably attract more leads this way anyway. The answer to your little hiccup is that you are focusing on the wrong product! If you truly want to succeed at marketing online what you should be marketing and branding is YOU.
Briefly, You.Inc is something that belongs to you only. This is the only product that regardless of the company you promote will always remain unaffected by company changes. So let's go a little further into that. What would YOU market as YOU?
Your leadership skills. Share what you have to offer to new consultants and why they should join your team. You could market a "how to guide" on something you are great at to attract some folks to your site, then leverage other people's work in your team to offer other training materials. The point is that you will define a You.Inc based on personal skills and knowledge and not about a product.
Do you have a system you could share with others? Having a systematic approach to recruiting and selling your products, particularly online, that other people can also utilize would be a fantastic concept for your You.inc website.
Why focus on marketing "you"? Because people join people. They don't join companies or products. They are looking for someone who can show them the ropes and guide them. They are looking for systems they can follow and teach others how to use them as well. People look for leaders so they are not feeling stranded after signing a contract. And you also want to market "you" because your company does not allow you to advertise your product, of course.
So here is a step action plan (or system) you could implement:
1- Design an entry page that describes what people will get when they join you and what you have to offer. Make sure you get some good copy tips online because there are guidelines out there to follow that will increase your visitor's attention. You do not mention your company name or product on this page. Remember, this is about you and not about what you sell.
2- The sole purpose of this entry page is to gather your prospects' name and email through a little form. I recommend you use an auto responder service so that all of this is handled automatically for you as people submit their information
3- Write a series of auto responders (see aweber.com or icontact.com) to send messages to your new leads welcoming them to your list... but here is the beauty of this system. This is when and where you include your business information and a link to your company's website!
You have just responded to a direct inquiry from someone wanting to learn more about what you do because they were attracted to "your leadership skills" presented in your You.Inc page! And sending emails to people about your product or business opportunity is perfectly alright!
Now, don't worry about opt in and outs because all reputable auto-responder companies (aWeber, icontact and the like) already come built in with a subscriber management link in each email. That means that should anyone feel the information is not what they wanted, they can easily and quickly unsubscribe and no more messages will be sent to them.
So, how about it? Ready to give that business of yours another shot? Oh and remember, not everyone will join you or buy from you, even if you are selling the hottest thing on the planet. That is just the way it is, so don't be frustrated and work on building a list you can market to with maybe other options later such as an affiliate product or a funded proposal you have found valuable.
Affiliate marketing and funded proposals are quite another lengthy topic for another article. These alone will help you subsidize much of your marketing costs while you continue to build your lists!
Best of luck to you with your online marketing strategy!
Aymee Buckhannon is an online marketing consultant with 10+ years of network marketing experience. Her goal is to share network marketing tips and ideas with small home based business owners just starting to market online.
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