Introduction

In one of my earlier articles, I mentioned the importance of social media when marketing your consulting business. I thought it may be worthwhile sharing some of my own experiences in this regard.

Website

Barring your own personal interaction with your clients, this is your ultimate weapon for winning mandates. Your clients will go to your website to see your offering and learn about you. Everything you do on social media should have the ultimate goal of getting people to visit it – because of this, it is crucial that your website:

• is professional and portrays your products and services clearly and succinctly
• has contact details where clients can reach you, preferably both a telephone and email address
• is linked from your social media tools and also displays links back to them

Which social media tool to use?

LinkedIn

For any professional services business this must be your priority. LinkedIn allows you to set out your CV in detail, plus you can create a page specifically for your business. What better way to portray your expertise in your field and, at the same time, promote your business?

Think of LinkedIn as your most formal marketing effort. People are on LinkedIn primarily for business related matters, so you need to tailor your approach accordingly.

Blogging

Blogging is an easy way to advertise your expertise and knowledge. Keep in mind the following:

• You can be quite relaxed and personal with your blogs
• As a general rule, don’t write long blogs. People want to be engaged, but in short, meaningful bursts
• Use your blogs as a teaser to show people how clever you are – give them just enough to want more; hopefully that will drive them to your website where all your services are laid out
• Don’t use blogging as a selling tool, per se. People will be put off hard-sell on your blog

Publishing articles, like this one

Use Ezine and industry-specific forums to publish formal articles that showcase your expertise. Share information that will be useful and don’t be afraid that you are giving this away for free – it will be appreciated and will be another way to get people engaged with you. If your articles show that you know what you are talking about, people will be more likely to engage with you.

An important point to bear in mind, however, is that articles are more formal than blogs. Think of them more as a professional reference point rather than an informal teaser.

Twitter

If LinkedIn is formal, Twitter is casual. This is the opportunity to show your personal side and you are expected to engage in a social fashion. That doesn’t mean you can’t link your posts, blogs and articles into your tweets, you must! I think this is the least-understood aspect of Twitter and how powerful it can be as a business marketing tool.

Facebook Page

You can create a page for your business in Facebook. Yes, it will be linked to your profile, but you can use it exclusively for your business marketing. The reach of Facebook and the easy way of creating an advert makes the case for Facebook marketing compelling. Because of all the data that Facebook collects on people, Facebook adverts can also be highly-tailored to your target audience.

Google+

Google+ is powerful simply because it is part of the biggest search engine on the planet. That means it can be used to drive your SEO efforts.

Joining Circles and participating in Hangouts (or starting your own) will help you connect with a targeted audience.

However, Google+ does require some effort. If you don’t put any in, you will likely be staring at a blank screen wondering what all the fuss is about.

Podcasts, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Vimeo and You Tube

To the extent that images, audio and video can be used to market your business, these are also great tools to use. Creating an instructive podcast or video can be used as a personal interaction with your audience – blogging without writing!

Images and photos are perhaps more suited to a product-driven business, but creative ways can be used to market a services business too.

Conclusion

I am still experimenting with all of the above, plus a few more that I have come across (Tumblr is my latest foray). I am giving each of them some attention, although I am sure that I will gravitate to the 4 or 5 that make the most sense for my particular business and audience.

I certainly won’t be relying on only 1 or 2. A combined effort is yielding some good results.

So many people ask the same question: Is Multi-level Marketing a REAL Business? Is it truly a business that can produce a living and income? Is it a REAL distribution business? It is a business that operates for the customer’s satisfaction, and always looks to gain new customers?

Here is the answer: YES.

How and why does it qualify as a business? Every business has certain traits and functions that are needed to do business and stay in business. We have developed what we call the “7 Business Factors Test”, and you have to ask these questions to see if it qualifies as a business. All businesses, no matter whether it is a traditional business or a non-traditional business, (such as MLM), answer these questions in the affirmative.

What are the “7 Business Factors Test” Questions?

1) Does the MLM Business distribute goods and services of some type?

Answer: Yes.

In MLM, there are goods and services that are distributed through personal distribution methods, and they are distributed directly to the customer, with no middle man. These goods and services can be manufactured by the MLM company, but usually are not. The goods and services many times are manufactured by an outside source, and then shipped by the MLM Business to the customer or distributor. Then the distributor can take the goods, and re-sell them to their customers as well.

2) Does the MLM Business have an official Office, headquarters, or structure that the business is operated out of, and with an address of some type?

Answer: Yes.

All MLM businesses should have some kind of office or headquarters that the goods are shipped from, or at least in charge of the shipments getting to the customer. This does not have to be a fancy office, but one that can get all the tasks needed to run the business done in a timely fashion. They should have a visible address on all communication.

The distributor’s business is usually operated out of the home, and that counts as a structure that the home business is housed.

3) Is there an accounting structure that is set up to run the business effectively and legally?

Answer: Yes.

All MLM businesses should have an accounting function and people set up to handle all business transactions. They not only keep the books for the MLM Business itself, but also the MLM distributor as well. The MLM Business from the home should have some form of an accounting system, for tax purposes, and for profit and loss statements. Accounting also helps keep the Company and distributor aware of the health of the business and how it is doing, or not doing.

4) Does the MLM Business have easy communication to get a hold of someone if needed?

Answer: Yes.

Communication is the lifeblood of any business, and MLM is no exception. MLM Businesses usually not only have an order line, and a distributor line, but a general public telephone number that the public can get in touch with them as well. Usually at the MLM Business Office, there is someone to answer the phone as well.

And the MLM business should also have an email system that is watched, and taken care of, on a daily basis. This is not only for the distributor base, but also the customers and public as well.

5) Does the MLM Business have the needed business licenses and legal structure to do business in the states and countries they operate in?

Answer: Yes.

All MLM Businesses that have been in business for any amount of time, must have the needed legal structure and licenses to operate in every state. If they do not, they will eventually be forced to cease doing business in that state. And most MLM Businesses have some form of a corporate structure that the company operates under. That could include being a C Corporation, an LLC, or a Sub S Corporation.

Even MLM distributor needs a business license to do business in their city, so they will not be penalized if they do not have one and are caught.

6) Does the MLM business operate on a FOR PROFIT basis?

Every successful business structure, traditional or non-traditional, should operate on a FOR PROFIT basis. Even the MLM distributor needs to operate on a FOR PROFIT basis. If the MLM business does not operate in a profit mode, and loses money continually, the MLM business will not be in business for that long.

It is the same way for the MLM distributor. If the distributor does not make any money, then they will not stay in business long.

7) Does the MLM business perform all of the needed business functions to increase business, including marketing, promotion, campaigns, running specials, advertising tools, customer service, brand extensions, research and development, direct marketing, increasing brand awareness, and keeping their vendors at an honest price?

Answer: Yes.

Every MLM business operates to increase business, using all of the functions mentioned, and more. Even the MLM distributor needs to perform some of those functions, to increase their own business in their marketplace. These are functions any business needs to do, in order to stay in business, and enlarge it’s operating capacity.

Yes, an MLM Business is a TRUE business that operates to service the customer’s needs, bring products and services to the marketplace, and show a profit at the end of the year.

MLM or Multi-level Marketing, has passed the “7 Business Factors Test.” If an MLM Business you are considering does not answer all of the above questions YES, then you may want to consider seeking another MLM company that can pass this test as a Multi-level Marketing business.

blessings…doug (c) 2005/ all rights reserved

PassionFire Intl http://www.passionfire.com