Social Network Marketing – What Network Marketing Professionals Need To Know
Social Network Marketing is a term we are going to be hearing a lot as Social Media and Network Marketing are drawn together. Network marketing has always been a social experience, so what’s the big deal? Social networking is the big deal and it is going to get much, much bigger.Studies not so long ago indicated that the 500 million plus Facebook users didn’t pay much attention to the Facebook ads. It was thought that people go to Facebook to hangout with friends and not much more. However, that may be changing. The fastest growing user group on Facebook are women in the 55 – 65 age group.Yes, these are the same women that make 80% of the family buying decision. Turns out that currently the majority of Facebooks advertising revenues are from casual gaming promoters. Why? The users of casual games (FarmVille, Mafia Wars) are women.A recent PopCap study showed that 55 percent of all social gamers in the U.S. are women. The average age of the women users is 48. Interestingly, 46 percent of American social gamers are 50 or older while only 6 percent of all social gamers are age 21 or younger. So, it appears the kids aren’t playing the Facebook games as much as the women who just happen to be the target of most advertisers.Why is this such good news for network marketers? Since women make up approximately 85% of the distributor force it would seem that a lot of our new distributors are on Facebook and other social media sites waiting for us to contact them.How do we contact them? Advertising? Not on your life. Social media marketing is about communicating, not advertising. Recent studies have shown that while 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations only 14% trust advertisements. That brings us back to the question, how do you contact them?Obviously, if consumers want peer recommendations the trick is going to be how to get them to listen to your recommendations. The key is to establish a Web presence that establishes you as a peer and an expert.Networking presentations were once dominated by presentations that brought forth an emotional response. There was the saying that “people hear your music not your words.” In fact, scientific studies indicate that an audience is influenced 7% by your content, 38% by your vocal presentation and 55% by your visual presence. The keys to great presentation were your tonality and your enthusiasm.How do we make inspiring presentation using social media? Sincerity. Yep, there it is again, you have to be real. You must be authentic and transparent. Presentations using social media are not a filled with emotional triggers. For a social media product launch when you are filling a specific need by providing specific product you may be able to be effective by using hard sell and emotional triggers. However, using social media to find compatible business partners requires that you build a relationship.Sure you have webinars, product presentations and meetings over the Internet, however, they are just extensions of your relationship building. These events are not what creates a social network marketing organization. The important elements to creating your online social network marketing organization are the social media funnels you develop to encourage people to want to find out more about you and ultimately join you or purchase what you have to offer.Your social network marketing matrix consists of your Facebook site, twitter account, YouTube channel, blog, website, newsletter and/or capture page. You are creating a funnel that will pre-qualify your business partners. By the way, the pre-qualifying goes both ways. Your potential partners are using the elements of your social network marketing matrix to determine if they want to get to know you better and possibly become your business partner.Do you need all of these elements to integrate social media into you network marketing business plan? Yes. It takes some time to set things up properly, however, once your funnels are in place you will have the tools to build an online home based business social networking organization that is yours and will last.