I was recently ask a series of questions from one of my Facebook group member. He is considering Network marketing as a way to generate extra income as he faces retirement after 30 years in the workforce.
I was humbled, when he inquired that he had read a few of my posts and articles. Feeling that I had a "wealth of knowledge" for which he could pull from.
In reflection, as I replied to him, that I have been doing this online networking for over 15+ yrs. That I am in fact, NO guru nor marketing sensation. Yet, what I can offer, are facts, hard knocked real world experiences in an industry that is some what saturated and can be misleading. Yet, one can create a worth while income if one is serious about their ultimate goal........to network using the internet to generate an extra income source.
I have also re-published a couple of articles from a few years back to include along side this post. I have title them "Back to the Basic Series" that follows. Tagged below:
Back To The Basic Series: Web Presence - When Marketers Need To Network Market
Back To The Basic Series: What Is SEO.....Search Engine Optimization?
I would like to start this article with this proven reality. There are many many roads that you can and will travel down in your pursuit of success in this industry. Whether you travel by MLM (multi-level-marketing), direct-sales and/or affiliate/referral marketing. The methods for which you will acquire your brand/name recognition, generate leads and the product and services you choice to associate with will require effort. Nothing ever in my life have I done, wanted or that was worthwhile.......came easy or without setbacks, disappointments and failures. POINT BLANK!
This is life's law, and when it comes to money, there is plenty of it out there in the world for sure. But no-one, no-one is just going to give it to you nor will it come instantly. Keep that within your common view points as you journey along your ventures.
As you will find out as you read on, I will be honest, yet simple. In the last few years, a fav. quote of mine has been just that "simplicity is simple". As with many of life's episodes, difficulties generally become even more challenging when they are dealt with negatively or with complexity.
"LIFE is really not that complicated (especially now, in our modern age state), humans just make it that way!"
To start off with, my last 3-5 post/articles are re-prints from 2009 - 2011. I'm republishing them as they not only apply to my current projects, yet are taken it back to the basics. Again, keeping it simple.
Once your foundation is secured, all other endeavors can now be built upon this infrastructure. So please indulge yourselves in my previous articles after you have read my reply to my fellow colleague.
QUESTIONS ASKED:
Who is your target market ?? How do you promote your service?? What are the most effective channels of communication?? What are your biggest challenges and your biggest success?? Would you change anything that you have , looking back ??
I will be as straight forward and honest..........as that would be my best advice.
Be honest, always be upfront & truthful. Because this will have a direct effect on what I feel is the most important aspect of your business/company..........
Your name aka your "Brand"!
Below are the stages I went through in the transformation of my logo and image. I started this journey for him, my son.....my why!
(WE) would always remind me that it wasn't just about the WEalth, but WE (Him & ME!). As the times of trials and life's tribulations arose, it would also become my motivation. To never forget why I began this quest.
For me, my tactic/strategy was whether straight forward. Wehit has been in circulation for a few years now. The thought process into the name stems from people who are always interested in wealth building, health & wellness. Which is the #1 product for online marketer, plus it was actually what I started out marketing. I was with a company called "Legacy For Life" which is something like i26 now. Of course, the internet and technology is everywhere. Wealth Health & Internet Technology acronym for WE.H.I.T. Along side the fact, I wanted us (WE, my son & I) to hit it big on our own terms.
When you work as hard as you will, put in the insane amounts of time and spend the types of $$$ to acquire clients & consumer. The last thing you want, is to lose him/her over distrust.
As you've seen recently, for example, the Wynn Resorts. A very successful venture for all these years. Then wham! A bad practice, lie or of course, the mistreatment of your employee, client or customer. Everything you worked for is swept from underneath you within a blink of an eye.
For years his brand will be tarnished. (I believe they are selling the brand resorts) With the #metoo movement in full swing. Yea.....probably the best business move.
But if you were a little mom & pop business your brands reputation would be a bit more costly, even devastating.
So yes, always treat everyone you come in contact with the utmost respect. As you will see later on, longtime clients/consumer relationship may become long time friendship relationship.
The Internet can be unforgiving
When people see your name, brand, logo or anything that you are associated with. You want something "positive" to be the first thing that comes to their mind.
I guess the next question I'll tackle real quick would be, would I change anything hindsight?
You know, we all in hindsight can be assured this rosy path to our goals and successful outcome of our ventures. If only we did this or changed that. Fact is, life doesn't work like that. We live and we learn. We apply, we do and we respond to the re-actions of our actions.
Internet marketing, just as most businesses is a funny business. When I first made the conscious decision to pursue online marketing as a way to make an income........I was working in the prison system, running a mobile D.J. business, doing music production work, on call for a moving company (Mayflower). After my daughters wedding, I found out I was going to be a dad again. (I have two older children from a previous relationship that had ended several years earlier.)
I stayed busy......what I learn before about raising children is they grow up fast. As much as I tried to be in my two oldest life, when you looking at them at 20ish, you still question yourself. Wondering, could I have been there more? Looking at two grown people that you watched morph from tiny babies. Does a little mojo on your psyche. Knowing that I now will be going through this again, what was I going to do this time.
I had some sales experience (Funny thing is I really didn't like sales, remember being honest) I sold computers, TV's but mainly audio equipment. Big screen TV's was the rage, bag (bricks) phones on the raise. Try convincing people to pay $1 - $3 a minute to make a phone call, where you had to be in a certain location because of limited coverage. When a phone booth call cost between 15 & 25 cents.
When I would sale audio, my main gig, due to my background in sound and recording engineering. I knew my equipment pretty well. Yet, we were trained/told to upgrade customers. I always stayed within the top 3 sales leader-board. And I didn't consider myself a salesperson. what I did was sell what people needed. I'd ask them what they plans were, how long they expected to use their equipment. Fill them in on the future of audio & video. In other words, I was educating them along the way. They became my repeat customers.
They would even pay me to come to their homes and set up they equipment. Remember back then, you start talking about left & right channels, Dolby surround sound, center, rear speaker hook-up, syncing Dvd/laser disc players with Cd players and cassette decks to receivers. Well.......most people just want it set and play.
What I'm getting at, when we talk about hindsight, comes from my most important quote ever. I use this a lot........
"Everything Happens for a reason"
You read into the road/path ahead of you and take what was giving to you yesterday and grow with it ~ win or lose! If I was to take even a little something and changed it.......would the message/lesson afforded me or someone else, get to it's destination. Our mistakes are our life's lessons. Some of us need a few knocks to get it right, some get it right off the bat.
As business & entrepreneurs, those mistakes and set-back are what makes you stronger and hopefully grow. I can't change anything hindsight......but I can use what I've learned yesterday to better my path tomorrow. So should you.
Our goals are one big picture puzzle. In our minds we see it. We can plan it out on paper for clarity. Yet, it is when we execute, fall down and get back up, when we appreciate the little gains over the huge setbacks. We put a little piece of that puzzle together. The more pieces we get to collect or learn and apply it the base of the puzzle....... the clearer that puzzle, that picture becomes.
Next I'll cover targeted audience, there's a couple of ways to look at this. Your audience will be determined by your product or service. It's really that simple. Once you've provide the internet a means to finding you.......website/blog. That's where you start on SEO, Search Engine Optimization. Your product/service will determine your keywords and phrases that you will use.
As for products or services, you may come across some that will say concentrate on one product or services. And yes, that's fine. Especially if you are new to this industry. Focus on setting up your brand and establishing SEO. But you will soon fine out.......let me use the following as an example.
Go into any store, restaurant or shop. You will not find any of these places with just one item. You won't go into the grocery store to find just one product, into a restaurant, and only one item on the menu or at service shop, where they offer just one kind of service.
Why then would you spend amazing amount of time and energy building on one item. You want to build for expansion. This is called multi-streams of income. The wealthy use this simple method always.
I'm going to address the two questions on promotions & effective communication channels as one. It will be some what short and sweet. (I think) Establishing your brand, your identity online as your foundation. This will start a domino effect as you apply a multitude of strategies along the way.
First, you will find that there will be an endless sources of marketing materials at your disposal. They will range from free to $1000s. Take your time. Because you first want to figure out what your niche or identifying trait will become. Meaning, what will people come to associate you with.
As you pin point a direction you want to travel. Keep in mind these thoughts. This will be a long term endeavor. (This is a business, remember to build it as that) You will be able to do most of the work via internet/computer/smartphone.
With that being said, remember you want this to be a passion not a job! So, think about the things you like, what are you comfortable with and what will you want to do consistently that you will have fun doing. Believe me, with all the time & effort necessary in putting your business all together. It is less stressful when you are happy and passionate about it's what you are doing and about it's outcome.
What hobbies do you like, what are you interests? What are your talents, jobs skills? Apply those in your business plan! Yes, internet marketing can have a business plan, this is your future business and income stream. Business plans help you focus on the details that easily get overlooked. When you have these in place.....realize that this leads to your knowledge base. You should be a bit comfy talking, writing and promoting what you know. There is where you will find your target audience. There you will find your avenues to products and/or services to exploit.
As for channels to market. Every place, every outlet and every medium is a potential exposure, client or sales. Money is everywhere. So you must get your brand, product and service to the masses (a narrowed target mass of course). Offline, flyers, talk about what you do to people.
Remember, you should involve yourself with products & services you are passion about.
Things that you like, are interested in or hobbies. All you really are doing then is talking about what you love and oh by the way.......you have a product or service attached to it.
Challenges in internet marketing are establishing your network and capturing quality leads. I said earlier, money is everywhere. Yet, people are hard pressed to come up off of it.
Simply start with what you are comfortable with in terms of the different types of services to use. Your main focus will be the use of "SALES FUNNELS", this will help build your "LIST".
But get solid in the uses of your essentials.........websites, blogs, writing style and the use of social media outlets. Then explore paid services. You will go into them with a much better understanding of their effects and worth.
My biggest success?
.........finding and building relationships. Your business is consumer oriented. You are socializing. Make them apart of your family. On all my different media outlets, the ones that are still around. Stayed around even though they were at one point or another a client/consumer then dropped out or stop buying product. Yet, because of the relationship built, they are still in my circle today.
I still have what are now my personal friends, that were merely online marketer back when I started. So I actually build my friendship base along the way. Some have help me deal with issues as I was raising my son solo. He's a teenager now....and trying to be a grow-up before he really is. "Sign!" And a few have been a blessing because there were times I'd be online or call and have met, talk with him. So he also knows a few of them from when he was like 5 or 6 yrs. old.
Everything happens for a reason........Do what you love, give it 100% and it just works out in some form or another. Again, I haven't made my millions yet......but all that effort, knowledge from the past, it sure is shaping that future! Live & learn.......LIFE of an online marketer!
Continued success & blessings
Andrew "1stPeacemaker" Hayes
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