See that new weight-loss drink shared on Facebook?

Or that cute dog collar photo retweeted on Twitter?

Or that hashtag-heavy statement shirt on Instagram?

From beauty supplies to cookware, social media for direct selling companies can be seen all over, and for good reasons.

Social media provides a more efficient way of promoting your products, while still providing that personal feel that direct selling is all about.

Social networking sites are ideal for many kinds of promotions, and campaigns can be set up at the click of a button. They are also great for word of mouth advertising. They work well for fast and easy marketing contests. They are the favorites of the Millennials—who happen to have the spending power to buy things online.

Plus, everyone uses social media these days, so it’s a must if you want to keep up with the times.

More than the Usual

It’s typical for people to consider making Facebook posts about new products, tweeting reminders of sales on Twitter, posting product photos on Instagram and Pinterest, and making a profile on LinkedIn. When it comes to social media for direct selling companies, these are the most popular social platforms online.

However, there are still a lot of ways that direct selling companies can maximize the benefits of social media using these sites in less typical ways. Here are a few:

Focusing on Facebook Live

A direct selling company with a Facebook page is a common thing. In fact, it’s almost a sin not to have one. It allows you to share photos and info in one central location and people can subscribe by simply clicking the “like” button, so it’s quite easy.
But beyond posting products and sharing content, Facebook offers a variety of features that are advantageous for direct sellers.

One of these is Facebook Live.

There’s nothing that says personal more than a live video. It creates an intimate, friendly atmosphere that makes the audience more connected with the speaker.

While it’s often less polished and rehearsed than a pre-recorded video, its spontaneity implies authenticity in a way that pre-made content doesn’t. It allows your audience to feel like they’re participating in the creative with you, too.

Direct selling companies can use Facebook Live as a way to educate the market about their products rather than directly hawk their items. Just like face-to-face meetings, it can feel more genuine.

It’s also an excellent tool to conduct webinars for distributors and consultants.

Planning relevant, strategic content

Anyone can post anything online—but that doesn’t mean whatever is posted will resonate well with the company’s target market.

Just posting any old thing is a recipe for irrelevance. People are overloaded with information these days, and they have a lot of choices. If you’re just adding to the noise instead of delivering value, people will unfollow you.

The value of a post still lies in the content. The success of any marketing campaign highly depends on the quality and relevance of the material.

This is why it’s crucial for direct sales companies to curate their content, so it adds value to both the customers and the consultants. You can learn what adds value and what doesn’t by carefully looking at the feedback you get for each post, or even directly asking people what they want to see.

It’s important for customers to feel like they’re part of the picture. Make every piece of content feel like the material is created with them in mind.

Establish real community engagement

Imagine two Twitter handles with roughly the same number of posts and followers. One is brimming with regular posts, but that’s about it. The other is populated with regular posts as well, but is also full of retweets, comments, and likes from followers.

Which one is better?

The second one with an engaged audience is definitely the better account.

When there’s engagement, this means that people are bonding with the company. Constant engagement builds a community, which is often what people are really after when they buy a direct sales product—they want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Best of all, when there’s an established community, leads and prospects come much more easily, almost automatically.

By using these techniques, direct selling companies can better align their online marketing campaigns with their in-person sales practices. After all, social media really is just a virtual extension of the personal relationships you need to build to help sell your products. Those are real human beings on the other side of the screen—never forget that.

Krato Team