I love to blend online and offline strategies when it comes to building my business. I see the internet as a tool to leverage my time, create new connections with people I want to get to know, build relationships in real life, create value, and as a resource for learning and growing at maximum potential.

The reason most people get so confused with online marketing strategies, is because they think social media is a tool for selling. Yes you can make sales from online marketing strategies, but the purpose of online marketing is for just that. Its a way for people to establish trust, learn about you and your product or service, and to decide over time whether or not you are the right fit for them. 70% of people are not ready to make a purchase the first time they are exposed to your product or service, and when you understand this, it comes almost as a relief. Most people need to be exposed atleast 7 times to you and your business before they start to think about becoming a client. The beauty of internet marketing is that you can reach a large scope of people, get exposure multiple times, and you can really narrow it down to your niche. But the common myth about online marketing is that this is a tool to build your business faster. If utilized for the right reasons and properly, this can be somewhat true, but most success in anything does not come over night.

The most important thing to get started with building your online business, is to first have the right perception and the right expectations. Like anything, when you enter with the wrong expectations,  you can easily find yourself frustrated with your results when you don’t see them immediately.

Second, you want to know what your brand is, If you haven’t already you can pick up your free Social Media Guide for your home business. You really only get one shot at launching your business online, so before you start posting, get clear on who you are, what your purpose is, and how you want others to perceive you. This is something I wish I had taken more time on, but as you’ve probably been told too, I was told “the best copy cat wins” and I wanted to be coachable. Yes there is some truth to this, but NOT when it comes to your personal brand. People buy you, not your company! They buy from people they know, like and trust, and if you are not authentic to your brand and true to yourself, you will struggle to build a loyal customer following. I have had clients and team who got started with me in my business actually leave, and then come back, because of who I am, the trust we’ve built, and the fact that I had the gutts to be myself above all else.

So now that you know who you are, and how you want to be known, its important to get social. Now if you are in network marketing, you will be told to make a list and start reaching out to your warm market. I agree and disagree. Yes you are going to approach your warm market, but no you are not going to spam your warm market, send links on social media, post your business all over your time line without permission, or ask every single person you know to jump into your new opportunity. Why are you not going to do this? Because everyone does it, and its not cool. Its also unprofessional, and you don’t want people to view you as just another network marketer who decided to jump into their business with both feet, and who will now try and recruit everyone with a pulse.

Here are my top 6 free strategies to using social media :

1. Set up your Social Media Platforms: I personally use Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I am part of other platforms as well, but I would keep it simple as you are getting started. The key here is that all of your platforms are congruent. Branding colours, your profile image, your contact details, and your message. You want to create a strong brand and be recognizable.

2. Make your list:  Individually reach out to those people, particularly those with large circles of influence who are positive, success driven, and caring individuals. Share your excitement of having had the courage to start a new business and create change for yourself and your family. Invite them to your Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and let them know how much it would mean to have them there. If they can’t make it, invite them for a coffee/tea/wine – Your treat! And if they would let you share a bit more so you can start getting the word out there. If they are not able to meet in person, ask them if you can send them a short video to just get an idea of what you’re doing, and if you can then pick their brain on people who may be interested in learning more. Do not send links to your website, videos about your company or opportunity, or any other links without permission.

3. Join Facebook Groups: Start doing some research on facebooks groups in your community. I personally got started in groups that were associated with parenting, nutrition, fitness, business, because those were my interests. Think of a group as an online community where you can network with new people. You have literally 1000’s of people at your finger tips everyday, but the key thing to remember is, people are not in those groups to be sold to, so if you are there to sell, you won’t make friends very fast. Never post about your business unless the group prompts you to market yourself. Self promotion is hugely frowned upon. Think of the strengths you have that can offer value to the people in that group. I always imagine myself walking into a room full of people when I enter a facebook group, and I look for people who naturally attract me to them. I approach them, say hello, compliment them, introduce myself, and then join the conversation. This etiquette is really simple and it applies online and off. From there, i am simply showing interest in others, asking questions, and listening for a need, so I can know if I can help this person in someway. Helping others is the biggest way of creating value and establishing trust.

4. Host Facebook Groups: Start a facebook group that is designed around a community of people who are looking for what you offer or have similar interests. You for sure want to have your own VIP page where you can speak to your audience who has said, yes I want to know more about your business or service. This is a place where you can post your promotions freely, new product/service launches, and ofcourse always offer free advice and value. Whenever you are posting on social media, whether it be in your groups, your facebook fan page, on your blog, IG, you want to use the 80/20 rule. 80% value, and 20% promotion or offers of your product/service. If you are in health and wellness, start a group where your audience can get advice on healthy living, free recipes, support and tips to guide them on their journey. And if you are a coach or biz guru, start a group that helps other business owners succeed. Whatever you choose as your niche, or if you choose to have multiple groups, the key is that you always personally invite people to join your group! I know Im not the only one who removes myself from groups all the time because I wasn’t invited.

5. Facebook Live: Using facebook live is such a great tool, because this gives your audience a real opportunity to get to know you, your personality, and when you offer value through video, you are developing trust with your audience. This can seem a bit daunting, but here’s my tips for breaking into the facebook live scene. Start with your warm audience. Offer value to your VIP group live, host a live training for you team in your teams facebook group, and then put it out there to the rest of the world on your page once you’ve had a practice run on the people who know you, love you, and won’t judge you. When choosing a topic, always ask yourself, how will this be beneficial to others. You want to avoid live videos that are all about self promotion or just promoting your company, products, or opportunity. If you want to promote a product/service, use this tool to give a demonstration and speak to the benefits, or offer free advice on topics within your niche. This is an attraction marketing tool, and when used properly can be highly affective.

6. My last tip, and probably the most important! Its not just about what you post, its about how to you engage with your audience. I read more then I write, listen more then I speak. I am constantly engaging with the people in my social media, I like their stuff, I comment and share their content, I support whatever it is that is important to them. And when they like my stuff, I engage them, thank them, tag them, and will carry on the conversation in a private message, and see how we can continue to build on our relationship, and if they have a need I can fill, I will invite them. I don’t use words like asking, recruiting, sponsoring, prospecting in my business. I prefer words like connecting, new friends, building relationships, inviting, and partnering. What do I mean by inviting? Inviting them to take a closer look at something, subscribe to my email list to get information, grab my freebie, join my facebook group, or come to a live event. I am never asking them to buy from me, refer me, join me, or do something for me in my reach out methods. I am always asking, what can I do for them. Service to many leads to greatness, so have an attitude of servitude and you will find success and fulfillment.

So now that you have the strategies, here are my tips for using these. Make a schedule, and plan when you will do each of these tasks, and stick to your plan. I use tools like Buffer and Post Planner to help me stay on track, preschedule my posts, and also know the optimal time for posting. I also love Katherine Sullivan’s Social Media Done for you by Marketing Solved. She plans out your social media schedule for you so you don’t have to! Now I can sit down in an hour and schedule out my social media for the month!  Being consistent on social media is key! Being consistent in your business is key if you want to get results. Its those small things you do each day that make the big things happen. Focus on creating good content, and keep an eye on what your audience is liking and commenting on. You want to create more of that, and if you’re not getting a lot of likes or comments, it may be because you don’t have a large audience, or you may need to change it up and give people more of what they want. Either way, you want to always be making new connections and building more relationships if you want to continue to grow.