71 | Will Growing a Following on Social Media Help You Build Your Network Marketing Business?
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Hey friends. Welcome back to the call to lead podcast. So in today's episode, I'm going to be continuing the series that we have been focusing on, which are the four strategies that I have identified from within my six years in my network marketing company. And watching people grow their business in many different ways, whether it was.
Taking over Tik TOK or Instagram or the old fashioned way by just building a network. Building relationships and one person at a time growing their business and there's no wrong or right way to do it. But within these four different models, which are the ignore method, which is not using social media at all the influencer method, which is what we're going to talk most about today.
The investment method or the integrate method. And so of those four different methods, the two hardest to build and grow a network marketing business are going to be the ignore method, which we've already talked about. Go back and listen, and the influencer method. And so last week you heard from Kate twig where she shared a little bit of her story of how she's been able to build an incredible duplicatable, very strong, solid team, honestly, better than most anybody else that I know while growing a social media following.
So can it be done? Absolutely. And following Kate's example, Can be a brilliant way to do it. But in this episode specifically i'm going to be talking a little bit more
about how to know if that business is right for you So let's dive in to today's episode
Okay. So the purpose of this episode is going to be really to serve those of you guys who truly might want to exemplify your business, like how Kate twig has built a following on. Social media on Instagram. And so if you are in the one to maybe 5% of people who. Even if you've just eventually want to get there. This episode, I hope will help you guide through the different strategies of how you could even build up to get to that point, if you so choose, but just keep in mind this isn't something that you have to do in order to build your network marketing business.
This is something that I've based pretty much this entire podcast around. So certainly if you were looking for alternatives or strategies, outside of this, definitely check out the previous episodes, but I did want to dive a little. Deeper for those of you guys who maybe just want some introspective questions to know, wow, okay. All I've been told is that I need to grow my Instagram following or that I need to do five reels a day or share my entire life and my stories. And so your mind might be awakened to the fact that okay, wait, there are other ways.
So let me think through this and let me think, is this something that I want to do? And Kate. And touched on this on the last episode and that within these four strategies, I had a huge kind of wake-up call when she said to me, as I showed her a little graphic that I put together in preparation for our upcoming reunion, which is going to be happening.
This week. So you might even be listening to this. after having seen my presentation at our company's annual conference, which we call reunion. And so in preparation for my presentation, I made. A little graphic that breaks down the four different social media strategies, just to show that. There are differences between them. And so I think that's going to be a helpful way today for us to compare and contrast the different strategies with what again, seems to be taught as the only way to do it. And I think that you'll be able to both know whether or not in your soul, this is the right strategy for you, or you'll have some good insight into comparison with the other strategies.
Okay. So one of the things I left that Kate shared was that there is a progression. Oftentimes when someone does become an online influencer, a lot of times it's because they've been in their business for a while. They've done all the things they've learned the things, and they've grown a following. Maybe they've grown a big team.
maybe they've just found that content creation and putting themselves out there in a big way, brings them a lot of joy. Maybe they've had a lot of personal development. That comes naturally with this business model that has given them the belief that they absolutely can put themselves out there in a big way, and people can be attracted to that. And so that in turn creates a following. But the problem with that is if you are just getting started in your business, or maybe you don't have that belief in confidence in yourself to think that you could do it too yet, you can think.
I need to copy what she's doing, even though I could. Not be like her right. And then you don't have the same results as her and then the cycle continues of frustration, disappointment, and so on and so forth. And so I love something that Kate said that within these four strategies, the ignore method, the integrate method, the investment method and the influencer method, or the strategies.
There's a progression. And a lot of times when people, the shiny objects that you see out there that are set the top sellers, the top leaders, a lot of times they've reached that influential influencer status, but it wasn't prior to going through. Or building their businesses using one of the other strategies.
So I think it would be really helpful
to talk through the visual, which of course, if you're listening to this on the podcast, which a lot of you guys are. And if you're listening, it might be hard to track through. So if you want to, at any point, head on over to the call to lead community on telegram, I'll make sure to drop this graphic. Or again, maybe you're watching this from.
Reunion, from our company's annual conference. And you've already seen this visual and you're inspired by it. this will be talking through it a little bit more. but imagine we've got four columns right on this graphic where we've got the ignore column, the integrate column, the investment column, and then the influencer column.
And then I basically have five different ways that they are set apart. So that's what we're going to do is compare and contrast and see the progression of what this looks like. In building up to possibly that influencer level. So we've already talked extensively about the first column, which is the ignore column. That is what I have been exemplifying myself personally, with taking an entire year off of social.
And again, I've said that probably only about 1% can do that. can it be done? Absolutely. Is it the strategy that I recommend if you're trying to grow your network marketing business? Not so much, not as your only strategy? I would say that definitely. There are some lessons learned within there too.
implement maybe some of the strategies that aren't social media into your business. But again, we'll talk more about that, but they ignore is no social. So then in fact, you still have to do the work, so you better build a network. So that's going to be like your, your kind of focuses in growing a network.
It can be difficult to stay connected. And you're going to have to invest your time and sometimes money elsewhere. And again, only 1% can do it well. So those are the kind of qualities that make up that ignore strategy. So go back and listen to episode 66 in particular is the one where I dive a little bit deeper into that with four key alternatives to social media.
And I think you'll really love that if you want to be in the ignore method, or if you want to just know some alternatives to social media. But let's move into the ones that do utilize social media. So the integrate method will get its entire interview coming up very soon of someone who's exemplifying doing this really well. And it will get an entire episode dedicated for how to do it. And that is the strategy that I am now choosing to do in my business.
It's also how I built my business. And it's the way most of the girls that are now influencers, unless they were an influencer prior to joining your company. Most of them. did this as well. And so if no social media is the ignore strategy, this is sharing your life and your business together on social media. Meaning you're not just talking about your product, you're not just talking about your business, but you're also not just talking about your family, your kids, your.
whatever your hobbies, the things that you have going on in your life, you're integrating those two together and you're not, you're going to have to overcome the tra or the fear of what it looks like to put those two together. Because a lot of times I see people hide behind a private Facebook profile or they'll go and try the investment strategy, which we'll talk about next, which is they'll create a separate business page or a separate Instagram, because as scary as it is to put your business or your product out there to the people who already know and love you, it's by.
By far, the most effective and by far the best way to start. And that's what it looks like is sharing your life, your product and your business together. But through this integrate method. So if ignore is building. network. This is building trust. You already have a network. You already have friends. I guarantee you I'll have hundreds of friends. It might be a hundred, 200,000.
Some of you might even have more than that, of all the people that you've connected with over your life, from like middle school, high school, college, your kid's friends, the people that you're still meeting and getting connected with most of the time, your friends on Facebook sometimes on Instagram as well.
If you're using that as a social aspect. So what you got to do if you're using the integrate method is you've got to focus on building trust and we'll talk extensively about what this looks like coming up, but you've got to build trust and respect. So if you're posting a bunch of political stuff,
keep in mind, you're going to alienate. That's fine if you have that opinion, but keep in mind, it'll alienate pretty much anyone who has a different belief or, different mindset about the political strongholds that you have, in, in your life. So that might lead to a lack of trust, or if you've done 1,000,001 different companies, or like Kate said, if you're trying to sell 1,000,001 different companies right now on that platform, it's going to lead to a lack of trust.
So your goal with the integrate is to build trust. So the fear factor, the part that makes it hard is you do have to have the courage to connect. You've got to have the courage to take. And start conversations with the people that you know, and I'm not talking about the achy, make a list of all of them and send every single one of them, a Facebook message. It's Hey, I started this business. I want you to join me. No, that's not at all. What I'm talking about. I'm talking about engaging with them, commenting, staying connected with them.
When it feels right. Start a conversation, maybe through watching one of their stories. maybe if they watch one of your stories and they comment on it. Then you can start that conversation. Just ask them questions, get to know them. Be human, be a friend. And when it feels right to invite them to something that's when you can take that next step, but it can be hard to have the courage to connect with the people that you already are.
are already are in the same network, right? That are already following you. So that's the hard part about the integrate. also, this is where you are going to have to invest your time in your personal belief. So you have to not worry a bit about what your boyfriend from high school thinks or what that mean. Girl from college thinks about what it is that you're doing, or what you're applying in a previous company is worried about.
You have to believe in yourself, your product, your company, and the business model. And that kind of takes a little bit of work in personal development, but I'm telling you. part of that is actually just putting yourself out there and overcoming the fears. of integrating what it is that you love your product, what has changed your life, your business, and integrating that in with your existing network. Okay.
And so for this reason, Anyone can do it. Anyone can. So if 1% can do the ignore method. The other 99% can absolutely do this in me. One can do this. Okay. So that's the integrate. Again, we'll talk more extensively about that, but I'm just going through the progression of each of these columns.
till, until we get to influencer. So the next one is the investment strategy. So this is where you are starting a separate account that is dedicated to your business. So I want you to think about this. This is if you were starting a business, right? if you were starting, I have some friends at a new customer, Melissa and Dan who've started a franchise for amazing and beautiful window coverings.
So that's a business for them. So they are going to treat it like a business. They may or may not, invest in. In a Facebook page for their business. But if they do guess what they're going to provide value and education on the product, how it's going to solve the problems of the people who might be interested in it and educate them on maybe the different offerings that they have. So I've already met with them and I know they've got like everything from, the Roman shades to beautiful drapes, to like the,
What do they call it plantation shutters. And so educating their customers would be something that they could do on that platform. So the same goes with you. When you've started a network marketing business, you can, this isn't a harder and more difficult strategy, but you can treat it like a business and you can, and there are people who've been successful with starting a separate business page or a separate Instagram, and they go all in on sharing the product.
So again, ignore is no social integrate is sharing the life and the business together. The investment method is going to be focused on your product and the value it gives. Okay. So then the next line down is if you're building a network outside of social with the ignore method, and you're building trust using the integrate method, the investment is where you start to focus on building a following, right?
Because you're speaking to anyone out there who might. Be interested in what it is that you have to offer. Okay. And you're speaking to a different group most of the time, unless you're consistently sharing it on your personal profile, which in that case, I might just have you share it to begin with on your personal profile, because again, it's like you're in that case, everyone's going to see it right.
but you're going to focus on building a following based on the value. But in here comes the hard part. So the middle section is the hard part. And what's hard about this is it can be really hard to get people, to see you. It can be hard to get eyeballs when you take the strategy one, because the algorithms and social media, they are built.
To basically get you to advertise. That's how they make money and they know businesses. If they want more eyeballs, they're going to boost the posts or they're going to take some of their marketing dollars and they're going to invest in it to speak, to, to spread the word or you're going to have to get really creative.
And find ways to get people to watch you. You're going to have to ask for referrals. You're going to have to maybe invite your friends and family to go on and like your business page. So my question to you with that, especially contrasting it to the integrate. is it scarier to invite your friends and family to like your business page or is it scarier to just connect and have a conversation and maybe invite them to a class that you're hosting it at your house or an online presentation about your product or your business, which is harder.
I will tell you that inviting them to something. Something that is going to be a little bit more of a specific. presentation of what it is that you have to offer is always going to bring greater results rather than just. Inviting them to click the like button and maybe see your posts that you post on that.
So it can be really hard using the investment strategy to get people, to see you. if you choose this strategy, you are going to have to invest a lot of time. And a lot of times money. in the education and in the value of what that looks like. So this might look like, in fact, I'm going to be doing an interview coming up with Mandy Emerson.
who is the CEO of the fierce? she's this fierce social podcasts leader, and she has an incredible company that's dedicated to this specifically, which is helping business owners and entrepreneurs grow their following to grow their business. But what's funny is she's also in our company. She is also a Saint artist and she knows as well as I do.
And we're going to talk extensively about this, that a lot of times the strategies that might work to build again, followers, maybe for your franchise or for like when I had my bridal shop. The things that might work for that are a little different than what's going to work with you building your own personal business within your product and your company and your business model. Okay. But you're still going to have to learn how to do it, You're still going to have to invest your time, your value in education.
So for me, I actually am currently using this investment strategy on YouTube. So I, you guys, YouTube is a beast. It is a totally different ball game and a totally different animal, but it's something I've always secretly wanted to do. And so my. Amazing assistant. Jess was the one that at the beginning of the year just gave me the courage to just go for it. But guess what? I'm not just doing the exact same thing that I would have done if I were trying to grow an Instagram. I'm not focusing on the integrates strategy right over there.
I'm investing time and money. I literally bought a course that is helping me know exactly what's most effective in the YouTube sphere. I'm spending time watching and learning from my friends. Like I interviewed Amy Darley, on this podcast, I can link. That in the show notes for episode of how she built her, she's got like a returner and 60,000 followers on YouTube.
And so I'm learning from her, from what's working, but guess what it's taking, it's investing time value and education, and you guys I'm finally starting to get results from it. I've had my first few sales from YouTube, which is exciting, but you guys, I'm three months in and I've got just a few sales to show for it.
Now I'm keeping going. I'm investing my time and energy in this. I'm committing to do a video a week and repurposing that content to create some shorts in there. But it's an investment. It's an investment of my time. It's an investment of, my, even my delegation with having my assistant, helping with some of these things and this isn't something that I would recommend for someone who's trying to start their network marketing business, but it can be a good strategy.
If you're looking to maybe expand it or take on a new platform. Okay. And so for that reason, given that there is a lot of information out there about 5% of people can do this well. and so it, can it be done? Absolutely. And can you do it? Yes. Is it the easiest way? I would say not so much, but it is a way to do it. So that's investment.
And again, we'll talk more extensively about that in the weeks to come. So let's contrast all of this, to the lovely last column, which is the influencer strategy. So if ignore is no social, if integrate is sharing your life and your business, and the investment is focused on sharing your product, the influencer strategy is focused on sharing you.
You are the brand, you are the face of your social media platform. And really, when you're focused on this. You are sharing all the facets that make you. So if you are a dancer and you create dancing videos, that's one way to do it. I know Kelly, and my team, she does amazing with her business and she does it by literally doing incredible dancing videos and like Ellen degenerates. I think it was Ellen, literally did a remake remix or.
You guys. I haven't been on Instagram in a year, so I can't read what it's called, but where you like copy someone's real, whatever. She did that. Which is crazy and so exciting, but she's putting herself out there in a big way to, to build a following. So the influencer strategy is focused on building a following by sharing you. So maybe you are really good at hair and you're doing hair tips. So this is a strategy I've told you guys I've done all of these.
Okay. I've literally tried all of these methods. So I know what I'm talking about. This was, there was a season for about a year. Was it about a year? Maybe even less than a year where I tried this and I did hair tutorials. representing the company launch. And I actually did. I did pretty great with it, and I'm glad that I did it because it was a huge fear in a mindset that I couldn't do it, that I overcame by doing it, and then doing pretty well. How, however, it also helped me to know that the influencer strategy is not something that I want to do because.
I felt like I was just sharing the sales that were happening or the new stuff just to make money. And I wasn't sharing it from a genuine place of like again and again, enjoying consecration sharing the things that I loved and putting it out there. And so that's one of the strategies. Or one of the challenges that comes with the influencer strategy is you've got to feel really authentic about what it is that you're sharing and the things that you love.
And people can feel it y'all, they can feel it if you're just sharing whatever it is that you're putting out there just to make money versus like you're sharing because you truly love it, or because it really has made a difference in your life and you want to help other people. do that as well. Okay.
So the influencer strategy, it's a little bit challenging because you essentially are the brand and you have to put all facets of your life out there. And, some people feel very confident and very comfortable doing this. And again, some people. Got there from the personal belief and development of doing the other strategies, Of doing a lot of the hard things over and over again that made them feel confident to be able to do it.
themselves. So again, like the investment strategy, your focus here is going to be on building a following. So this is volume. Based. So your funnel, I've got a whole other podcast episode called pick your path and fill your funnel. a funnel for someone doing the integrate strategy might be a little bit smaller. but the investment or the influencer, and sometimes the investment strategy, it's going to be a big funnel.
You're going to have a lot of eyeballs that are seeing what it is that you're doing. You. if you do it right, So again, it can be really difficult to build that following, but even when you do build a following, you've got a lot of people, but that means like the connections. And that's the hard part about this is it's hard to even find the time to make the connections within the individual people that are following you.
Or within the individual people that purchase from you or join you in business. It can be really difficult to find or make the time needed to connect with them. And the deeper way. To where they're going to continue buying from you to where they're going to continue supporting you or to whether they're going to take that next step.
In joining you in business, or even if they do join you in business, which sometimes they join you to be your like business bestie, which again, you don't have the time or the energy to be able to do that. So then they're like disappointed. Whereas if you did make the time to intentionally and individually connect with them.
You might find like a great new friend. I know Kate. I think we talked about this. If we didn't. I'll talk about it now, but one of her top leaders, Ray Lynn, they did meet on Instagram and Raelynn did have a great following on Instagram, but Kate took the time to intentionally connect, to get to know Raelynn and on a deeper level, Ray Lynn did decide to come over from a different company to join Kate.
In business and she has absolutely thrived here, but even more important than that. They have become really close and really good friends. So if you're not taking the time to intentionally connect with people, first of all, it could be holding you back from growth in general. I know my amazing sister-in-law. She is an artist and she makes amazing jewelry and does live wedding paintings.
And she's built an incredible following blending the influencer and investment strategies. Not she's not network marketing, but she's done a great job of that. But one of the reasons and the ways that she was able to do that is because she took the time to intentionally. Connect with the people that were engaging with her stories, the people who were commenting on the things that she was doing, she got to know them and she built relationships with them, which also brought her fulfillment.
And led to a greater trust. Okay. So again, the hard part for ignore is hard to say, stay connected. The integral. Part for integrate is to, it's hard to have the courage to connect the investment. It's hard to get people just to see you, to even connect with them, to begin with, even if you want to connect with them. And then finally the influencer is it's just hard to find the time or make the time to build that deeper connection with your followers, with your customers and with the people who decide to join you in business.
So it's hard. It's not easy. So then the next line is again, if ignore is investing your time in alternatives to social media. The integrate method is investing your time in your personal belief through maybe personal development so that you can feel confident to put yourself out there. The investment again is investing time, money, and education to learn how to do it effectively. The influencer, your time is going to be invested in content creation. So you better like it.
It is not something that brings me joy. And that's honestly one of the primary reasons why that is not a strategy that I want to do. I do feel confident in myself. I love. Making, making videos, I am not scared to go live or do any of those things that can be so scary. but to be honest, I just don't enjoy things like creating reels or,take it like good grief taking selfies or any even pictures in general. Like when people are like, oh, here, let me take a picture of you standing by that, whatever I'm like.
I'm not going to do anything with that. I just don't feel comfortable posting a picture of myself. And again, that's more of an influencer strategy and there is no harm if you are. If you are that way and you do feel confident and you can change people's lives by doing that. It's just not something that is who I am. And it might be something that is not who you are. And so this is your kind of decision point of okay, do you want to do all of these things? do you want to share you as the brand.
Do you want to grow and build a following versus again, going back to, I think it's episode 68, where if relationships are the foundation of your business, and then it's hard to find time to connect and build relationships. Are you in it for the relationships? Are you in it for the reels? And I actually had an awesome listener of the podcast.
Send me the most encouraging message this week. staying just that she's thank you so much for sharing your heart on this, because for me, this is her talking she's for me, I value relationships over reals and I was like, yes, girl, like that is so good. And that is definitely, that could be you too. And so having the freedom.
To know that if you love making content, if you love putting yourself out there. Go for it. If you don't maybe choose some of these other ways to do it, cause you don't have to do that. Okay. And I know this from experience because I've decided not to do it. And so for all of these reasons, given the fact that it is very challenging to get to this point to where you can build a following and you can have the confidence to share every facet of your life in the influencer world. I would say only one to 2%, certainly less than 5% can do this well.
So if you're not in that 95 to 99%. Give yourself the freedom to know there are other ways, but also if you are in that one to 5%, that this suits you and serves you absolutely go for it. Know that you can get so much joy and fulfillment by exercising those gifts, those talents, those passions, and sharing the things that you love.
With the people who are following you and you can make intentional time to focus and make connections and build relationships, which again is going to even build your following. It can absolutely be done. And I wouldn't tell the, that small group of you that you shouldn't do it. So if you're listening to this, there is no shame in selecting this Azure strategy.
I just want to educate you guys and create the conversation around the fact that there are other ways. Okay. So once again, this is the entire purpose of. As podcast, if you want more of this, definitely make sure to subscribe. If you're watching this on YouTube. Yay. You can like and subscribe and do all the things. definitely check out the show notes for all kinds of good stuff next. next steps, all of the different things.
And you can always text the word podcast to my business cell 9 1 2 4 0 5 8 9 1 2. And you can get plugged into the costly community and we can. I have a conversation about this. As always, thank you so much for spending some time with me this week, and I hope this was helpful and I can't wait to see how this impacts your business. Thank you guys so much.
