by Alan Luce

Alan Luce

What a year 2009 has been so far!  For direct sales party planners this year of recession has been challenging in many respects.  A few companies seem to be blowing right through the economic downturn as though it isn’t there.  Other companies are struggling to keep their businesses on course.  It is a year of anomalies: for many companies the surprise is that the all important retail-sales-per-guest and party average retail sales figures have held steady or dropped just slightly, but the bottom has dropped out of the activity rate.  In these companies the primary obstacles seem to be a lack of confidence among the sales force that hosts will book in this economy and that the hosts will  be able to get guests to attend the party.  Though the statistics from the parties held dispute this belief, once that lack of confidence invades the sales force it is hard to displace.

The best solution that I have seen to the booking and attendance “confidence” problem is to find great “good news” stories and publish them frequently to the sales force.  Do not wait for your traditional communications vehicle schedule.  Create short attractive story templates and tell the stories about great new Consultant first party results, hostess success results where they set a goal to get $100 of free stuff and surpassed their goal.  In addition to publishing these good news stories out to the field weekly, put the same stories with new Consultant, new leader and host testimonials on the company public web site.

We all know that we are working with mostly part-time volunteer sales forces.  But sometimes we forget just how much of their party plan business activity is driven by their “confidence and belief” in the business.  The more that we can give them proof that their peers and colleagues are enjoying success when they choose to work in this economy, the more our sellers will get their sales “mojo” back and our businesses will grow again.

Few people in the direct sales industry can match the experience, expertise and successes of Alan Luce. With over 25 years in senior management, guiding start-ups and established companies alike, Alan has met virtually every challenge a direct sales executive can face.  Learn more about how Alan can help your company at http://www.luceandassociates.com/Alan-Luce.html.

Videos are among the most virally-shared content on the internet

Social media is an excellent tool for finding people that have an interest in your company’s product or service.  Once a company has defined its social media strategy, along with its targeted niche market, then it’s time to use content marketing to provide value to that niche, and engage them in ways that lead to the behaviors the company seeking.

For example, if your goal is to find additional customers for your business, then you would provide content that provides solutions to problems that your targeted niche has.  This could be done through blog posts on the topic,  “how-to” videos, live events, etc.  If you sell skincare, the content might discuss how to keep your skin looking young.  If you sell kitchenware, your targeted niche may be looking for quick and simple ways to prepare family meals.  Whatever it is, you need to find your prospects’ common problems, and then give them solutions they can use RIGHT NOW without having to buy a thing.  This might mean changing up the way you’ve been used to presenting your product line.  If you’ve been used to just selling the features and benefits of your products, you are going to have to go further and become a true expert in your field.  Read what others are writing about.  Find the solutions your prospects are seeking.  By doing so, you will provide much greater value to your niche.

Once you have the content, use it on your blog, your YouTube channel, or your Ustream live events.  Provide content that offers solutions to your targeted niche.  Invite and encourage comments in order to engage your prospects.  And always give them a place to sign up so they can get more info from you, as well as virally share your content with their social networks.  After all, you’re positioning your company as the expert that gives them solutions they can use.  Why wouldn’t they want more?  Why wouldn’t they share with and refer their friends?

As you build a group of targeted followers on social networking sites, send them to your content that offers solutions, and then invite them to join your list, you help people work their way down your sales funnel.  You can then engage these highly-targeted content consumers on a level impossible through social networking (just conversing on tools such as Facebook and Twitter) alone.  They can join groups, receive targeted offers, participate in online events you offer, etc.  And the people who remain engaged become some of your very best customers.

Jennifer Fong, Social Media Associate

So as you craft your social media strategy, be sure to keep content marketing in mind.  It is the strategy that works best in a social media arena that doesn’t want to be “sold,” but that consumes information passionately.  Be a part of their solutions, and new customers and recruits will follow.

Learn more about how we can help you with your direct sales company’s social media strategy at http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html

What do you think?  Would love to hear how you are using a content marketing strategy below!