How about some tips, secrets, and strategies that are a little more strategic, untapped, and actionable?
1. The Online Guerrilla Marketing Method Of PR
Believe it or not, word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most powerful ways to promote network marketing products.
In fact, most multi-million dollar MLM companies were built via word-of-mouth, and that was back in the 60s.
These days, with the internet (and a little creativity), you can get the word out on a MASSIVE scale.
How?
It’s simple.
Send your products to bloggers for them to review.
I’ll explain.
A while ago, I was looking into an MLM company called “In A Pikle” and stumbled across this In A Pikle product review:
The first thing I noticed was the message above the fold:
Thank you In A Pikle for providing me with a product to review, free of charge. These are my own honest opinions.
It’s a classic example of the business owner using the power of word-of-mouth marketing by giving away the product to bloggers to review…
And it looks to have worked incredibly well!
Take a look at a few of the comments from the blog’s readers:
…and did you see how powerful that call-to-action was?
The blogger, Rachel, threw in the works:
With all the quality products the MLM industry offers, you shouldn't’t have any trouble getting positive reviews along with interested readers to your distributor link.
Here’s how to do it:
First, head over to Tomoson, and then click on “Send Products To Influencers” and then choose the category that best fits the products you sell:
You’ll then have a range of targeted blogs to choose from along with a wealth of stats and info:
Start investigating.
When checking out blogs, look for some kind of “Sponsored Post,” or “Advertise With Us” page:
These pages will basically explain what the deal is:
Next, once you have done some homework and have a few blogs that you like, send the webmaster an email.
Something along the lines of this:
Hi [First Name]!
I just stumbled across [Blog Name], love your style and the products you review.
I actually sell [Topic] products and wanted to ask you about having one of them reviewed. I’m very interested and curious on the steps involved.
I’d be more than happy to send you over the product on the house. I could even work out some type of discount or giveaway for your readers.
Let me know if you’re interested.
Thanks!
[First Name]
When you come to an agreement, send over your product. And when the post goes live, do what you can to promote it!
Pro Tip: Reach out to the founders, upline & leaders of your MLM and let them know about it. They can be a HUGE help with promotion.
*Optional Ninjitsu: Aside from product reviews, you could find blogs in the work from home / make money online space and write reviews about your business opportunity.
2. Dominate with Inbound Marketing
Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. Recent reports suggest that 90% of today’s shoppers skip marketing pitches, to research online before they buy, and over 50% check user reviews before making a decision.
Markethive is the first and only social network integrated with a powerful intuitive inbound marketing (automated marketing) platform. Built for the entrepreneur, small business, and network marketers. Markethive is totally free and generates it's revenue through advertising like Facebook and Linkedin. Markethive even returns up to half the advertising revenue back to the subscribers that join the affiliate program.
If tools like email autoresponders (better than Aweber even), blog platforms (makes Wordpress even better), press release co-ops (Real PR.org professional releases) capture page widgets (plug ins for WordPress, simpleleadcapture.com, , plugins and pages, broadcasting tools (like Hootsuit), live conference rooms (like GoToMeeting), traffic portals (like Veretekk had) and additional arrays of powerful tools, workshops and mentoring webinars, interest you, then you need this platform! Not to mention a powerful affiliate program..
3. Social Funnel Engine
This Social Automation Software Solves 3 of The Largest
Problems SMBs Face with Social Marketing
This software is almost ready for release.
4. Attract MLM Opportunity Seekers and Customers With ‘Money’ Keywords
Knowing the general keywords that your target market uses is beneficial. But knowing the money keywords is profitable.
When you start using “buyer” or “joiner” keywords within your content, your sales and downline will skyrocket!
What are money keywords, exactly?
- Buy
- Purchase
- Join
- Sign up
- Distributor
- Representative
- Consultant
- Discount
- Order
- Coupon
- Price
- Deal
- Shop
- Sale
- Wholesale
- Promo
- Bonus
- Shipping
- Delivery
Examples:
- Buy ___ products online
- How to became a ___ distributor
- Join ___
- ___ 3ree shipping code
- Find a ___ sales representative
- ___ coupon code
These are used by people who have credit card in hand ready to buy. The types of people you want to attract!
But, in order to attract them, you first need to know the exact keyword phrases they use.
Here’s how to find out:
The first step is to fire up a keyword research. The one that I use is Market Samurai.
Head over to Market Samurai, enter your name and email, and then download the free trial version:
The next step is to connect Google Keyword Planner to Market Samurai.
Click “File” (top-left), then click “Settings” and add your Google Adwords email address and password.
If you currently don’t have a (free) Google Adwords account, then you’ll see a link to create one from inside the software:
Next, create a project.
Enter in the name of your MLM for the title and keyword, and then head over to “Keyword Research.”
For this example, we’ll check out Avon:
Next, click the “Generate Keywords” button. This will load up a list of keywords, which will usually take a minute.
Once it loads you up with keywords, click the “Keyword Analysis” button:
This is where you can get all the prime intelligence about the exact keywords that your target market uses.
With Avon being such a popular direct sales company, I was easily able to dig up loads of “buyer” and “joiner” keywords:
As you can see, Market Samurai provides you with lots of metrics, some of which are quite interesting.
You can find out what each one means by hovering your mouse over it:
Also, instead of researching your company’s name (which may not yield many results), try looking into the types of products you sell.
Which might be:
- Health/Fitness/Wellness
- Coffee/Tea/Specialty Beverages
- Weight Management
- Financial Services
- Nutritional Supplements
- Housewares
- Cosmetics
- Jewelry
- Skincare
- Personal Care
With this data, not only do you have the searchable keywords, but you can come up with solid content ideas.
There’s also a lot of network marketing tips on this list where your keywords will come in handy, such as:
- Stalk forums and social sites (next on the list)
- BuzzBundle (#5 on the list)
- Google recon missions (#6 on the list)
- Google My Business (#10 on the list)
Bottom line:
Your keywords list is one of the most valuable resources you can have by your side. Without it, you would be taking a shot in the dark.
Markethive Keyword search and copy density control
Markethive has a useful tool that tracks keywords then allows you to choose the keywords to control density in your blog platform as you write. Thereby allowing you to produce perfect keyword density in your content. Markethive is totally free and is the most powerful (and only Inbound Marketing Social Networks platform online at any price.
3. Stalk Forums and Social Sites For Laser-Targeted Prospects
As you probably know, there are lots of MLMs that do millions (if not billions) of dollars per year in product sales.
And, for most MLMs, potential customers and opportunity seekers need to find a sponsor to buy the products or to join the business opportunity.
Now, most prospects will search Google and head to the corporate website, but some of them will try their luck at the forums or social media sites.
Like this guy:
And this lady:
And what about this guy?
These are some laser-targeted prospects!
Here’s how to find them:
First, head over to your list of keywords and round up the questions that have a decent search volume.
For example, here are some questions with decent search volume that I discovered from the list of Avon keywords:
- How to become an Avon rep
- How to order from Avon
- How does Avon work
- Buy Avon products online
The idea is that if people ask these questions in Google, then they probably ask the same thing in forums and social sites.
Let’s find out…
Boardreader.
This is a search engine that pulls up forums, boards, and Q&A sites.
Head over to Boardreader, enter your keyword, and then click “search.”
In the example below I did a search for “how does Avon work,” and found someone asking this exact question:
As it turns out, this particular person is looking at becoming an Avon rep to earn a little extra income:
This would be a great opportunity for you to jump in and provide an expert answer.
Tip: Try using quotes to get more specific results. When you put your search query in quotes, it tells the search engines to search only for the phrase.
Google Search.
With Google, you want to find people asking questions or seeking advice.
To do so, you can add the “discussions button extension” (Chrome only) or you can add this string to the end of your search query:
inurl:forum|viewthread|showthread|viewtopic|showtopic|”index.php?topic” | intext:”reading this topic”|”next thread”|”next topic”|”send private message”
Like so:
You can also pull up fresh discussions by using the “search tools” feature:
This is also a great strategy to promote your content.
So you would find discussions that relate to your content and then share your expertise (and possibly your link).
Social Networking Sites.
Defiantly worth checking them out, especially Facebook.
You may even stumble across prospects looking for information on joining or buying product:
This is a perfect opportunity for you to personally help them out, and to potentially recruit them into your downline.
Now, finding the perfect MLM prospect is great.
But success with the recruiting and selling part will come down to your communication and the type of VALUE you offer.
My advice:
Be polite, honest, and treat the discussions like you would in real-life business or networking relationship.
Overall, this is a great way to understand and network with your target audience which is what you should really be doing.
4. Get Your Buzz On With BuzzBundle
BuzzBundle is a piece of software that finds discussions based on your keywords.
You can use BuzzBundle to promote content, build your brand, and drive traffic to your blog.
Here’s how:
First, head over to BuzzBundle and enter your name and email address to download a free copy:
The first thing you want to do is head over to “Search Safety Settings” under the “Preference” tab, and enable all of the “Human Emulation” settings.
This will stop the software from scraping search engine data too quickly or with too many queries (which may cause Google to start giving you captchas).
Next, click on “Add Streams”:
And then add keywords related to your content that of which you want to promote.
For example, if I wanted to promote this post, I would run with topics based around MLM training, tips, and strategies:
BuzzBundle will then find discussions that mention your keywords across a number of channels, such as:
- Forums
- Blogs
- Q&A Sites
- Social Networks
Once finished, you’ll see your streams populated with posts about your topic:
Note: Once your 15 day trial period ends, you’ll be downgraded to the free version, which gives you 30% visibility on the streams.
The next thing you need to do is create a persona. This will be the identity you post under:
On the next page, fill out your registration details – username, password, email, and email password.
The next step is where you can include personal details such as date of birth, gender, location, “About Me” description etc.
Filling this section out is only necessary if you want BuzzBundle to create new social media and forum profiles for you.
Next, start connecting your existing social media accounts:
Choose the “Use Existing” option, and then add your account login details.
Now it’s time to get your buzz on!
Go through the streams and start looking for opportunities where you can engage in conversations or where you can share your link.
For example, this person is interested in MLM strategies:
So I would engage with this person and share a link to my post. I could head over to his blog and join the discussion and or I could reply with a tweet:
Overall:
There’s a bit of a learning curve with BuzzBundle, but once you get on a roll, you can generate a lot of targeted traffic from all over he web.
5. Send Google On Recon Missions
The strategy above is great for finding your target audience on the go.
But what if there was a way to get notified whenever discussions about your topics arise online?
I have good news. There is!
Google Recon Alerts.
This is a free service that monitors the Web and sends you an email whenever it finds newly published content based on your keywords.
So basically, whenever someone mentions your company, products, brand, or whatever, you’ll get the heads up about it.
Here’s how to do it:
First, head over to Google Alerts and enter a topic that you want to monitor (examples listed below), and then click “Show Options”:
Next, adjust the settings to your liking, enter your email address and then hit the “Create Alert” button:
Your set!
Now it’s time to get a little creative. Below are a few clever alerts that you can work with.
1. Brand name.
Monitoring your brand name will help you manage your online reputation as you can actively respond to whatever gets posted about you.
Whether people say good things or bad things, you can thank the good ones and address the bad ones.
Here are the alerts I use to monitor my website, brand, and name:
- www.markethive.com
- www.markethive.net
- http:// markethive.com
- https://markethive.com
- markethive.com
- markethive
- “market hive”
- “markethive blog”
2. Upline and downline members.
In addition to monitoring your name, you should also keep an eye on your upline and downline (especially your downline).
If you get alerted about content they’ve published, their interactions or whatever, you can help them out – share their content, throw in a good word, etc.
Knowing that you’re supporting their work and that you’ve got their back will give them a great deal of confidence.
3. Question based terms.
You can monitor questions that get asked about your direct sales company, team, products or services.
If you get alerted, then you can be the first one to move in and provide an expert answer.
Below are alerts set to monitor Direct Sales-related questions. But you can replace “Direct Sales” with whatever you like.
- How * Inbound Marketing
- When * Inbound Marketing
- Why * Inbound Marketing
- What * Inbound Marketing
- Will * Inbound Marketing
- Is * MLM
4. Local area terms.
Some people prefer having a sponsor who lives close to them, and the same thing goes with customers looking to buy.
This can provide you with perfect opportunities to connect with those that live close to you.
For an example, if you were an Amway distributor based in Brisbane, Australia – then you would set alerts up like so:
- Amway IBO Brisbane
- Amway IBO Australia
- Amway distributor Brisbane
- Amway distributor Australia
5. Content topics.
If someone is discussing a topic that you have written about, then you can join the discussion and share your opinion (and possibly your link).
So in my case, to get alerted of people that would be interested in this post, I would set alerts up like so:
- “network marketing tips”
- “network marketing strategies”
- “network marketing training”
- “network marketing secrets”
- “mlm lead generation”
You can also monitor your posts URL and or title. This way, you can thank those that have mentioned it:
- “20 untapped network marketing tips”
- http://ibokoolbox.com
The list goes on…
As you can see, there are tons of alerts that you can set up, it just comes down to getting a little creative and thinking outside the box.
One last thing:
You may not take too kindly to your primary inbox getting flooded with Google Alert emails…
So make sure you set up a separate folder to direct your alerts to, and then set aside an hour or so a week to go through them.
6. MLM Lead Generation Strategy (Share Content. Drive Traffic)
Question:
You share content, right?
Everybody shares content and that’s cool… but why not get a little something in return?
A little something called LEADS…
Network marketing leads!
Check this out:
Yep…that’s my (free) call-to-action on Ted Nuyten’s Direct Selling News Blog.
The secret?
Sniply.
This free tool allows you to attach your own call-to-action to any page you share on the web.
Here’s how to do it:
First, head over to Sniply and create a free account:
Next, find a high valuable piece of content (something that’s click-worthy), and then paste the URL into Sniply, and then click “snip”.
You can then customize your snip by adding a message, button text, and button URL:
So if your goal is MLM lead generation, then add an attention-grabbing message and a link to your capture page.
When finished, hit the “create” button:
Start sharing!
Sniply also has a web-browser add-on which will automatically convert the links you share into a Sniply link.
This way, you can share content (whilst promoting your stuff) on the fly.
Now:
You may be asking… “I won’t get much action on my Sniply links because I don’t have much of a following. “…
Not to worry, you just have to up the ante.
How?
Keep reading…
7. The Magic Bucket Strategy
Establishing authority and building a large following is a big challenge, especially for network marketing beginners.
How can you quickly build an audience and gain authority if you don’t have any knowledge, expertise or content?
Well, that’s where the Magic Bucket Strategy comes into play.
What is the Magic Bucket Strategy?
Basically, you pull and organize RSS feeds from all the top blogs within your space using a tool like Feedly.
And then you schedule a load of them to go out on all of your social media channels.
Throw Sniply into the mix and you can’t go wrong!
There are some good benefits with this:
1. Keeping an eye on all the top blogs in your space and studying them will help you become more knowledgeable and more of an expert in your field.
2. Keeping your social media channels active (with good stuff) will help you faster build a following.
3. And by adding Sniply links into the mix, you can generate leads and traffic.
Sound like a plan?
Awesome!
Here’s how to do it:
First, head over to Feedly and create a free account:
The next step is to load up on RSS feeds.
You want to keep everything organized by creating categories and adding specific blogs to each category.
For example, some categories and the types of blogs you may want to add might include:
- Network Marketing
- Internet Marketing
- Company/MLM News
- Motivation/Inspiration
- Entrepreneur
- Social Media
- Blogging
You can find blogs using the Feedly search bar, or you can search Google for “lists posts” that feature the top blogs within a niche.
For example, if you wanted to find the top motivational blogs, then you would run a search like so:
Quick Tip: Mix it up. Start rounding up all of your favorite quotes, pictures, and videos.
Next, fire up a social media scheduling tool and start loading it up with all the articles, videos, pictures, and quotes that you like.
If you need a good social media scheduling tool, then take a look at what Mass Planner can do.
You’ll want to do this in bulk. So schedule posts that will keep your social media channels active for at least a month.
Here’s a rough formula:
- Twitter – 3 times per day
- Facebook – 2 times per day
- Google+ – 3 times per day
You can go all out by posting to groups/communities and to other social media sites as well.
Rinse and repeat.
At the end of the month, or when your scheduler runs dry, head to Feedly and check out all the fresh posts, latest news etc, and then reload your scheduler.
Don’t forget to throw in some Sniply links. The Sniply web browser add-on will help you get the job done a LOT quicker.
Overall:
You’re looking at quite a bit of work (reading, writing, and copy/pasting). But once it’s done you’ll be set for the month.
And you’ll soon start seeing a lot of action on your social media channels along with a flow of traffic, leads, and new followers.
8. Here’s How To Organize Your Online Business.
Whenever I do keyword research on direct sales companies I always find people typing in “XYZ Company Login.”
Case in point:
So there are tons of distributors that head to the search engines to get to the back-office to then manually login.
Not good.
I did the same thing back when I first started online. I actually wrote down all my usernames and passwords into a notepad.
And let me tell you…it’s slow going.
You need to access ALL your sites on the fly without having to remember usernames/passwords and without having to manually login.
So how do you do it?
1Password.
This is a free tool that creates unique passwords for every site, remembers them all for you, and auto-logs you in with a single click.
It’s a huge time saver!
Here’s what the vault looks like from the inside:
As you can see, everything is nicely organized all in the one place.
Here’s how to get started:
First, head over to 1Password and click on the “Downloads” link:
Note: the free version of 1Password allows you to have up to 28 saved logins (I believe) which is actually quite generous of them.
Next, choose your platform, and then click on the “Free Download” button:
Once you open the app up, you’ll see the 1Password welcome message. Click on “I am new to 1Password” to create a new vault:
Save the vault to your computer, and then create a master password.
This is the one and only password that you’ll need to remember:
Next, open up 1Password, click the “Preferences Tool,” and then install the browser add-on in which you want to use 1Password on:
Now whenever you next login to a site, you’ll be prompt to save that login into 1Password.
Name the site and save it to 1Password.
You can then access and auto login to that site from the 1password button in your browser.
Your all set!
Now you can start going about your online business faster and easier!
9. Use This Network Marketing Secret To Rank #1 On Google
Have you ever stumbled across MLM Rep Directories like FindSalesReps, MLMGods, FindPartyPlanReps, etc?
Well, some of these services claim they’ll get you leads by ranking your MLM business on Google.
Sadly, the results you’ll get from some of these services are pretty poor. And some of the prices with them are a little costly.
Fortunately, there’s a better (free) way.
The secret?
What better way to rank your business on Google than by getting listed on Google itself?
I’ll explain with a live example:
There’s on average 1,500,000 people per month that type “Herbalife” into Google:
That statistic alone tells you it would be near impossible to rank on the 1st page of Google for that keyword, right?
Wrong.
Take a look at these distributors:
Impressive!
And they’re not just showing up for “Herbalife,” they’re showing up for loads of other keywords, too:
But here’s the kicker:
Google is showing these particular distributors because their “Distribution Service” is located close to where I live (Brisbane, Australia).
So basically, everyone who lives in your local area and who is searching Google for a sales rep will find you.
Also, the amount of phone calls and leads that you can potentially generate with this method will mainly depend on the popularity of your MLM company.
Either way, it’s defiantly worth getting listed.
10. Start A Self-hosted WordPress Blog
This is important.
There are way too many network marketers that settle for company replicated or cookie cutter websites.
Big mistake. (a mistake that I’ve once made).
Look:
Attracting the right people and building a loyal audience is tough going with those types of ‘pre-built’ or free websites.
But with a unique, professional site, you can attract all kinds of entrepreneurs that reach out to YOU wanting to do business.
And I’m not just talking about customers and opportunity seekers…
I’m talking about attracting the big name-ers, influencers, bloggers, companies, product owners, etc.
And to do so, you have to stand out.
For example, take a look at TnT Studios’ Retro Advertising 1980s blog:
It’s professional, unique, self branded, and she looks to be the “go-to” expert in It TnT Studios for 80s retro advertising artwork and campaigns
And my guess is that it converts really well, too.
Bottom line:
A website makes a HUGE difference!
It’s actually not that hard to set one up. In fact, you can have your own self-hosted WordPress blog live on the internet in under 30 minutes.
Here’s the step-by-step process:
Step 1: Choose A Domain Name
This will be your website address (e.g. markethive.com) as well as your “brand” name.
You can brand yourself (e.g YourName.com), which is a safe bet, or you can brand your business.
If you are leaning towards branding your business, then take a look at CEO of Markethive
Thomas Prendergast's tips on choosing the right domain name:
Once you have a domain name in mind, move onto the next step…
Step 2: Create A Hosting Account
Web-hosting is like renting space on the internet for your blog.
The hosting behind IBOKOOLBOX.COM is Knownhost – which is pretty much the default web-hosting provider for webmaster newbies and professionals alike.
Head over to Knownhost and click “Get Started Now”:
A credit card here is required as web hosting and domains aren’t free. But don’t worry, it’s really cheap.
Next, choose a plan.
The “MANAGED VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVERS” plan is a safe bet as you can easily upgrade at anytime down the road if need be.
The next page is where you type in your desired domain name along with your account and billing info.
Note: Unlimited Domains can be hosted in every server.
Once you have created your Knownhost account, move onto the next step…
Step 3: Install WordPress.
Open up the welcome email from Knownhost and login to your “Control Panel”:
The Control Panel may look overwhelming, but all you need to do in there is install WordPress.
Click the “Get Started With WordPress” link:
Next, click on the “Install WordPress” button:
On the next page, click “Install WordPress” .
Next, fill out the WordPress install form, and then click “Install WordPress” for the 3rd and final time.
Note: Keep the top-right box blank. Also, everything here can be changed later on:
Your site is now live on the web.
Well done!
Next, login to your site’s dashboard:
Now it’s time to spice things up a little…
Step 4: Choose A Theme.
A theme dictates the design and functionality of a site.
The simplest, dynamic, elegant solution is Fourteenpress
Now, WordPress has lots of free themes, but this one is responsive to all devices, easily configured and works well with Markethive blog plugins.
Do a search for the theme and choose both options "FourteenPress' and "Twenty Fourteen" (They work together) and activate "Fourteen Press"
Totally worth it!
It looks best with a banner. You can go find one searching, customize one, build one from scratch. It needs to be
1260 x 240 pixels. I did a simple image search for you Header 1260 x 240 image
Once you have a header image it is time to configure it into your layout.
From the Wordpress dashboard choose Appearance > Customize and you should see this
Next Add image and navigate to your image, upload it and admire the results.FYI: We have daily live workshops at Markethive if you need assistance
Want to customize Images?
Customize your downloaded banner with Pic Monkey
Pic Monkey also comes with a private community forum where paid staff and active members answer questions 24 hours a day.
The is the best place to go to if you ever need a hand. In fact, the The best community for entrepreneurs, not to mention the incredible tool store in their Inbound Marketing platform is Markethive
With your new blog up and running, you’re ready to create your first blog post. But before you do, be sure to read the next tip…
11. Get Blog Post Ideas. Create Quality Content
One of the most common question I get asked is…
“What should I blog about?”
It’s a biggie.
You may have been told that you can blog about anything under sun. After all, everyone is interested in your product or making money, right?
Wrong.
You need to pinpoint your ideal market and blog about whatever it is they’re searching for.
Here how:
Step 1: Get ideas via keyword research
Keyword research is where is starts. It’s how you come up with topics to blog about.
Fire up Market Samurai and look into the types of products and services you sell (explained in tip #3).
Step 2: Choose post type
With keywords by your side along with some topic ideas, it’s time to choose the types of blog posts to create.
The guys over at Digital Marketer have put together the ultimate list of blog post ideas, which reveals some of the best “types” of posts to do:
Step 3: Check your competitors
Content is King.
You don’t need to become a master at search engine optimization (SEO) in order to rank high in Google.
You just need to focus on creating great content.
The theory is simple:
It’s Google’s job to provide its users with the best stuff. So your goal should be to try and create the best stuff on the topics you choose.
So before you put pen to paper, do some deep research and check out what others have put together.
Not only to get a little inspiration, but to look for ways you can better improve on what’s already out there.
12. Hijack The Lists and Followers of Network Marketing Leaders
Content promotion is a biggie. In fact, most successful bloggers recommend spending more time on content promotion than content creation
Emailing your list and posting out to social sites is not enough. To get maximum exposure, you have to tap into the lists and followers of the leaders in your space.
How?
It’s simple.
Introduce your content to those who have shared something similar. Markethive does this in spades, it is a social network for entrepreneurs and delivers powerful tools, like their blog casting share tool. Find a group that shares your interests, or make a group and invite fellow entrepreneurs that share your interests and start a blog group. Markethive will publish your content into your Wordpress sites as well. Very powerful stuff.
Here’s the step-by-step strategy:
Step 1: Find highly-shared content similar to yours.
Buzzsumo is a great tool for the job, it will show you the most popular content based on social engagement.
Head over to Buzzsumo and run a search on your topic.
For example, if I was to use this tactic to promote this post, I would search for network marketing tips:
As you can see here, there are lots of articles on my topic that have racked up a lot of social shares.
Step 2: Build a list of influencers.
Click the “View Sharers” button:
These are the people who will most likely share your content. After all, they’ve already shared something similar:
Next, open up an excel spreadsheet or Google Doc and start building a list of influencers Name, Twitter ID, and email address.
Be sure to go through all the articles that are relevant to the content you want to promote.
Once finished, you’ll have a spreadsheet with fistfuls of influencers who will most likely share your content, or at least be interested in it.
Step 3: Reach out to influencers
Time to get the word out…
The best way to contact influencers is to head over to their site and send a message via their “Contact Form.”
This template will get you started:
Hi [First name]!
I was on Twitter today and noticed that you shared a post by [Author Name] on [Post Topic]. Really enjoyed the read, [Author First Name] is a great leader in our industry.
I thought I’d reach out to you today because I have a similar post that I know you’ll like.
You can check it out here: [Naked URL]
I’d love to get your opinion on it!
Thanks!
[First Name]
Pro tip: when it comes to email outreach, always make sure that your emails are personal, short, and to the point.
If you can’t find their site, then you can send them a Tweet.
Like this:
Hey [@Name], just checked out [Post Name or Link], classic stuff by [Author First Name]! Here’s a similar post that I know you’ll like: [Link].
Overall:
Just a handful of shares from these influencers can send you a wave of new visitors, which can then lead to more shares and more traffic and so on.
13. Hunt Down Link Prospects. Build Backlinks
A link pointing to your site is basically like a vote. The more votes you have, the higher you rank in search… or so they say.
Getting backlinks can be done using the same technique of getting social shares (tip #12).
Here’s how:
First, Google your keyword and then grab one of the URLs.
For this example, I’ll grab the URL that ranks #1 for “network marketing tips”:
Next, head over to Open Site Explorer, past in the URL, and then click “Search”:
In this case, there’s 76 different sites linking to this particular page – which would be good start.
Repeat this process with other high ranking pages from Google until you have a large list of key link prospects.
Back Links Management
Markethive is an Inbound Markrting platform and one of it's unique features is managing social accounts, websites, blogs, etc. that have a backlink. It monitors the backlink for integrity. The system will alert you when a backlink loses it's integrity and it is also a username and password vault and note taker for your many backlink accounts.
Viewing all Backlinks
Individual Account Management Panel
The next step is email outreach.
Now, keep in mind here, that you are sending a cold email asking these bloggers to replace a link in their article with yours.
It’s a tough ask.
There are tons of reasons why a blogger may or may not add your link.
But if your article is better than what they’ve currently linked to, then the odds of them replacing or adding your link will be a lot better.
Here’s a good script:
Hi [First Name]!
I was searching Google for [Topic] today and came across this post of yours: [URL].
I noticed that you linked to [Author Name] article on [Article Title]. Just wanted to give you the heads up that I created a similar one that is [Something Beneficial About Post].
You can see it here: [Naked URL]
Might be worth mentioning on your page as an extra useful resource?
Either way, keep up the good work with [Site Name]
Cheers,
[First Name]
Tip: Make the extra effort to pre-engage with these bloggers (follow, comment, like their stuff etc.) before you send an outreach email.
Now:
The art of linking in a social networked inbound marketing platform.
Markethive is a social network for entrepreneurs. It is also the most advanced Inbound Marketing platform and offers a new proprietary Blog Casting feature that helps build massive white hat back links. Because it is a social network of entrepreneurs, it promotes and manages Co Promotion and tech that simplifies it.
Blog Casting by Markethive
Markethive being a Social Network for Entrepreneurs, you can literally have 1000s of members Socially Follow your Blogs and every time you publish a new blog, your blog is announced on 1000s of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Wordpress and other Social networks. Reaching literally millions of potential subscribers and customers as well as building 1000s of back links organically
14. Give Testimonials
Giving testimonials can get you some great exposure, and in some cases can get you a link to your website or to one of your social media accounts.
Let’s take a look at a few places where you can land testimonials…
The blogs you follow:
There are lots of blogs that will have a testimonials page…
…and some of which will showcase testimonials from their readers.
So whenever you’ve gotten results, value or success from a blog, consider sending a testimonial.
Direct sales companies:
MLM companies love showing off their testimonials and success stories. Landing one on your company’s main site can do wonders.
Some direct sales companies will even have a place where you can create a testimonial and/or share your network marketing success:
Marketing tools:
Most product creators will showcase testimonials on their sales pages, and some will even pull them straight from social media:
So whenever you buy a product, service, or anything else that you like, consider sharing your thoughts on social media.
Now, you may be thinking that businesses will only feature testimonials from the big-name-ers…
But make no mistake.
Some throw in testimonials from average Joes and Janes because it better matches their target audience.
Also, I wouldn’t start sending out testimonials just for the sake of trying to get featured on websites, as they have to be genuine.
Overall:
Giving testimonials, sharing your results or success is one of those things to keep in the back pocket and do as you go.
15. Jump In On A Social Sharing Platform
One of the most easiest ways to build social proof, likes, shares, and followers is to jump in on a social sharing platform.
The way they work is simple:
You like/share/follow other members stuff and in return they’ll like/share/follow yours.
The platform that I run with is Markethive. Mainly because most of the users are into network marketing.
It’s really easy to use.
Here’s how:
First, head over to Markethive and create a free account.
Markethive is a Social Network and Inbound Marketing platform. Now just start promoting your Markethive profile page and finding friends. The more you have the greater power your blog casting system becomes. No cost, no credits, just friends required. The simple, the easy, that’s Markethive.
Publish a Blog:
A Socialized Traffic Exhange
Now, head over to IBOexchange and create a free account.
Next, start building up some credits by liking and sharing other members stuff.
Once you have some credits, you can then start getting likes, shares and followers to whatever page you like.
Simply choose the page you want to promote and then set the settings to your liking:
Next, sit back and watch the traffic come in:
Video Demonstration:
Overall:
Defiantly worth having at least one of these platforms in your arsenal. Though it’s not something you would spend all day everyday on.
But it is a great way to get your business and content off the ground and to a good start.
18. Mention Influencers Within Your Content (and then reach out to them)
Mentioning influencers within your content helps build credibility and expertise in the eyes of your ideal market.
As it gives the appeal that you know and associate with successful entrepreneurs and or brands within your space.
Influences can also have access to HUGE audiences, and if you have given them a mention, then they’ll more than likely share your content.
So, whenever you include a product, brand, company, or leader within your content – let them know about it!
For an example:
After signing up to Sniply I ended up receiving this message:
This gives me an even better opportunity to give him the heads up about mentioning the tool.
So in this case, I would reply with something like this:
Subject: Mentioned Sniply at the Markethive
Hi Mike!
Really digging Sniply so far, it’s a genius idea. I’ve already mentioned it within these 19 network marketing tips: [link] (tip#6)
I haven’t put Sniply into full use yet, but when I do, I’ll be checking out those premium features you speak of.
Thanks!
Mike
If you’re sending a cold email, then here’s a template you can use:
Subject: New Post That Mentions You
Hi [First Name]
My name is [First Name] from [Site Name]. I’m a big fan of your work.
I just wanted to give you the heads up that I’ve published a post on [Topic] and included a [Mention, Link, Quote etc] from your [Post Name].
Here’s the post: [Naked URL].
If you have time, I would love hear your thought!
Thanks!
[First Name]
Google+ Post.
When you share your post on Google+ you can also list out everyone that you’ve mentioned by adding a +TheirName tag.
This way, you can hit them ALL up with the one post:
This should get their attention because if they have notifications turned on, then they’ll get notified via email.
And they’ll also have that red bell icon light up:
Twitter Tweet.
Just like Google+, you can also get the attention of influencers you’ve mentioned by adding a @Username at the end of your tweets:
19. Intercept TV Advertising Traffic
Have you ever seen a “work from home” TV (or radio) advertisement? Well these ads (like most ads) send viewers to a URL address.
But here’s the thing:
Most viewers will type the URL address into the “search bar” and NOT the “address bar”:
Which means they’ll be presented with “search results.”
And even if they do land on the site (usually a landing page) they’ll end up hitting the back button to search for more information.
And, odds are, they won’t find anything.
Why?
Because if the ad is fresh or has not been around for long, then it’s unlikely that marketers in the niche know about it.
Which means…nobody has created content about it.
Which means…NO competition!
So by creating content on whatever TV (or radio) ad you may happen to stumble across, you can easily show up in search and intercept that traffic.
For example:
The shot below shows the monthly search volume of 2 work at home TV ads that ran a couple years back:
As you can see, that’s a good amount of traffic…
And it’s from people who have shown interest in making an extra income working from home.
Though, it’s not something you would go for, as the ads no longer run and lots of marketers in the niche have already created content on it:
The trick is getting in when the ad is fresh.
But how can you possibly find out whether or not these types of ads are even running at this moment in time?
More importantly, how can you find out when they’re about to start?
The secret?
Footprints.
I’ll explain:
Before a business starts a TV ad campaign, they’ll create a landing page for the TV viewers to head to.
Well, I’ve noticed that most of them will include the phrase “As Seen On TV” within the title tag:
So you could set up a few Alerts (explained in tip #5) to get notified whenever these types of pages get published.
Alerts along the line of this:
- Work from home “as seen on tv”
- Make money online “as seen on tv”
- Be your own boss “as seen on tv”
- Make passive income “as seen on tv”
Now:
This tactic may be a little devious. But if you play it fair with the content you create, then it’s all good.
Also, aside from work from home ads, you could head over to AsSeenOnTV.com and review products within your space:
The goal is to find products that have high traffic and low competition.
Overall:
If the opportunity comes and you correctly pull this off, then you may very well hit the jackpot!
20. Pull A PR Stunt
Yep… a publicity stunt :)
In the book Buzz Marketing, Author Mark Hughes reveals the 6 categories that create “buzz”:
- Taboo (controversial, nudity, lie, etc.)
- Unusual
- Outrageous
- Hilarious
- Remarkable
- Secrets
Pull anyone of these off and you’ll draw the attention of an entire industry to you and or your brand for years on end!
But let’s not go crazy here, this is just something to get you thinking, which is what I like about PR stunts – the ideas you can get from them.
And what better way to come up with ideas than by checking out 100 of the greatest PR stunts of all time:
List complied by the people who bring you
Markethive
Inbound Marketing and Social Network for Entrepreneurs