Does the Internet REALLY work for Network Marketing?
by John Counsel
There’s been a lot of noise made about the Internet as the future of Network Marketing. But what's the truth? Is there genuine substance? Or is it all smoke and mirrors? John Counsel peels away the hype for a warts-and-all look at reality on line.
A lot of people were burned badly over the past couple of years by jumping onto the Internet bandwagon prematurely. (Fear of loss is still the main stimulus for far too many network marketers.)
Despite glowing promises of millions of people pouring onto their pages, hungry to sign up, the truth was that many of these people paid out substantial sums of money for poor quality, poorly-designed “backwater” sites that received no promotion or support. Some operations were straight-out rip-offs, while others were just incompetent.
It wasn't unusual for people to shell out hundreds of dollars for amateurish web page designs by people with little knowhow, skill or talent, then to pay out sums from $30 to $80 a month to maintain these mediocre pages on an over-populated “Shopping Mall” whose only visitors were the tenants themselves.
Is it any wonder, then, that so many now regard the Internet with suspicion and cynicism?
Despite these experiences, however, there ARE worthwhile MLM resources on the Internet, and there is definitely a place for it in any serious networker’s tool kit. But be sure that you follow some strict guidelines when considering your on-line presence.A quality domain
There's no point occupying space on a domain that does nothing more than offer space. That's little better than parking your car in a shopping centre car park, and paying to keep it there. Make sure that the domain is closely connected with a first class provider of MLM industry services, with state-of-the-art facilities (I don't mean whizzbang multimedia animation and doodads — I mean practical, user-friendly, easy-access facilities to aid communication and service delivery).
Relentless Promotion!
Any domain that doesn't attract prospects in large numbers is a waste of time and money. Pick a domain that markets and promotes not only its own services and benefits, but those of its "tenants". Look for innovative, high-yield promotion and traffic-generation strategies like free, high-credibility, information-rich resources that attract prospects around the clock.
"Go Get 'Em" Strategies
Any domain that offers sites, even with active promotion, needs to have more than a static presence on line. It needs to actively go out onto the world-wide web, e-mail, Internet Chat Lines, News Groups and more and pull prospects onto the domain in large numbers.
Pro-active marketing strategies such as stategic alliances with other high-volume, high-credibility on-line sites, newsletters, etc are vital to the success of your foray onto the web. Sitting back and waiting for people to come to you is like winking at pretty girls in the dark. You may know what you're doing. They have no idea!A Vibrant, Ever-changing Parade
People are attracted to other people and activity — to novelty, vibrance, colour, noise! Your chosen domain should have plenty happening, much like a major retail shopping centre. It needs to be jumping with LIFE! That way, people are attracted back over and over. And the more often they visit, the wider their interest — and searching — grows.
Don't Become Background Noise!
Have you noticed how, as soon as one of the major fast-food chains announces a new site, the other chains immediately announce impending outlets right alongside? There's method in their "madness". These fast food "strips" work! People who are hungry head for them in large numbers because it's convenient, there's variety, it's familiar and SAFE. They know what to expect.
Choose a domain that specialises in network marketing, because it will attract people specifically interested in extra income. Choose an "all things to all people" domain and you risk becoming little more than background noise.Horses for Courses
Choose a domain that offers a worthwhile menu of options to suit your needs — but that doesn't penalise you for choosing a low-budget, entry-level option. If you don't need or can't afford a full-blown web site or home page, look for lesser options that still present you credibly — and affordably!
On the other hand, don't be locked into a domain that doesn't offer you upgrade options, right up to your own sub-domain with interactive communication facilities that speed up communication, including getting information back to prospects promptly, contacting your personal organisation, recognising downline achievers, taking product orders and lots more. The sky's the limit, providing it's approved by your MLM company, of course.Be sure the messenger doesn't become the message!
It's safer to have a product and use the Internet to promote the product and business opportunity than it is to simply promote the communications medium itself. In other words, there are scores of Internet MLM opportunities that do nothing more than sell Internet facilities. Nothing wrong with that, but there's much more to building a successful MLM business than just the Internet. It is, after all, only another medium.
And be wary of service providers who sell you sites that are chock-a-block with Java wingdings and multi-media gizmos. Those things take forever to download — and the everage prospect will be long gone before the first animated logo finally appears! If they wanted entertainment, they'd go to an entertainment site. Your prospects want information. And they want it fast.Flexibility is a must
Make sure that your domain allows you to build a site or page to match your own capabilities. It should be capable of accepting simple text for loading into an attractive template, or accepting complete html documents and graphics. Ideally, you should be able to link to your company's corporate website, and to other distributors.
If you're a leader, you should be able to enjoy interactive mini-sites of multiple pages at competitive cost, that enable you to communicate with your prospects, your group, train people, accept email and more. Even better, it should facilitate dedicated email accounts attached to your web space.Searchability is essential
A website or home page can be a fantastic business building tool — IF your prospects can find it! There's no point being on line if you're buried in the crowd. So make sure your location is easy to find. And be sure that there are search facilities on the domain that prospects can use to find you!
Make certain, too, that your site or web page can be listed on all the major search engines… and that hidden meta tags can be inserted into your pages' html code for optimum search engine results.What about people not yet connected to the Internet?
Ideally, the service should accommodate people in the industry who are not yet on line. Prospects can still contact them by phone, fax or mail. Remember… despite the global nature of the Internet, people still prefer to shop close to home. You should be able to be located easily by prospects close to you, whether you're connected to the web or not.
What can you do if your MLM company is not yet connected to the Internet?
You can do LOTS!
See for yourself. Click here.
© 1998 John Counsel. All rights reserved. No reproduction by any means permitted without prior written consent of the copyright owner.
This article appeared originally in Australian Business & Money-Making Opportunities magazine, February 1998.
