I fell in love with the idea of network marketing about 5 years ago. The idea of being able to make a nice living in the comfort of my own home, or from my laptop anywhere in the world really appealed to me. After reading Timothy Ferriss’s book, The Four Hour Work Week, I was smitten with the laptop lifestyle. As a Boomer who has put in decade of corporate working hours, built a landscape company and had been a chef in my earlier years, I was ready to work from my laptop. The idea just seemed so efficient, rewarding and fun. And it still is today. The thing was, 5 years ago I knew nothing about working online. I educated myself through various online teaching platform systems, methods and mentors through the years. This online educational experience has been hard, frustrating and exciting. The online world is invisible which makes it very difficult for Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 -1964, to understand some of the basic concepts. This blog post is to help Boomers realize that this scary virtual world can actually be one of your greatest assets that you can take comfortably into the Golden Years.
As I see my friends growing older, some of them are retiring and some can not retire. Some of my friends who are retired, live on such a short string of income that it makes retirement undesirable. Other friends have been handicapped, some have illnesses which disable them to do even basic self care. Thank goodness for our wonderful world of technology which offers a solution to this growing generation. Boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day according to ARRP. The online world of business is readily available to anyone who has the drive and passion to create a legitimate business. Being able to start a business from your laptop is freedom. The only wrinkle is that we, as Boomers, need to change our mindset about this new virtual world. We need to embrace this ‘change’, educate about ourselves on how to build a business online and then run with it. How would you feel if a business that you love, use and promote could affect the lives of hundreds of people around the world in a positive way? It would feel pretty amazing. And it could be very lucrative.
Network Marketing is growing like wildfire online. It is the most prolific type of business due to it’s low monetary entry point. Think of the classic network marketing businesses we knew as kids like Avon, Mary K Cosmetics, Amway, etc. And guess what? Those businesses are growing like gang busters to this day mostly due to the internet. Take a look at the lists of companies at http://MLMrankings.com . This link will show you what companies are growing the fastest and the top performers. MLM or multi level marketing is similar to network marketing. The structure is started by the inventor then people who join that company are given commissions when they sell a unit of that product. Members try to get as many people as possible to sell and recruit so the numbers of sales flow up to up. If I was starting out and wanted to join an MLM company I would go to that list or I would join a friend in their business that is doing well. Most of these companies have online business and marketing training. Many of them have banners, email templates and other marketing services to help you succeed. At the end of this post I will show you the companies that I promote. Social Media is a big marketing gateway for promoting a business. Let’s learn how to promote a business on Social Media.
Everything commercial or news program has Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest buttons at the end of their presentation so you can ‘follow’ them. Social Media is a huge, major industry now. People are connecting with each other from all over the world. For instance, it can be a fun experience to connect with someone in India or Australia to share recipes, business tips or travel ideas. I have found that 80% of people on Social Media are trying to market their online business which is usually a network marketing business. But, unfortunately, most people on Social Media market their business by just typing in their link into people’s personal message area, which is rude, annoying and not taken well. There are the right and wrong ways of marketing your business online.
Here are some of the wrong ways to market your business online:
Post your link to your Primary Business without asking the person if they are interested. That is a complete turn off and is offensive. Most people will run away from you if you do this.
Here are some of the right ways to market your business online:
Post tips and facts about your product that is helpful to your potential customer.
Develop a repertoire with the people in your Social Media. Get to know them just like if you were a person in ‘real’ life. People buy from people that they know, like and trust.
Become part of like minded groups. Members share tips and important information as well as, links to their product.
Do not expect a customer to buy your product at the first glance. It takes between 5 and 7 glances at a product for customers to purchase anything. Marketing is the act of positioning your product in front of your potential customers to see multiple times.
Give away free trials or discount services to first time customers.
Learn how to do PPC ads on the major search engines, social media platforms and then learn how to do mobile ads.
I hope this post was helpful for you. This information comes from many years of hard work and tears. I am glad that I have done this work. As I go forward in life I feel relevant and I know that I can help Boomers have more wonderful years ahead leading a stress free life.
Here are some of the businesses that I know, use and promote:
Discount travel site that is simple to use and to promote. Think about traveling to over 5,000 resorts worldwide and spending only $400 per week’s vacation. That’s pretty amazing. The commissions are fabulous at $6k, $3k and $2k. This is a high ticket item and worth every penny. Opt into the website to learn more about our properties and the business opportunity.
http://Newfreedomlifestyle.com
Another discount travel site with a lower entry point. The opportunity is called Paycation. You can start traveling and promoting this business for as little as $150. This lower point of entry is more appealing to most people. The marketing services are fantastic. There are daily coaching calls and quarterly marketing events throughout the United States. Paycation is one of the fastest growing travel businesses in the market.
http://Marketingtrafficsystem.com
The technical side of learning how to do PPC ads on Bing/Yahoo to Facebook. There are other modules that teach you how to market on Craig’s List, set up a capture page and so much more. This is the real nuts and bolts of advertising. Plus, you receive a coaching call, weekly live webinars to critique your ads and lots of support.
http://LifestyleDesignNetworkNow.com
This is a University of Internet Marketing. The Lifestyle Design Network has been developed over the last few years. You will learn from the master himself, Mark Hoverson, how to position your own online real estate to increase trust, brand and promote your own business. I’ve been studying with Mark for years and even know him personally. He is wise beyond his years and is a great family man.