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Why do I need a personal website when my MLM company provides me with one?

Have you wondered why you need a personal website when your company provides you with one?

Have you heard your upline or organization leaders discourage you from getting a blog or a website because they were able to build an empire without one?

We hear that often.

While online marketing strategies have definitely gained popularity over the years, some network marketers still believe offline recruiting or simply sharing on social media is the only way grow a thriving business.

That’s simply not true.

There are actually many different ways to build a successful network marketing business, (some of which include those traditional offline marketing strategies and sharing on social media). But, we prefer to teach home-based business owners how to build a brand that attracts customers to your business and generate passive leads and sales.  

For that, my friend, you need a personal website.

Let’s take a closer look at 7 stellar reasons you need a personal website as a network marketer:

#1. OWNERSHIP

Let’s say your only online marketing strategy is to share your products, services and opportunity on Facebook. In just 12 months you’re able to grow a following of 15,000 fans on your business fan page. Your engagement is high. Anytime you post a call to action, you’re generating leads and even turning them into sales. Your inbox is on fire with clients messaging YOU.

You’re thinking – wow, this is amazing…

…until Facebook rolls out a new algorithm.

Overnight, your engagement and reach takes a nosedive. Now, you’re lucky if 10% of your followers see your posts. That unlimited access to your clients, and prospects is taken from you instantaneously. That also means your income tanks too.

Now, in order to reach your 15,000 fans and continue to generate leads and sales at the same speed as before, you have to pay to play… meaning you have to advertise. And even then, you still may not reach everyone you could before.

Ouch.

Believe it or not, this actually happened to many network marketers and online entrepreneurs in 2012. Without access to their customers and prospects, many felt like they had a rug ripped out from under them.

Moral of the story is…

You have ZERO control on any social media platform you use to build your business.

At the drop of a hat, these platforms can modify features, terms of use and how you access your followers online.

By depending on these social platforms exclusively to generate an income, you’re leaving the fate of your business in someone else’s hands.

Don’t get it twisted – social media is a vital tool to growing your business. We are simply adjusting that you adjust your online marketing strategy. Let’s utilize social media platforms to drive traffic to your website with the ultimate goal of adding subscribers to your email list, where you have 100% ownership and control.

Lack of control doesn’t just apply to social media though. 

You also don’t have any control over the content shared on your company replicated website either.

And what happens if you ever decide to change network marketing companies or God-forbid your company goes under? If you’re reliant on sending prospects to that company replicated site, you basically have to start all over again.  (Believe me, this happens more often than you think.)

When you have your own website, you control the design, the message, the valuable content that resonates with your ideal customer and which products to pitch.

Even if your affiliate status with your network marketing company dissolves, you’ll still have a business and a following of raving fans when you build a brand around YOU.

Don’t let any other outside circumstances dictate your success or failure. Take control of your network marketing business.

#2. CREDIBILITY

When you first started your MLM business, you had very little to no experience with direct sales or recruiting.

I mean, it’s not like there’s a college degree for network marketing…

So when you told your friends and family about your new gig, a few bought in to support you, but most said no.

You see, your friends and family know intimate details about your life. They know how you treat people and how you live your life.  For some of you, that’s a good thing; for others though, that could work against you.

If you want to win over your closest friends and family, your “warm market”, who are skeptical of your ability to build a business over the long haul, you’ve got to showcase your credibility.

And if you have really big goals of replacing your full-time income or paying off debt with your network marketing business, you’re going to need to build trust and credibility with complete strangers, your “cold market” too.  

Having a website designed around your own personal brand positions YOU as an influencer and a leader.

Here’s the best part…

Even if you’ve never tasted success or you’ve been in your business one day, one year, or five years, you can start building credibility right now by consistently sharing valuable content and/or documenting your journey on your personal website week after week.

 

#3. PASSIVE LEAD GENERATION

Most of you were taught to go through a memory jogger exercise, where you write down every person you know and start inviting them to take a look at your product, service or opportunity. If they’re not interested, find out who they know who could benefit from your offer(s).

This method of targeting your friends and inviting them to take a look at your product, service or opportunity is what we like to call “hunting”. The Hunting Method is where you send one message or make one phone call to the targeted person (or prospect) and extend the invite personally.

This is an active way to build your business and get sales immediately. When we don’t call it hunting, you’ll also hear us refer to this strategy as a “short game strategy”.

Nothing wrong with this method.  

…However, if you’re not dialing numbers and sending messages, your income is not going to grow. The hunting method alone won’t give you the lifestyle of freedom you’re after.

“The Farming Method”, on the other hand, is about consistently sharing valuable content that helps and serves your target audience (also called your avatar or ideal client).

It is a passive way to build your business, meaning the content you create works to generate leads and sales on autopilot even when you’re not actively working. We also refer to this marketing method as a “long-game strategy” because it takes time and consistency to build.

There’s a time and a place for implementing both methods in your business, but if you want to have prospects raising their hand and asking how they do business with you, you need a holistic marketing strategy and your website is the cornerstone of that marketing strategy.

#4. RELATIONSHIPS

It’s no secret that your network marketing business is a relationship business. There is a misconception that makes you think that by taking your MLM business online, you’ll lose the connection and relationship. Not true.

Having a personal website and email list actually allows you to build trust faster with your prospects and clients.

Let’s just say up to this point you’ve only employed “The Hunting Method” in your business – private messaging a handful of friends and family each day.

A few join, but most don’t.

How do you stay in touch with the people who said no? Manually set a reminder to follow back up with them in a few weeks or months? What if you don’t have an interaction again with them until your scheduled follow up? What if they’re not ready the next time?

Wouldn’t your business feel smoother if you were able to build that relationship with each of your prospects week-after-week by sharing valuable content? Then your prospect could decide to buy your product, service or opportunity when the time is right for them.

Wouldn’t it also be awesome if new people every day visited your website from sites like Pinterest, YouTube, or LinkedIn, joined your email list and actually wanted to hear from you each week?

Yep, you guessed it… Get a website. It’s the cornerstone of your brand and your online business – even in your relationships.

#5. CONVERSION

Your MLM company replicated website is extremely poor at converting interested prospects into customers.

Every time you send your prospect to the site your company gives you, you’re flooding your prospect with too much information.

When your prospect lands on a busy page (like the ones pictured below), they may think where do I start or what do I click?

You may think that’s a good thing to have so much information, right? They can explore and find the information they want.

WRONG.

You have 10 seconds to make an impression or your prospect will leave. If they stay and look around, you might get 20 seconds of their time at best. (Source: NN Group)

The truth is your prospect will get distracted and leave; or worse, they become overwhelmed or confused.

People don’t take action when they’re confused or overwhelmed.

Instead of sending your prospects and clients to a site that overwhelms, you want to send them to your own personal website which houses landing pages, sales pages, blogs and more.

Just look at the difference…

 

On your own website, you’ll be able to tailor the message to your target audience and guide them take a specific action.

The more you control the message to help your client get what they want, the more leads and sales you’ll make.

#6. RETARGETING

Ever notice how you go to a website to look for shoes and then you jump back over to MSN or Facebook and you realize those same shoes are following you around in the advertisement bars on the page?

It’s kinda creepy, right?

That’s called retargeting and most major companies implement retargeting strategies because approximately 96% of visitors that come to your website are not ready to buy. (Source: hubspot)

What does this have to do with your business?

Believe it or not, every time you send your prospect to the company’s blog or corporate website, you’re allowing the parent company to retarget your prospect when they don’t buy. If your prospect buys from the ad they click… guess what!? You don’t get credit or the commission for that sale.

They’re likely NOT retargeting your company replicated website, so just steer clear of sending your customers to the corporate sponsored sites and corporate sponsored blogs.

Wouldn’t it be so much better though to have your own website where you share similar or even more valuable information?

Heck yes! As a result, your credibility and brand recognition goes up, and most importantly, you get the ability to retarget these website visitors instead of your MLM company.

Retargeting can be very cost effective through the Facebook ads platform. Even marketers on a small budget with just a few bucks a day can take advantage of it. 

If retargeting sounds over your head, don’t worry. We cover the basics as apart of our continued education and training when you become an AMP member.

#7. ANALYTICS

If you share the site your company gave you on a social media post, how do you know how many people visited that site? Do you know how old they are? What geographic region are they from? What links did they click on? How long did they stay on the page?

You have no clue.

Here’s the deal…

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Having a website synced with Google Analytics allows you to better understand the people visiting your website, you can see which pages are visited most frequently, the referral source, and so much more.


Here at The Attraction Marketing Project, we have a few core beliefs.

We believe…

  • You have the ability build a thriving brand, where customers seek out your advice about your product, service or opportunity (even while you sleep).
  • You have the power to take ownership of your business and build trust and credibility with your toughest critics and complete strangers.
  • You can strengthen your existing relationships with your tribe and do it on a bigger scale.
  • The more you hone in your marketing message, the more you can help people get what they want in life through your business.
  • You don’t have to work yourself to death. Market smarter and convert more prospects into leads and leads into sales so you can live the lifestyle you dream of.
  • Your ability to analyze critical data in your business will enable you to make keen decisions about how to grow it faster.

To do all of that though, you really need a personal website and a holistic marketing strategy to take your network marketing business from a hobby to a career.