Creating Meaningful Connections to Build your Brand

Running a home-based online business means that you are going to need to network to build your business, which means reaching out and meeting new people. In network marketing, you must sell yourself as much as you sell your product. You must give people a chance to know, like and trust you. How do you do that? Present yourself in a way where people feel like they can relate to you. Here are some ideas on creating and building meaningful connections that will take your business to the next level.  

#1: Be Authentically You

In many cases, when someone is deciding between two companies, products or brands, they will make their decision based on which one feels more authentic. Authenticity is all about being genuine. Customers know the difference between when you genuinely use and love the product versus when you are just trying to sell them something. You can probably easily guess which person a customer feels more connected to. 

The first step to being authentic within your brand is understanding you're why. Why did you start your business? Why did you pick your specific company? Why do you do what you do? The people with the most passionate whys will always be the people who are the most successful. It’s not enough to want to join a company because it was a ground-floor opportunity or because you think the product is easy to sell. You have to really and truly LOVE your product. 

I sell a children’s clothing line, and my top seller is easily the pajamas. Why? Because I genuinely love them. They are the product that convinced me to join that company. When someone asks me about the feel of the fabric, the sizing or the quality, I can 100% speak to it knowledgeably and with passion because I buy them and my children wear them regularly. I share pictures of my kids in them often when I’m not even trying to promote them because if I am sharing bedtime pictures, chances are that’s what they are wearing.  When customers are asking for recommendations or when I am suggesting an adding on, the pajamas are my go-to item. Find your pajamas, that product that made you decide to join your company and that you are totally in love with.  If you are passionate and excited about your product, it shows, and customers will get excited with you. You will find that sharing your passion will help you to create that authentic connection.  

#2: Practice in your Warm Market

Your first stop in any new business adventure should always be your warm market - which consists of your friends and family. A lot of people are afraid of this step or want to skip it all together. They are worried about what their friends and family will think, they don’t want to pressure someone they know into buying something from them, and they are worried about the stigma out there about network marketing and direct selling. My question is, why?

Your warm market is made up of people who already feel connected to you. They are people who are invested in you and want to see you succeed. They are going to be your biggest cheerleaders. When you invite someone to support you, and you are talking with them about your company, get it out of your head that you are pressuring them to buy something. You are simply telling them about your business adventure and sharing with them why you have gone on this journey. Share how your business has positively impacted your life. Tell people you know about the products you are using and the benefits you are seeing from it. Are you having a launch party? Do you have a VIP group? Ask your friends and family to support you by watching what you are doing and commenting. That’s it! You will be pleasantly surprised by the support you get from. Your friends and family will be happy that you found something that is working for you, that you are seeing success in and that is positively changing your life. And remember, you have chosen a company that you are genuinely passionate about, with products that excite you. Why wouldn’t your friends and family love the company and product as much as you do?

#3: Build Trust

Letting people get to know you is the best and easiest way to get them to trust you. Earning people’s trust is what is going to get you to the point where they will listen to you talk about your products and joining your business with an open mind.

Balance your personal life with your professional one. Your business is not who you are, it is one part of your life. Find things that you are passionate about, that you find easy to talk about, and share them. You may feel like this has nothing to do with your business, but by sharing things that you are most passionate about, you will draw out  people that you can most easily connect with. Not everyone is for you, but if you are authentic in your daily connections and reach outs, you will find those people that are for you and that you want to do business with.  

Promoting your business or products should never make up more than 20% of your social media presence. You are a person, and your online business is only a small part of who you are and what you do, so don’t make it look like it’s your entire life. When you do share your business, make it personal. Provide genuine reviews and share a genuine passion for your business with others. Show people how you use your company’s products in your daily life. Share your personal experiences. Think about it - why would somebody buy a product from you that you wouldn’t buy and use yourself? Anyone can hop onto a shopping link to browse a company’s products, that’s not what people are looking for. People are looking to you to create an emotional connection for them, which in return will allow them to trust you. 

# 4: Customize your Interactions 

I am sure that you have gotten messages from someone in direct sales, and you can tell that it has been copied and pasted to everyone on their contact list. I don’t know about you, but I have never been tempted to buy something from that person. This method is a waste of your time and doesn’t work because you aren’t taking the time to customize your interaction and build a relationship. Creating meaningful relationships is about quality connections, not quantity. People don’t want to be sold to, they want to buy into an experience. Everyone is different, so why would you try and use a one-size fits all approach?

You want to talk to potential customers as a person, not as a marketer. If the only time you are reaching out to your customers is when you want them to buy something, they are going to quickly feel used and unappreciated. Find ways to connect with your customers on multiple levels, both within your business and outside of it. Make sure your customers continuously feel valued and like you care about them. The more time you take to get to know your customers, the better you will understand how your brand can fit into their lives. You will also be able to make personalized recommendations that your customers will find value in. 

#5: Create a Community 

Building a community is a great and easy way to stay connected to your customers and continue to build a connection with them. You want to have a place where your customers can get together and share things that they are passionate about that are relevant to your brand. Don’t just share brand updates and product information - this is a super quick way to lose people’s attention. Use your social media presence to have fun with your customers. Share relatable content, quotes or memes relevant to your brand and use interactive posts like games and surveys to keep your customers engaged. Remember the 80-20 rule. Only 20% of your content should be directly promoting your business and products; the rest of the time you can definitely be sharing things that relate to your business, but in more subtle and fun ways. 

By having a space designated to connecting with your customers, you can easily maintain an ongoing relationship, keeping your brand top of mind. The more customers see your products and associate you with your company, the more they will trust you and trust in the legitimacy of your business. It’s easier to put the time into maintaining existing relationships than it is to form new ones, so really make sure that you are taking the time to build that consistency and loyalty with your customers in a space that is just for them.  

#6: Provide Value 

Your customers will stick around only if you give them a reason to, so make sure your customers continue to follow and connect with you by continuously giving them great content.  Providing great content isn’t just about sharing product information and promotions. You want to show that you are relatable and can provide value on multiple levels as both a marketer and as a person. Think of who your community is made up of. What are some common characteristics of people who like your brand? What kinds of things are they interested in? This is where you will find inspiration for your content that will help you build those connections. 

You want to make sure that your customers are constantly learning from you. Think back to those common interests and values that you share with your customers. Give them educational content, case studies and articles that you think they would benefit from. Share relatable quotes, memes and jokes. You can share your product without selling it. Give tips and tricks on how you use your brand’s products in your daily life. Show random hacks that relate to your products that most people wouldn’t think about. Your target audience probably has a problem, and you have a product that can provide a solution - so share it! Connect your products to the tasks that they help you to accomplish on a daily basis. Letting your audience see how you find value in your company and products, will allow them to envision how it could help them too. 

Written By: 

Jennifer Gillap