If you want fast duplication in your business, setting your team up with a blog might be counterproductive
With web publishing tools becoming easier to use by the minute, more and more marketers are being lured into the powerful world of blogging. The concept of setting up a brand around “You Inc” and owning your own piece of real estate on the internet sounds exciting. And if learning the technical know how seems like to much to get your head around, there are fantastic blog design services out there that will do it for you. Given the massive exposure a blog can bring compared to traditional offline marketing, it makes sense to want to bring your team on board.
If you’re in a business that requires duplication for success however, you might want to rethink the blogging strategy for newbies. After watching closely for some time now, I’ve noticed some revealing trends…
- The high drop out rate of new marketers who came online to build their businesses because they were led to believe it would be easier.
- The drop off rate due to the shear overwhelm of discovering the other strategies they need to learn in order to drive traffic to their blog.
While all this is going on in the background, valuable time that could have been spent building powerful business relationships is being lost. Even worse, momentum either doesn’t kick in or becomes suffocated in the process. Now don’t get me wrong, in this day and age I think it’s more important than ever to have a central hub to build your brand from and a blog is the perfect platform for this. For brand new people coming online however, I’ve discovered you need both a short and long term, beginners and intermediate strategy.
Blogging is a powerful intermediate strategy for your team but Facebook can bring fast short term rewards
Setting up a blog is not a strategy in itself. As well as the continual never ending technical learning curve, there’s content to be produced, opt in offers to be created, auto responders to be set up, search engine optimisation to be learnt, videos to be made, traffic to be driven, community to be built and the list goes on and on. For most people, it takes many months before they start seeing results.
When people first come online, they bring with them the same skill sets they had offline. If they lack good communication skills or the ability to lead and influence, this will only be amplified online. If you’re in any sort of relationship marketing business (and thats most of us), learning the art of building rapport quickly is paramount. And the most powerful online medium we have to shorten that learning curve is Facebook. Teaching your team how to engage, build rapport and create potential business contacts through Facebook can start producing results almost immediately.
Facebook is predicted to hit one billion users by 2012
If a brand new person has ever had an opportunity to connect with their target market en mass without the need for elaborate technical skills, it’s now. 2011 is just around the corner and your target market are on Facebook. In the months it might take for a new person to start producing results from their blogging efforts, they can be building an online presence and connecting with prospects within weeks. For a new person coming online, the faster you can empower them and build confidence in their ability to generate results, the more likely they are to get excited about the next step. So if someone is brand new, set them up on Facebook as a beginners step and integrate blogging as part of an overall intermediate strategy.
While this post goes against the grain of what a lot of online marketing courses are teaching as a first step, I hope it’s enabled you to rethink whether it’s really been the right path for your team.
In the next post I will be sharing strategies for getting your new team members set up and tapping into the power of Facebook in no time.
Whether you agree or disagree with this concept I would love to hear from you in the comments below. And if you found it valuable, don’t forget to share this post on Twitter and Facebook!
Michaelé
Michaele,
You bring up some valid points here. Blogging to the newbie is enticing as people such as yourself and other experienced ones, make it look easy! As a newbie to blogging, I had no idea how much effort a blog actually took. I have relied much on the amazing tribe, for info and ideas. I am learning that some of the initial rough spots have pushed me to grow and learn so much. So I know that whereas blogging could overwhelm, when the student is ready the teacher appears.. so it will appeal to those, like me ready for the next level. In the meantime, facebook is a wonderful, more immediate source of connections. Great to connect! Lisa
Hi Lisa,
You are so right that when the student is ready the teacher appears.
I think it’s important to have a strategy in place so that the student is clear on when they are ready. There’s no doubt that learning to blog pushes you to grow thats for sure!
It’s great to see people like you who were ‘ready’ for the next level, and doing so well.
Keep up the great work Lisa!
Michaelé
P.S. Interesting to hear we make it look easy. Maybe that’s part of the problem!
Hi Michaele
I agree with everything you’ve said in this post!
Having both short and long term beginner and intermediate strategies for your team is such a logical step, and yet, I wonder how many people are actually doing this?
Brand building using a blog is a wonderful idea and I’m definitely all for it, however, you’re absolutely right about people becoming overwhelmed with the amount of information being “thrown” at them.
When people feel that they should be keeping up with it and they find that they can’t, they understandably begin feeling overwhelmed, doubting their decision to take their business online etc, and this often leads to them coming to a complete stop. As you said, this obviously cuts into the time that could have been used more constructively to actively connect with others and build their business.
I wrote a post earlier this year about overwhelm to do my part in assuring people that feeling like that happens to everyone at some stage (I’d been receiving a great deal of feedback on this at that time).
I particularly like this paragraph of yours:
“When people first come online, they bring with them the same skill sets they had offline. If they lack good communication skills or the ability to lead and influence, this will only be amplified online. If you’re in any sort of relationship marketing business (and that’s most of us), learning the art of building rapport quickly is paramount…”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! ;)
Used the right way, I think Facebook is terrific (I do hate some of the things I see on there though!).
Using Facebook to assist someone in improving their communication skills, build relationships with others and speed up the process of generating results is such a sensible strategy, Michaele!
I’m looking forward to reading your next post in this series. :)
~ Kylie ~
Hi Kylie,
The idea for having beginners and intermediate strategies only just came to me over the last few months, when I really started tuning in to whats been going on.
What I noticed was, literally everything is being taught to beginners as a first step, all at once. They are setting up blogs, facebook profiles, like pages and twitter all in one go and it all becomes too much.
It just makes sense to divide it up into immediate and then intermediate steps.
When people feel they are achieving and seeing results from their initial efforts, it builds confidence and keeps momentum going.
And the way Facebook pages are going, they are becoming close to a mini blog anyway so it’s a great way to start out.
I appreciate your feedback!
Michaelé
Hi Michaele
I resonate totally with what you are saying. For me having started online early this year I sometimes feel like I have lost the year. Only recently did I stand back and reevaluate where I am going. It takes the newbie much longer than they thought.
I look forward to your next post on Facebook.
Sue
Hi Sue,
I can only imagine that so many people feel the way you do, and many then give up for exactly that reason. I admire you for sticking the year out!
Now we’ve had the luxury of hindsight, we can provide new people with much clearer strategies going forward.
The more we can do to shorten the learning curve for others, the better.
Michaelé
Hi Michaele,
You have certainly put this in perspective.
I totally agree with everything you have said, as I have been thinking this for a long time now.
With FB growing the way it has in the last 6 months, I definitely think this is the way to go for a newbie just coming online.
I think FB will be the way to go as part of their first steps and as you say: setting up a blog could be an advanced step as they gain more confidence.
I will be looking forward to part 2
Take care
Hi Jean,
It’s really interesting to see that most of the comments here so far are inline with your thoughts.
It seems it’s been on the back of everyones minds! Great to see people thinking this through and reevaluating.
And you’re right about the growth on FB. Imagine next year when it hits a Billion. Now that’s a playground I want to see new people in asap!
Michaelé
Great post Michaele and I have to agree with you that starting with Facebook will get much quicker initial results than a blog. Even if new team members are prepared to pay to have their blog set up, it still takes time to build up content and drive traffic to the site, a steep and time consuming process. There is no quicker way to loose new team members than lack of short term results and information overload. So your suggestion of getting started on facebook is a great one, especially as it is often an environment they are already familiar with. Looking forward to seeing your next post.
Louise
Hey Louise,
I loved this part of your comment “There is no quicker way to loose new team members than lack of short term results and information overload.”
This is exactly what I’m talking about, as the short term results are what keeps people motivated to continue the marathon thats ahead.
And as you’ve said, many new people are already familiar with Facebook which makes the whole process less daunting.
Michaelé
Hi Michaele,
This post is very timely, indeed. I agree with you 100% that there are stages each person must go through to be successful online. And while I do believe everyone who goes online with intentions of building a long-term sustainable business must have a blog, I am with you about at what point that blog should be created.
Duplication is an interesting concept, and never happens the way it is laid out in a chart for those of us who get into a business that promotes duplication. In all my years of network marketing, not once have I met anyone who duplicated according to the chart. Yes, organizations do grow and expand, but never the way it is sold to newcomers. People are not math problems that can be easily multiplied, although the concept is indeed very seductive. What can be duplicated is activity, and the basics. For people online, starting with the basics like Facebook can bring success if modeled by a well-intentioned mentor. I like that you are making clear for your readers the divide between beginners and intermediates, and being a leader in this very important process.
Mary Lou
Hey Mary Lou,
You got it, as this is all about the timing of where a blog fits into a new person’s online strategy.
I totally agree with you on duplication, as although the concept sounds simple enough it’s human nature to want to find new and better ways of doing things. One thing I’ve learned over time, is that strategies that require a whole lot of new skills to be mastered straight up, don’t result in any short term duplication. As you’ve pointed out, the real key here is activity and activity generates momentum.
I always love your grounded contribution Mary Lou!
Michaelé
Hi Michaele –
Well, here’s what I think :)
I think there are some people whom doing social media first will work best and some people who will never ‘get’ Facebook and find the whole thing too mysterious and random to be actually ‘income related’.
I know that I personally never felt inclined to figure out Facebook until I had marketing funnels and an Internet ‘presence’ in place and even then – until there was a viable way to more actively listbuild as we can now with pages – it still wasn’t someplace I found to be especially appealing to spend my days.
Now I love it :)
And I don’t think it has to take all that long – what I’ve often bumped into is resistance at many turns related to those pre-existing skills you mention.
Example – I just got someone set up and coached up to full speed (she’s fully able to post to the blog and has plenty to say) in the second part of last week. We focused hard on it together, we got it done and now she’s “established” online.
I just think that without at least a token foundation in place – someplace to invite people to come and visit you apart from the noise of Social Media – there’s really not a lot of opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Don’t you think it’s interesting that all of the replies here have a commentluv link to share? Would any of us trade a Facebook only presence for our blog?
Has the blogging not helped to shape your leadership skills and direction you want to grow online?
Without a blog or strong marketing funnel in place – where will people focus their marketing efforts? My guess is they’ll send people to their company sites directly (can’t help themselves). How’s that gonna help them stick around and duplicate?
Looking forward to your Part II post Michaele (I really am) ’cause I know you are way better than I am at making the most of Facebook – bet I’ll learn more than a thing or two :)
Appreciate you!
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
It definitely took me a while to figure out Facebook and now I love it too!
I must say I was on there way before I had even heard the term ‘marketing funnel’.
Having a foundation in place (as you’ve mentioned) is definitely important and there is no better way to do that than through a personal blog. My post is by no means saying people shouldn’t aim to have one set up, it’s more about ‘when’ this should happen rather than ‘if’.
The example you gave of coaching someone one on one, while it sounds ideal, it’s not something everyone has available to them when they first come online. If it were, it might be a whole different ball game, but even then it’s not duplicatable on a larger scale.
So to answer the rest of your questions, I’m not suggesting ‘trading’ a blog for a Facebook only presence, I’m talking about giving people a less overwhelming, faster option to start with.
Thanks for the value you bring to the conversation and for keeping me on my toes :)
Michaelé
Social Media plays an important role in online businesses nowadays. Compared to other means, the use of Facebook (for example) gives that advantage to any businesses connected into it. Since it’s expected to have billions of members soon, it can be really a great way to market both products and services with the use of Facebook.
Hi Aaron,
Facebook (used in the correct way) is definitely giving businesses an advantage.
The key here is companies now have an incredible platform for gathering direct feedback from their clients, which in the past was mostly only achieved through costly market research. Not to mention the brand evangelists being created through direct engagement on the social sites.
Michaelé
Aloha Michaele,
Oh, I totally agree with you and thank you for doing a blog post on this topic!! Yes, FB is going by leaps and bounds and through FB people will discover who they are and if they even have an affinity for social media.
Once they master that, then they can decide if blogging is for them or not. It was very overwhelming for me initially and is not for the person who is just starting out in my personal opinion.
Thank you for your article Michaele!
Much aloha,
Kellie :)
Aloha wonderful girl!
You’ve raised a fantastic point here “Through FB people will discover who they are and if they even have an affinity for social media.”
Since blogging and Social Media go hand in hand these days, it would be a shame to see anyone go through the effort of setting up a blog, only to find they have no affinity at all for the Social side of being online.
Thanks for stopping by Kellie :)
Michaelé
I never thought Facebook can bring such a good visits to my blog, recently i tried facebook promotion and wonder how much conversion am getting from the visits. The visits are highly targeted and giving me good profit. Hope the social media will overcome SEO in coming days.
James
Hey James,
Fantastic to hear you’re profiting from your blogging efforts!
Social media has become a huge contributing factor to SEO, given that Facebook pages are now ranking on google.
Exciting times!
Michaelé
Excellent article, Michaele. Just keeping the FB, LinkedIn and new twitter account up to speed can be a full time job. I can see how a blog, once you have it down and organized, could really pull it all together; but you can lose yourself in all this as well and forget that for the last 50 years there have been people who have built organizations tens and even hundreds of thousands of people deep without any of these tools.
Hey Stephen,
Yes keeping up with all of the social media aspects that go with blogging, can be enough in itself. And you’re right, people have built huge organisations without any of these tools.
But now that we have amazing platforms like Facebook, its great for new people to be able to use them in combination with traditional marketing.
Thanks for your feedback.
Michaelé
Yes Michaelé, I agree that Facebook used correctly by a person new to internet marketing is the ideal stepping stone.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Cheers,
John N
Hi John,
Yes it’s just so much less overwhelming for a newbie than blogging.
Michaelé
Michaele,
I’m with the other commenters, I enjoyed this post! It is such an accomplishment to recognize how far we’ve come, no longer being newbies! I am such a social animal! I love Facebook and all it gives me! I look forward to your other posts about marketing with Facebook!
Linda
Hi Linda,
I totally agree that all of us have come such a long way since we started. And it’s only just in the last few months that I’ve felt their is a better way we can guide other new people.
Facebook is just incredible in every aspect and a wonderful place for people new to the online world to get their feet wet.
So glad to have connected with you.
Michaelé
Couldn’t agree more.
The whole point of marketing is making connections that lead to a decision.
The more tools we master the more success we achieve. As a leader we have to show others.
Creating leverage is the ultimate goal and it’s not what we do but what we do-plicate.
Tony
Hey Tony,
I absolutely agree that as leaders, it’s important to guide others.
Creating leverage is key, which is the whole reason I went against the grain in this post.
Michaelé