Erik Christian Johnson Interview: Blogger and Network Marketer

Hello everyone!  Today’s post is an interview I did with Erik Christian Johnson, a successful blogger and full-time network marketer in a different company.  Enjoy.

Question: You seem to have a very successful blog, Erik. How old is it and how many posts are on it?

I started my blog, erikchristianjohnson.com in August of 2014. I didn’t post that often the first year because I had three other websites. But, I realized if I wanted dramatic results with this one I would have to focus completely on it. I began writing on it every day September of 2015. As of January 10, 2016 I only had 117 posts. Now, it has 280.

Question: What specific topics do you like to cover on it?

I wanted to break out of the mold of being just another MLM Blogger who wrote about “How to Get Leads with Facebook.” I knew that writing that way was extremely competitive and I knew I had a unique voice and special areas of experience I could benefit my readers with.

Don’t get me wrong, the blog did start out with posts like “How to get Leads with Twitter” but as i matured as a writer, I branched out into other topics like overcoming Anxiety, getting sober, being a heart-attack survivor and helping introverts make money online. It kind of became a edgy personal development blog with a twist of MLM. 🙂

Being different paid off, my blog is growing quickly and I get a lot of feedback from non-network marketers, but also generating MLM Leads as well, the best of both worlds.

Question: You seem to have a good story. Can you tell me a little about what you did before starting this blog?

I was mainly a line cook in the restaurant industry working 14 hour days. I worked hard and drank hard which broke me down and probably led to the heart-attack at 32. I wanted out of restaurants badly and wrote a memoir about my drinking and how I got sober and tried selling it on Amazon.

I also was a musician, so I put together a full-length album with myself playing all the instruments. Both things tanked, but I got the feeling of “residual income” when one of my MP3’s was sold in Japan overnight. A flashbulb went off that I could potentially earn money 24/7 from around the world on the internet.

Question: When did you discover Network Marketing?

I discovered network marketing by shopping for a natural supplement for my anxiety. I had been doing Affiliate Marketing and liked promoting the products that had “recurring income.” I didn’t know what network marketing was, but quickly got excited when I learned that I could not only get recurring income, but I could get commissions from many people on my team, aka “leveraged income.”

Question: Network Marketing seems hard for some people, did you have roadblocks as well when starting out?

It was insanity. I think it’s the hardest boot-camp for online entrepreneurs. You learn pretty quick that you’re a selfish bastard and that no one wants to look at your opportunity. I learned more about myself in the first year of network marketing than any other time in my life. I felt rejection, objections, people quitting on me, an insane woman who kept signing up under different names and promising to make me millions, etc. You name it, it happened.

Question: When did you have your first breakthrough with network marketing?

I knew the difficulty of network marketing couldn’t go on like this, so I began taking it seriously like a profession and learned everything I could about it. I also stopped clinging to my prospects so much. I discovered the famous quote in our industry: “Some will. Some Won’t. So what. Next.”

It was essentially a numbers game and the more people that saw my opportunity the better, without spamming of course.

The breakthrough came when I began posturing myself as an authority through this blog and when I stopped chasing people. I embraced “Attraction Marketing” fully and worked on becoming that leader people would want to join. The more I developed, the quality of the prospect improved.

Question: Has your blog attracted Leads to your opportunity?

Definitely, but in the beginning it was slow, but fortunately I was leveraging Twitter a lot for leads. I tell my new distributors that they should use social media and videos in the beginning to generate Leads while their blog gets going.

Blogging is not the short game. It’s the long game and can take a few years to get going. Not many people have the drive to blog consistently. There’s a sea of dead blogs online. What’s funny is I find these dead blogs on the first page of Google sometimes, but the owner gave up a long time ago.

Question: What would you tell a network marketer first starting out?

Basically the same thing as the last answer. Start with quick Leads from social media, video and their “warm market.” Many new distributors want to do MLM all online, and many want it fully automated so they don’t have to do anything and that doesn’t work.

You have to put in the time. Nothing is fully automated, ever, machines break down and people quit. That’s life and if you want tweets going out automatically or a Facebook group blaster that’s fine, but you’re not going to grow a serious business, if at all.

You also can’t buy your way to the top. Some distributors, mainly the “old school” ones, want to just buy leads. They somehow think a few hundred leads is going to strike it rich.

Unless you got a few hundred thousand dollars, it would take about 100,000 leads to get a decent MLM business, and that’s if you knew how to convert those leads. Just my opinion.

There’s instant marketing gurus out there that will tell you differently, but I’ve heard too many distributors cry that they spent thousands on leads and didn’t get much. So, put in the work.

Question: Do you suggest they blog?

Yes. Everyone should blog and that doesn’t mean getting a pre-made blog with content curated for you, which a few Affiliate blog platforms out there offer. I won’t mention their names, but you probably know them.

Using a pre-made blog is not yours. You’re basically stuck promoting someone else. You still need to find traffic to these pre-made blogs, which is the challenge.

I believe in starting a blog from scratch and using a self-hosted blog that uses Genesis or WordPress platforms. Google loves these platforms and they’re easy to set up.

When you start your own blog, it’s truly your own equity. You also are your own brand. You have the freedom to promote whatever you want.

I suggest using your full name for your blog, that way you don’t have a ruined site if it’s called something related to your MLM company and your MLM company shuts down or something.

Once the traffic comes to your blog, you’re set. It’s just being patient and consistent enough to get to the point of getting good traffic. But, it’s so worth it.

Question: How long does it take a MLM blog to get good traffic?

It depends on your niche, your writing and your marketing skills. My blog is still young, so I basically still get more traffic from Twitter than from Google. Some blogs get good traffic within 6 months to a year, but I heard 18 months is a good metric. If you can blog everyday for the first year that would really help. You would have 365 blog posts out there collecting leads for you.

Question: How long should their posts be?

The smallest post I heard that still gets Google love is 600. Some say, 300. But, I wouldn’t go under 600. The top articles on the first page of Google average 2,400 words. A happy medium would be 800 to 1200 words. If you add video you could get away with 600.

If you’re writing is great and compelling, go as far as you can. When I started out, I thought every post had to be big. But, now I’m happy with 800 word posts if they’re powerful.

Question: How do blog articles get leads?

First, your words need to connect with your reader. The more you establish yourself and gain trust from your reader, the better. All the online leaders have great charisma. They pull you in. Video is very powerful also in gaining trust and likeability with your readers.

Secondly, you need a “call-to-action” in your post, ideally in the beginning and the end. This is where you offer more info, a free pdf, or a link to take a free tour into your business opportunity.

Question: What countries are your prospects mainly from?

Most are from America. Canada is also common and Africa and a little Asia.

Question: How do they find out more about your opportunity?

I have a few spots on my website. They can see my banner on the righthand side of me and click on that, or they can visit my “Work with Erik” page or “About Erik” page. I also have Call-to-actions below almost every post. I try and make it easy for my prospects.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for this interview!  Erik Christian Johnson is a full time Blogger and top recruiter in his primary MLM Business. For more info please check out his website.

Sincerely,

Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com

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