If you’re trying to build your MLM Business online, you’ve probably considered starting your own website or blog. If you’re like most network marketers, you probably think that starting your own MLM Blog (like this blog) is a good idea.
Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that having your own website is a very good idea, BUT you want to pic the right niche.
Picking a large, saturated, overly competitive, and broad niche (like network marketing) is extremely difficult to succeed in. There are so many other great websites to compete against that it can be hard to stand out in the crowd and get noticed by the search engines.
It’s possible to succeed doing this, but I can assure you that it is an INCREDIBLE amount of work.
THE THEME BASED WEBSITE
I believe there is a much better option. That option is to pick a theme-based website. Please note that I define a theme-based website as a website geared around your network marketing company’s product line or service, or the benefits that product or service offers.
For instance, if your company sells weight loss products, you would want a weight loss themed website.
You could even pick an even narrower theme, such as “natural weight loss” or “herbal weight loss.”
Or, if your company sells energy drinks you could have a website about energy drinks.
If you MLM Company specializes in healthy coffee, you could have a website about healthy coffee. The options are endless.
THE BENEFITS
Here are some of the benefits and advantages of having a theme-based website, instead of a MLM related website.
# 1 Most people HATE MLM, but they would be interested in learning more about the BENEFITS of what your products and services can do for them (i.e. people with heart problems are always looking for ways to solve their heart problems so you can write good content and talk about how your products help them).
# 2 Google® hates MLM and the home business industry (just ask anyone who is the industry and has spent money on advertising and SEO).
# 3 Having a theme based website will position you as an expert in your niche.
# 4 You will have the opportunity to promote a wide variety of products and services in addition to your MLM Company.
# 5 You will have less competition and can dominate your niche much faster. That means you have a very good chance of ranking high in the search engines very quickly, which provides free traffic to your website. And when you have TRAFFIC, you can make MONEY.
# 6 If you ever decide to switch MLM Companies, or even quit MLM, you still have a valuable asset (your website) that produces multiple streams of income on demand.
The primary reason you want a themed-based website is to attract qualified prospects to your website who will be interested in your product line. This leads to more retail sales and even some new distributors.
HOW IT ALL WORKS
People who like your website will naturally be looking for the information, products and services that you have to offer. All you have to do is give them what they want: great information! Your information will persuade them and convince them (PRE-SELL) that you know what you are talking about.
This doesn’t mean you plaster your theme-based website with your distributor link or product information. You can have a designated page or two about your products and services and business opportunity if you want to.
You can place links to that page throughout your website and re-direct interested people to that page. When they visit your page they can click on a link to visit your distributor website or contact you to learn more (best course of action). Here is an example page that I use on this website.
Another option is not to mention the name of your MLM Company on your website at all. This is what I recommend and do myself.
This might be the best choice since most MLM Companies PROHIBIT you from using their name online. And you don’t want to get yourself in trouble with the legal department of your MLM Company. In addition, it keeps your MLM Company a mystery and gets people to contact you to learn more.
If you follow this approach, something amazing will happen. People who want to learn more about what you have to offer will pre-qualify themselves and then contact you.
You’ll get calls and emails from people who visit your website. I get about 10 to 20 calls per day, EVERY day! All you have to do is answer their questions, recommend products and services that will help them, and then help them place their order!
Trust me, this is a lot more enjoyable than trying to convince your unemployed Aunt Sally about why she should sign up as a distributor!
Think about it this way; would you rather have two to five people contact you each day about your products and/or business opportunity, or would you rather annoy your friends and family and make cold calls? I think it’s much better to have a few people contact you each day about your products and business opportunity, than it is to cold-call 100 leads each day.
When people contact you first, you are put in a position of authority. You won’t need to sell them or convince them. In most cases, they are already pre-sold, from the information on your website. You simply answer their questions and point them to the product or service that will benefit them the most.
The theme-based website concept is a fairly secret concept. I first learned about the concept from Site Build It. I’d bet that if you searched the internet, you wouldn’t find 50 theme-based websites owned by network marketers. This means there is plenty of room for you to grab a piece of the pie.
What’s best about the theme-based website is that you own a real business that produces multiple streams of income. And if you end up switching MLM Companies (or leave the industry), it’s no big deal. In fact, nothing changes. You still have a business that generates multiple streams of passive income. You still have an asset that puts money in your pocket or you could sell the website for a profit.
If you switch companies, or leave MLM, you just add different products or services to your website. It’s that simple.
EXAMPLES
You see, most MLM Companies have a central theme or core concept for their product line. Some of the most common themes include:
- Skin Care
- Beauty Products
- Weight Loss
- Organic Products
- Mangosteen
- Acai Berry
- Food
- Cookware
- Utilities
- Cell Phones
- Electronics
- Coffee
- & More!
While it’s true that some companies have a wide range of products, most don’t. And if your company has a wide range of products, you could simply choose the product line you are most passionate about.
Here are some examples below:
- Xango® – Mangosteen
- Melaleuca® – Melaleuca Tea Tree Oil
- Ignite® – Energy Deregulation
- ACN® – Utilities or Cell Phones
- Mary Kay® – Beauty or Skin Care
Please know I am not affiliated with any of these companies. I’m just using them to give you an example. If you are a distributor for one of the companies I just mentioned, you could build a theme-based website about the core product line that I just mentioned. Or, if you work with a different company, you could focus on its product line. Does that make sense?
FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, you want a theme-based website because:
- You build a You, Inc. business with multiple streams of income
- You won’t compete with other network marketers for the same keywords and internet searches
- You have less competition, so it’s easier to show up on the first page of the search engines
- Your can earn multiple streams of income, whether people join your team or not
- You make money from a variety of different sources, so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket
- You establish yourself as an expert in your field
- You generate free leads online
- You have people contact you about your business opportunity and products first, so you become the hunted, not the hunter
- You can teach your downline how to do the same thing, so you have a system for your team!
As you can see, there are many great reasons to start a theme-based website to promote your MLM Business. What are your thoughts about this concept? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think.
WHAT NOW?
If this concept interests you, feel free to check out my eBook “The Secret MLM Website Strategy.” It’s just $7 to purchase and it gives additional details on how to turn this concept into reality. Learn more about my eBook.
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
This approach makes so much sense. If you build a website centered around your specific niche, then you are better able to reach your target market and face far less competition. Sounds practical enough. When you use this approach to establish yourself as an expert in your given field, your credibility goes through the roof and you are able to draw people in to finding out more about your products and ultimately more about your business and business opportunity.
Build a website geared around your target market and you can’t go wrong.
People in general hate feeling like they are being sold to – offline or online. No one likes having a product repeatedly pushed in their face, especially in a personal space such as a computer. This is why it’s critical to not sell anything, as you have mentioned so many times in various posts and articles here on the site. However, although people don’t like being sold to, they do like finding ways to better their lives. So, rather than push a product on your website, push information that is relevant to your target market – information that will help them decide whether or not your product is something that will help them better their lives.
What you said is basically my business in a nutshell. Build an audience. Help them solve their problems. Educate them. Offer things that will help them without trying to sell it to them.
You are so right…people hate to be sold to, but they do like to buy. While that may sound like a contradiction, it isn’t. People want to feel as if they are the ones who are in control. We must give them that control they think they need to have.
What we do is educate them about why the ingredients in the product we sell will help them solve their problems. We then give them something free that may explain it more in depth, or even be a product sample. To do that, we obtain their contact, and Chuck has explained all throughout this website what we do from there.
Great post Chuck!
I, too, believe that providing information is the best approach to use with potential new customers or recruits. You are merely putting information out there for review, and those who are interested will seek you out. Your blog does your pre-screening for you. No one is offended or pressured, and you have higher quality leads in the end.
I’ve done very well by providing information and not trying to sell anyone.