Online Networking: Your Way To Direct Sales Success

Written by Nicole Dean

You already know that networking is the lifeblood of your business. You do it every day when you book a show, sponsor a new recruit or sell your products. The world wide web can be an excellent resource for those involved in direct sales. Think of networking online as an additional tool that will help you grow your business.

Online Forums

Online forums can be great places to meet new people and create relationships. Wahm.com and internetbasedmoms.com are two forums where you can meet and network with other moms/women. You’ll find moms with successful businesses that can answer your questions as well as those that are searching for their own home based businesses or just looking for the products you are selling.

When networking on online forums it is always best to start by creating relationships. Interact with the members of the forums without expecting anything in return in the beginning. Be genuine. Be mindful of the rules and regulations of each forum that you decide to visit. Not only with this save you from doing any unauthorized advertising, it will help you build a solid reputation as a business owner.

Twitter.com

Twitter.com is a powerful social networking site where you can connect with others. It’s easy to create relationships by joining in the conversations of the people you choose to follow. You can ask questions, share information and make new friends. If you only choose one thing to do with your online networking Twitter should be the one you choose. As with online forums, be mindful of the rules and don’t start twittering with the sole intent of spamming the site with your advertising.

Article Marketing

If you are able to write quality, informative articles about your product then you should consider article marketing to establish yourself as an expert in your field. After you’ve written the articles submit them to article directories with free reprint rights and an author biography that includes your site name and link to drive traffic to your business. Website owners will use your articles on their site but since your information is included in the article, people will coming looking for you and your products.

Squidoo.com

Squidoo.com is also a social networking site. Use Squidoo.com as a tool by creating lenses, which are basically short articles on any topic that you care to write about. This can be an excellent way to establish yourself as being very knowledgeable about the products or service that your business has to offer. Squidoo can be useful by driving potential customers to your websites.

Email Groups

Email groups, like those offered by Yahoo, are another option for online networking. Search for groups that might fit your business. “Work at Home Moms in Wisconsin”, or “Moms in Home Business” would just be a couple of examples of the types of groups that you should keep an eye out for when looking for email groups to join.

Whenever using one of these tools be sure to look for ways to be a useful contributor and supportive friend wherever you choose to network and you will be well on your way to building your business in no time at all.

Tags: Direct Sales, Direct Sales Marketing, party plan training