Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have been praised as target rich prospecting environments for marketing professionals who wish to create their own online leads. And…
Since these types of sites are now seen as prospecting gold mines, for online lead generation, they are now populated with thousands of hungry MLM’ers and affiliates. This in itself is obviously not a bad thing but…
The use of social networking sites for lead generation has created a problem because while some of these marketers are professionals, others, most in fact, are clearly untrained. It is easy to tell the difference.
The difference between a pro and an amateur on Facebook, or any social networking site, is that a pro knows HOW to prospect correctly whereas those who are less skilled at marketing tend to “spam” the people who are kind enough to approve them as friends.
Marketers have been sold the idea that anyone in marketing who has a page on a social network is a potential target market prospect but, unfortunately, that is simply NOT true.
If you have bought an ebook or joined a membership site and as a result have been taught to post your links to your friend’s wall on Facebook, you’ve been suckered because that is “spamming” in the truest sense of the word. For example…
If I were to post ads with an affiliate link to a friend’s wall that is SPAM because my friend has NOT given me permission to do so and it intrudes upon THEIR space. It is like going to their home, uninvited, and writing on their walls.
If I contact them via instant message, using the ploy of trying to make them THINK I am interested in who they are and what they do, with the only objective being to seek an opportunity I can use to ask them to visit my affiliate link, it’s pretty much the same thing. It’s an intrusion with an underlying agenda. The pro marketer on the other hand…
Does it differently.
The pro will post his or her ads, thoughts or ideas to their own Facebook wall because the pro knows that his or her post will show up on the home page of each of their friends. Using this method gives your friends a choice to either check out your offer or pass it by. This subtle change in technique is like asking “permission” to market to your friends on Facebook. And…
When a friend sees your post on their home page it isn’t as intrusive or unpleasant as finding that a friend, whom they have allowed into their circle, has posted a “Make Money” or “Lose Weight” ad on their wall forcing them to view the advertisement and/or affiliate link. You do see the difference don’t you?
The beauty of using this form of “permission” based marketing on Facebook is that you are able to offer your products and services to your target market without losing the respect of your friends who have trusted your integrity by allowing you into their online home.
Permission based marketing ALWAYS works better than spamming, especially in regards to your reputation. You may want to give it a try and see if doing “permission” based marketing on Facebook and other social networking sites increases your response and conversions.