Though some Moms cringe at the word “sales” and are quick to say they are “not a salesperson” – really isn’t everything in life sales? When we tell a friend about a great restaurant we just dined at and why they should go, we are “selling ” that restaurant to them. Same for a movie we see and recommend. So let’s think of it as sharing, instead of selling. Is that better? It’s called “social selling” – with the surge of websites like Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter – which allow Moms to market their businesses online by sharing with connections they made.

So when you find the company that you love, that has a line of products  that you adore, it’s simply  a matter of sharing it with others. How can your item enrich someone else’s life or fill a need? How can your business opportunity help another person? See? It’s not that hard. And when you think of it that way and bring passion along with you, you can do very well.

While there are many things to look for when joining a direct sales company, there are a few points that stand out to me and that you should consider.

• Is the company reputable? If you google “complaints” do you find a long list? Are they listed with the DSA or the BBB?
• Does the company have a product line you like, use and believe in? When you use and love the line, you will find it much easier to share it and hence, grow your business and customer base. To me, this is a key issue. If you don’t love what you do, it’ll be challenging at best. When you love the line,  and you feel in alignment with the products and company values, then go for it.
• Does the company have values that fit with your lifestyle?
• Is the company a sales-driven company, not just focused on recruiting? Talk to consultants and research it. Perhaps follow a few consultants on Facebook and see if they are focusing on the products or only recruiting?
• Does the company offer a reasonable start-up investment? Many will range from $79 to several hundred dollars for a large kit. But make sure you are getting products for that money and not just paying a set up fee. Check return and cancellation policy as well.
• Does the company have an auto ship? It it reasonable? While some people love the idea of getting new products each month, others would rather order when they choose.
• Are parties a requirement? Some require parties, some allow them as optional ways to gain business. IF you want to have parties, then great! However if your focus will be retailing online, check around and see if any consultants do that, how it works for them, and how it fits with the company.
• What kind of support will you get? Ask about team training and resources, ask if your potential leader works the business daily, ask what the company offers as far as training. Training ranges from phone calls, text support, webinars, in person meetings, and company sponsored events. Make sure most of these, if not all, are available to you when you sign up.

There are many more points but I’ve focused on the few important ones I feel necessary when shopping around to join a direct sales company.

Some new Moms, or even busy Moms of 3 or 4 wonder how they will find the time to work their businesses. Ask a direct sales Mom who already has a successful business plus  multiple children, sports games, schools , etc and she will tell you she is busy but has learned to carve out notches of time to make business a priority as well. When your business is in direct match with your core values and lifestyle, it’s never “work” and always fun. Check out these five tips for growing your direct sales business.

To start, here are 5 creative tips to get you thinking. Implement the ones that you haven’t tried, or the ones that can fit into your lifestyle.

1. Have a Spring Fling or Re-Launch Party

You can do this at your home, have a friend host it, or even work with a local business. You’ll need products, samples, catalogs and perhaps some gift baggies. Invite friends and colleagues to come over for a casual event, showcasing your company’s new products or new catalog. Offer a free gift for anyone who brings a friend and add an incentive by giving out a door prize/raffle for anyone who attends. You can also offer a sale on either the products on hand or you can offer a sale on orders you take. I recommend doing both actually, since people do like to be able to go home with a product. Instant satisfaction!

For your invitations, I like a three step process. Call your friend, send a postcard, and then follow-up by text or Facebook. Start off by calling your friends to invite them. Let them know it’s a casual event and they aren’t required to purchase anything. Encourage them to invite friends and that there will be prizes, food, and fun. Then send a postcard so they have a visual reminder at home. Include all the details, the date/time and location. The night before, get in touch again with a quick reminder.

2. Grow Your Business Online

It all starts with YOU, not the business. Lead with WHO you are and make solid connections. On Facebook , make 3-5 new friends a week by seeing who you have mutual friends with. I always send a brief message when I make a friend request and then, after accepted, I write again, either in a message or on their wall. The key is to truly make a connection, not just search for a business lead or customer. There are many wonderful people in the world that you will have a lot in common with. Find some and make new online friends. They will see your business at some point , and if interested, they will ask.

Don’t solicit, but DO grow your friend list consistently each month. You can also make a business or personal fan page (follow company and Facebook rules for this) and invite friends to join if they are interested in learning more about your line. Then visit other pages. Like them, and post with a quick link back to your page. Many times other companies will reciprocate with a like back. This drives more people to see your business and product line.

3. Market Locally

This mainly involves flyers, brochures and business cards. Have them on you, or in your car, at all times. Post at community bulletin boards and ask if you can leave catalogs in the lobby of your doctor, dance studio, salon, etc.  Have business cards with your picture on them, your website, and all pertinent company info. Hand them out when someone asks for your number (even if it’s a Mom for the carpool to soccer).

4. Join Pinterest

Or if you already have an account, create a special board specifically for your business. Pin images that you are allowed to use, pin your blog articles, pin tips for people on how a particular product works and add your website to the board description. Pinterest is creative marketing mania that is on fire! Pin at least 4-5 days a week and make sure to follow other pinners. The key, as with all social media marketing, is to get as many interested followers as you can and create that connection. Don’t just have business boards, though. Add your personality too. I can tell about someone instantly by looking at their  boards … whether they are an animal lover, an avid cook, a shoe junkie, or a crafter.  Let the true you shine through, so people want to follow you and see value in your pins.

5. Get to Company Events

Check if your company is holding an event near you and get registered. If that is not possible, at the very least, get back on every company and team phone call, webinar and training possible. Often we do that in the beginning, and then taper off, or forget completely. They are so important in keeping you motivated and well-connected and in the know about all company related events, growth and new products! So clear the schedule and set aside some “business  meeting time” where you can re-commit to taking major action and growing your direct sales business bigger than ever!

The change, designed to “reduce clutter and focus more on stories from the people you care about,” impacts the design and functionality of the News Feed.  The changes come in three major parts:

• Vibrant Stories which will more prominently display photos and visual content,
• Choice of Feeds which will allow users to have more control over the story topics that appear, and
• Better Mobile Experience, coming from more mobile consistency

Vibrant Stories

In his announcement, Mark Zuckerberg stated that almost 50% of News Feed content today is photos and visual content. This inspired the design changes to each News Feed story. Though you will still see the same stories you saw before in your News Feed, each story has been rebuilt to be much more colorful and vibrant while highlighting the content shared by your friends.

For example, news articles, photos, maps and events will appear bigger, brighter and more vivid.

Image Credit: Facebook Newsroom

Photo albums have also received a facelift to tell a better story.

Image Credit: Hubspot.com

Stories shared in the News Feed by individuals or brands will also pull in additional pieces of the person’s or page’s timeline, such as their cover photo and thumbnail images of their friends. Articles shared on Facebook will now feature a more prominent title, a larger image, and a longer article summary.

Image Credit: Facebook

Other changes to stories include featuring places more prominently on maps, bigger placement of content shared by third-party apps like Pinterest, and larger displays of videos, among others.

Choice of Feeds

To make sure users are seeing more of the stories that matter to them, Facebook is introducing several new feeds in addition to the feeds you have today:

• All Friends – where you see all of the content your friends are sharing
• Photos – where nothing but the photos shared by your friends and Pages you have liked are displayed
• Music – a feed dedicated to posts about music you listen to
• Following – a feed that displays the latest news from the people you follow and the Pages you like

Image Credit: Facebook Newsroom

Better Mobile Experience

Now, wherever you use Facebook – on mobile, tablet or web – you will get the same clean look and vibrant design, creating a much more simplified and unified user experience. For example, the left-hand menu will now be accessible anywhere you go on Facebook. Users will also be able to easily jump to the top of the News Feed when new stories come in.

Image Credit: Facebook Newsroom

The new design is being rolled out on web and mobile over the coming weeks. If you’re interested in getting it early, you can add yourself to the waiting list.

Bigger Images

After Facebook changed to the timeline format about a year ago, other platforms like Tumblr and Twitter have also introduced larger images. Now Pinterest is joining in.

Pinterest shares, “Pins are bigger and we’ve added more information related to pins, so it’s easier to find things you’re interested in. For example, on each pin, you’ll see pins from the same board, other boards this pin was pinned to, and a whole slew of related pins.”

The updated version of Pinterest offers more space to highlight a selected pin in a larger format. Selected pins currently show in the middle of the screen when highlighted. The new design gives users additional details on each pin, and includes a new related pins sidebar. Perhaps by design, the updated version encourages users to stay on the site longer by enticing them to join in commenting, repinning, or clicking through to other boards.

Better Navigation

Pinterest’s navigation will also receive an upgrade. “We made the navigation more intuitive,” shares Pinterest, “so it’s faster to get to where you want to go.”

To make your browsing experience even better, Pinterest has replaced the navigational links at the top of the page with a slider tab now in the upper left corner. By clicking the tab down, users will be greeted with a wide array of Pinterest image categories from which to choose. The tab also includes pins from those you follow as well as popular pins across Pinterest.  They’ve also added a thumbnail image to the hyperlink of the originating board a particular pin came from, making it more visually appealing.

Faster Browsing

In addition to these visual changes, Pinterest is also making improvements “behind the scenes” that they hope will make the user’s online experience faster.  With hundreds of images in varying sizes uploaded to the site daily, this is a good indication that Pinterest is preparing for continual growth.

The test of the updated site will be limited to a small group of people, but those interested are encouraged by Pinterest to send in their information.

Images courtesy of Pinterest blog.

What It Is:

Graph Search is a new way you can make connections while discovering people, places, photos, and interests on Facebook that are relevant to you. The information you’ve shared on Facebook can be included in search results based on the connections you’ve  created and the information you shared with them. Graph Search is currently in beta with a limited preview, so if you don’t currently have it, you can get on the waitlist for it.

How it Works:

Graph Search appears as a larger search bar at the top of each page. Using the social graph, you can search not just by name, but by categories and simple phrases. You can also find content you may have missed, such as photos and videos. For example, you can combine phrases like “videos of TV shows my friends like” or “friends who live in my city.” If you’re traveling, you can use it to search for “hotels near Lakeshore Drive” or “restaurants in New York my friends have liked.”

Better Search Results

The search results given will be unique and different for each person, based on their relationships and the content they have shared on Facebook. When you use it to search, what you enter not only determines the results that you get, but it also determines the title for the results page. Editing this title can allow you to create your own custom view of the content you have shared with your friends.

Graph Search will still respect your privacy. Though it does make information easier to find, you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook.

How Social Moms Can Benefit

If you are a mom with a home business, this new social graph can make it easier for people to find your business page or information via Facebook.  Another benefit is that it can help you reach new audiences easier. One way to help ensure your business information gets found is to create value-driven content that you market regularly on your Facebook business page. By doing this, you make it more likely for new audiences to discover your content when they need it most.

For moms using Facebook to network, searching for people, places or things of interest to you will become easier and more enjoyable. You will have the tools you need to find and connect with what matters most to you.

But the teen’s take on Twitter was possibly the most surprising. Here’s what she shared with her brother on her peers’ use of the micro-blogging platform:

“Nobody uses it. I know you love it but I don’t get it. I mean, I guess a a few kids use it but they’re all the ones who won’t shut up in class, who always think they have something important to say.”

A 2011 Pew survey echoes this feeling by finding that just 16 percent of teens use Twitter. Why such a low number? If compared to the photo-driven apps like Instagram and Snapshot, Twitter could be found to be more impersonal and very text-heavy – not what many teens are looking for.

And apparently, not many moms are drawn to Twitter either. While 87 percent of moms online have heard of Twitter, only 10 percent ever use it, according to a nationally representative study by Edison Research. Compare this to the 72 percent of moms on Facebook, and it seems as if Twitter has lost its appeal with moms.

So what about Facebook appeals most to moms?

The ability to connect with friends and family and share in their lives. Moms on Facebook have an average of 255 friends, including teenagers. At least 77 percent of moms on Facebook are friends with their teenage children. What’s even more impressive is the fact that one-quarter of moms would be willing to give up TV to keep Facebook.

But don’t write Twitter off just yet.

Despite moms and teens’ lack of love for the platform, Twitter has managed to become a top user by more than 200 million people, as recently tweeted by Twitter. And this fast-growing contender has doubled in size within the last 15 months, making it the second largest social network in the world.

So if the cool kids aren’t making up the large majority of this number, then who is using Twitter? Apparently, 75 percent of the world’s top leaders are very fond of the platform. Out of 164 countries surveyed, 123 have heads of state on Twitter. And as Twitter continues to set new records in the areas of users and activity, it makes sense that leaders begin to see its value.

Your thoughts: is it time for moms to reconsider the value of Twitter?

Getting responses (or comments) from your audience can help you in a number of ways. You can generate more backlinks, as people are more likely to link to a highly commented blog. Also, people are more likely to partner with you in joint ventures, seek you out for interviews, and even be more likely to comment on your post if they see others doing the same.

So how can you generate more comments with your blog posts?

Tip #1: Write Fantastic Blog Content

The most important tip to getting more comments is to write stellar content. There’s no marketing technique that can replace well-written and engaging content that’s useful to your target audience. Study your target. Know what they need, want and desire. Figure out what problems that have that you can solve and create content that addresses those needs.

Ultimately, the only way you get a lot of comments is by publishing great content regularly.  However, in the short run, the following tactics can also help.

Tip #2: Focus on Getting Subscribers

Getting people to subscribe to your blog updates will give your comments a huge boost. RSS feeds, newsletter signups, and opt-ins make it easy for people who want to follow you to figure out what you’re up to on a regular basis.

How do you get more subscribers? Ask. Ask inside your content. Also, have “Subscribe” buttons and opt-in forms visible and easily accessible on your site.

Tip #3: Write with Passion

The decision to comment on a page is more of an emotional one than a logical one. How do you get people emotionally vested in posting a comment? By being emotional in the first place.

Write with passion. Make sure it comes through on the page. Ask emotional questions, ask for your reader’s opinion, or take a stance that’s not very popular. When you write with passion, people are more likely to want to connect with you.

Tip #4: Share Your Content on Your Personal Facebook Account

When you post a new piece of content, don’t just post it to your blog’s Facebook page. Post it on your personal profile page as well.

Your friends and family are much more likely to actually care about what you’re up to. People from your personal network will often come over and comment just because they like you.

Tip #5: Ask Questions

Ask a simple question that people would love to answer. For example, ask for feedback or ask for advice. Or offer free coaching to those who post a question, and answer them in the comments.

Tip #6: Bribe Them

Ethical bribes, of course. Of all the tactics here, this one is the most effective. But you can’t use it too often. How do you get more comments? Just bribe people. Give away a prize or a gift for the best comment.

The prize could be something small, like a 16 GB USB key or a $10 Starbucks card. It could be a digital product that costs you nothing to produce. As long as it’s something people perceive as valuable, they’re probably going to take 60 seconds to post a comment.

Tip #7: Reward Them

If you have a WordPress blog, using plugins like CommentLuv can reward readers for commenting. This plugin gives commenters the ability to display their Twitter name, include a link to their recent blog post, add keywords to their name, and gain more exposure for their own blog.

These are a few different ways you can generate more comments on your blog. What ways have you found to get more people commenting?

If you’ve ever wondered how you can join the ranks of successful blogs, here are five tips that have helped top blogs become influential and widely-read.

Tip #1 – Know Your Target Audience

In order to attract more readers, you have to get clear on who you’re targeting and what they want (and need) to hear from you.  It starts with asking, who will best benefit from my blog topics? Once you narrow down your audience, the next step is to determine what information they really want to get from you.  It’s easier to write posts that get widely shared if you know what your readers crave to read.

One way to determine what your readers want is to survey them.  You can create a simple survey using a tool like Survey Monkey and ask your readers what question they most want answered.  Send the survey to your existing readers and social media followers.  The information you gather will be invaluable.

Tip #2 – Take Great Content and Repurpose It

Marketing studies have shown that what draws readers is compelling content that can improve their lives – content that will either solve a problem or fill a need.  By publishing information that is useful and valuable, you not only position yourself as an authority in your market, but you also attract more readers.

If you’re wondering how many different ways you can talk about the same topics, then you need a Content Marketing Plan.   A Content Marketing Plan allows you to take one blog post and repurpose it in multiple ways: tweets, Facebook posts, forum/group updates, online articles, teleclasses, webinars, podcasts, vlogs, and ezine articles.  Using this plan, you will be able to reach a greater number of people in your target market.

Tip #3 – Solicit the Help of Guest Bloggers

Most of the top blogs in any industry have moved to having multiple authors contribute content.  Having guest bloggers can help in multiple ways:

• Ease some of your writing workload
• Help boost your site’s prominence because it’s now about more than just you
• Offer new and fresh perspectives on your blog topics
• Give you help from guest authors in promoting your blog’s content
• Enable you to create new partnerships with guest bloggers

Tip #4 – Encourage Social Sharing

If you look at the top blogs in your industry, you’ll probably find that they integrate ways for their readers to share their content via social media…effortlessly.  By embedding social sharing buttons on each post for the main social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, you help your readers become evangelists for your content.

Tip #5 – Include Opportunities to Opt-In

Businesses grow by having repeat customers.  Blogs grow by having repeat visitors.  The hard truth is that the majority of the people who visit your blog will never come back on their own.  You need a way to encourage them to return, and one way to do this is to keep in touch with them via email.

By capturing the email addresses of your readers, you have a way to entice them back to your site. Include offers to sign up for your newsletter in multiple places on your blog.  If you have an eBook or white paper you can offer, include an opt-in form.  Once you start developing a list of subscribers, start emailing them each time you have a new post.  This will help increase the number of repeat visitors.

We would love to hear from you. What tips or techniques have you noticed from top blogs in your industry?  Please share your comments below.

If you would like to attract the attention of more of your target audience during these winter months, then consider turning up the heat on your blog.  Here are 5 ways to light fire to your blog:

#1 – Mix up your delivery method

Since members of your audience each learn in a different manner, it’s a good idea to mix up the ways you distribute your content.  In addition to text (your written blog posts), consider adding videos, podcasts, images, and interactive exercises.  This will allow each type of learner to connect better with your blog.

#2 – Get personal

Stories help people visualize the message and see how it relates to their lives.  By adding stories that illustrate your main points, you help engage your readers and keep their attention.  You also help them better apply the content you are sharing to the needs in their lives.  Consider adding personal stories or stories from your readers.   Just be sure your story connects with your topic and doesn’t detract from it.

#3 – Be passionate

Your posts should be on topics that you have an interest in.  Show your excitement about your topic and why it’s important.  Share why you feel your readers should be passionate about it too.  If you don’t seem excited about it, you can’t expect the reader to either.

#4 – Tap into your readers’ emotions

Picture your readers as you write your content and ask yourself what they will feel after reading your post.  Then ask what you want them to feel after reading your post.  Decide on the emotions you want your readers to experience at the conclusion of your post.   If you think this through first, you can better tailor your content to help you reach your goals.

#5 – Give actionable advice

Share content that your readers can act on.  Many blogs give theoretical information or just tell stories.  But your readers have needs and they are coming to your blog for solutions.  So give them steps that they can implement and see results from.  Address their needs by giving them resources that will help them be better and do better.

#6 – Give more than is expected

This bonus tip (only 5 tips were promised) is an example of giving your readers more than they expect from you.  This is one way to keep your audience coming back for more.  You can offer a free eBook, give away an excerpt of your best paid advice, or share exclusive tips that have helped you become successful.  Think through the ways you can surprise your readers and then go do it.

By implementing these steps, you can help heat up your blog and the warmth will attract and keep more of your ideal readers.

In order to have a mobile-content-friendly website you have two choices: Make a separate page just for mobile users – or make sure your page is mobile friendly to begin with. By making sure your site is mobile friendly you can create one more way for potential clients to connect with you.

A few tips to create a mobile friendly blog or website are:

Carefully plan entry pages — Get right to the important content either by a list of menu items right on the “front page” that your mobile visitor can click on easily to see more, or by putting the actual content directly on the first page.

Consider the real-estate — Think in terms of how much space is on a mobile device and make your content friendlier to the device. By adding short drop down menus, you can make your site more useful than really long menus and other types of menu options.

Find out devices your visitors use — There are many different mobile devices on the market, so you may not be able to cater your site to all of them. Some mobile devices are better than others at video, for instance, and some are better with text. Take a quick survey of your customers to determine what types of mobile devices are used most often by your target market.

Consider how mobile readers see your content — Check for your site on the device you are targeting to determine if the content translates well on that mobile platform. You can’t be sure without looking.

Cut down on ad clutter — You may need to move your ads to other areas that work better with mobile devices. Having ads in the middle of content might not work well with a mobile device like they do on a regular website

Make short links — Typing on a handheld device is not always fun or easy. Think of your readers as you create your content and your links.  Make links as short as possible so no one is tempted to throw their mobile device across the room in frustration when trying to view your site.

By creating a mobile friendly website or blog, you will open up a totally new way to market your products or services to your potential customers.  For instance, if you normally bookmark your new blog posts to Twitter, maybe your visitors would enjoy getting a text alerting them to new content as well. Whichever way you choose to do it, there is no better time than now to add mobile content marketing to your overall marketing strategy.