Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
We’ve all heard the claims; “Cured my cancer!” “I am now off all of my medication!” “My Diabetes and depression are both gone!”
Without calling them out on this blog, there are several large and successful MLM companies that seem to have very loose compliance departments.
I am always shocked when I see a YouTube video made by a distributor that makes outrageous product or compensation plan claims. Maybe I shouldn’t be.
The surprise is from the lack of action taken by the corporation to enforce their terms of use. There have been many MLM companies that have been shut down by the FCC for misrepresentations on the part of the distributors.
A good MLM corporation does two things…
1. Educates their distributor force on what legal issues they must abide by. This education should focus on how a distributor can effectively share their story without interjecting the “cures” and “medical claims” that so many have as part of their story.
2. Actively enforce their terms by monitoring what is said, written and distributed, particularly on the internet.
A serious network marketer does two things as well…
1. Searches for a great company with great products, that also follows the above mentioned two steps. Why does a distributor care? Because a corporation that follows those steps mentioned above, is less likely to be shut down by the government and therefore is poised to be a long-term opportunity for the distributor.
2. Preserves the opportunity for themselves and others by abiding by the legal terms of their distributor agreement, and helps their down lines do the same.
This often overlooked area of a distributors business is key to having a long-term, successful network marketing business.
*shameless plug* It seems like a good place to mention that we here at IgniteHQ have solutions for our clients on how they can effectivly monitor the web and educate the distribtuor on “how not to ruin the opportunity.” Our technology platform also allows your distributors to pubish safe content to social networks, like facebook and twitter, without you (the company) losing control. Send us an email if you’d like to learn more.
Posted in MLM, MLM Legal, Network Marketing, consulting, interaction, social media | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
What is PropelHQ you ask?
Simply put, PropelHQ is the top destination for Direct Sales professionals, their teams, customers and prospects. It is a place to network, collaborate, help people and have fun. Some of the highlights include:
Who Created PropelHQ?
PropelHQ is the brainchild and is being developed by the team here at Ignite Media (IgniteHQ.com). We are the leader of social technologies for the Direct Sales (MLM, Network Marketing) industry. We have built social apps and consulted with both large and small Direct Sales companies in the area of social media, social networking etc. Using all the knowledge and expertise gained from these experiences, PropelHQ offers the power and functionality of Ignite’s enterprise solution and has made it available to individual distributors. If you are interested in a private social community for your team or your company, social media consulting or speaking engagements please contact us.
When will PropelHQ be available?
The team is hard at work-working ’round the clock to get PropelHQ opened up to the public the first week of June. We will be looking for individuals to beta test and help spread the word. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact us using the contact link on this site. Beta testers will have full access to all tools and the network at no charge. We will be looking to you for feedback and ways to improve the application.
We will keep you updated over the next few weeks as we prepare for takeoff. Check back here often for updates and the latest news.
Thanks for checking us out!
Posted in consulting, gathering, social media | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
I think sometimes companies get so worked up with out of the box strategies and ways to reach their customers that they forget the basics of personal communication. I learned back in kindergarten that if you make a mess it is best to fess up. In your customer contacts, it is best to be up front and honest. Anyone can and will see through false social smoke and mirrors.
The thing that comes to mind right away is product recalls. If you know faulty merchandise is in the hands of your customers you need to get on the ball and start sending some emails. If you hope the problem will go away and that no one will find out, don’t quit your day job. Know your products back and forth and be ready with the tough questions. If a certain model isn’t right for a customer get them the right one.
When your participating in blogs and forums, don’t be afraid to rock the boat. Just make sure your rocking it in the right way. That isn’t ‘code’ for sneaky behavior or product pushing. Be there to inform with an authentic voice.
The least favorite blogs and twitter feeds are those that constantly drop links. Let them know there is a person behind the screen every once and a while. I have been following Lance Armstrong for a couple weeks now and I don’t know a more authentic person to follow. Last thing you want to portray to your followers is that their getting an automatic robot updating the account. Talk about the game, tweet your drink, ask goofy but thoughtful questions. I don’t care what business your in. Do it.
Ease up on the blog advertising. It can be very easy to clutter up the sidebars with useless widgets. You don’t need to tell people your a blogger, their at your blog. Believe me, they know already. Focus on the content and try not to exploit your readers to banner ads. 2001 called, they want their blog back.
At IgniteHQ we can help you understand your audience and cater to them. We listen. We understand. Were real people talking to real people.
Posted in consulting, gathering, interaction, listening, social media | No Comments »
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Lately I have been seeing my Facebook friends donating their statuses to certain causes.
John Doe is the 1,345,489th person to donate his status to support saving the tuna.
I think it is great to make people aware of your cause but as far as getting real results I would hope organizations dig a little deeper into their strategy. I worked with a business who insisted on using Paypal “Donate” buttons on their website. There is some debate with using Paypal. Personally I think if you want to make it ultra easy for someone to make a donation it is a solid choice.
Most people I have talked to have a Paypal account, even my mother who struggles with the right-click. I have heard some people calling it un-professional or ‘cheap’ looking. Yeah I guess it’s not the cutest little payment button I’ve ever clicked but when your talking non-profit your talking no scrill.
I donated $10 one time to my friends snowboarding fund about 6 months ago. I had some money from an ebay transaction I felt I could part with. I would do it again if I had the chance but she never sent a thank you email. Not a big deal but definitely send an acknowledgment email if your going to take peoples cash.
Posted in consulting, interaction, listening, social media | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
This last Sunday night I was drifting in and out of sleep during the Oscars. The phrase “Slumdog Millionaire” kept sounding in my head as I was nursing a Dr. Pepper. After about the 7th award or nomination, not sure, I finally searched the trailer on my iPhone.
I’m no movie buff but has anyone else noticed a huge shift in movies? These producers obviously rolled with the market on this one and absolutely ruled the awards ceremony. Ahem…best film…or something like that?
When you talk about social media and drawing in customers you can use all the twitter feeds and blogs and facebook groups(careful, these can come off annoying) to listen and interact with your customer. But unless you have a viable product/service that people identify with or love to use; forget about it.
A couple extra hours in the garage working on that thinga-ma-jig is worth more then email blasts. Speaking of twitter, Erin here at Ignite is theorizing the gossip magazines will be struggling if actors start their own twitter accounts. I agree and disagree. If I can follow John Mayer to get the real story thats great…but my wife who loves the bullcrap opinions of the magazines might not care as much.
I say hang in there People magazine , don’t sell that Cancun abode just yet.
Posted in consulting, gathering, interaction, listening, social media | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
When you ask someone if they are a social media user, they often look at you with a blank stare.
So you break it down for them, and ask “Do you have a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn? Do you write a blog? Do you frequently IM or send text messages? Do you use Skype, Basecamp, or delicious? How about uploading photos from your cell phone to the Web?”
They are surprised to know that saying yes to any of the above, would make them a social media user. And that term applies to just about everyone who uses a phone or computer.
But there’s a deeper meaning to social media than just visiting sites or using devices. What it really means is participation. And participation is a very important idea because it’s related to collaboration. Collaboration produces a kind of co-ownership, a collective contribution. A shared stake or responsibility, an ongoing relationship. When we participate, we co-create.
In other words, your customers help create your product. And when power shifts to the consumer, that’s serious business.
Making sure your company and brand uses social media to monitor and contribute to the online conversation is what we do best at IgniteHQ.com
Posted in consulting, interaction, listening, social media | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 12th, 2008
The new look and website of the re-brand is officially here! Now that this blog has an official connection and look to the new brand, we’ll begin posting more regarding some of the interesting things we are doing with our clients. Hopefully it will be of value to you and help you navigate the social sphere with your own brands.
Here’s to a long and hopefully valuable voice within the social media world!
Tags: social media, social network, web 2.0
Posted in Small business, consulting, social media | No Comments »
Monday, November 17th, 2008
It isn’t new, yet it is. The ability to evolve in order to survive within a competitive landscape is a consistent business principle and, with the growing popularity of interactive tools like wikis, blogs and social networks - which give customers the ability to engage with firms as never before - CMO’s and global marketers find themselves at the evolve or die point again. Businesses must put users at the center of their operations to respond to this new and challenging reality, which is the core of a new study of global CMOs conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Google, reports MarketingCharts.
The report, “Future Tense: The Global CMO” (pdf), finds marketers are increasingly able to reach out to consumers at all points along the value chain, not just at the moment a purchase decision is made. Because of this, global marketing of the future must engage all corporate stakeholders with consistent, constant and accurate messaging. At the same time, it must encourage and be able to respond quickly to customer feedback and involvement, pulling stakeholders closer to the corporate brand.
In terms of progress toward this goal, 56% of the 263 marketing executives surveyed agreed that their company is highly customer-centric and that marketing functions are interwoven throughout their operations.
CMOs are also responding to the fact that consumers have many sources of information and are becoming more sophisticated in their purchasing decisions. “Now when you push a marketing message out there, something comes back. If it’s a great message, if it resonates and it’s real, the boomerang is going to be positive,” said Lauren Flaherty, CMO of Nortel Networks, an interviewee for the report. “But if it’s off message and it’s not genuine, or if it’s perceived as being disingenuous, you get slammed.”
Currently, CMOs view the most important media for meeting marketing objectives as conferences and events, consumer/business magazines, TV and trade magazines.
In contrast, a year from now, they anticipate that the top-four most important media will be conferences and events, TV, online content sites and consumer/business magazines. This reflects the growing influence of online media.
The report provides the following recommendations based on findings:
Balance global brand awareness with local market relevance: Centralizing global marketing functions, such as advertising development and production, can create economies of scale and save money, but they must be guided by the needs of the local market. At the same time, marketing budgets must be decentralized so that regional directors can make appropriate decisions based on market demands.
Integrate marketing with other corporate communications: Both the interactive nature of Web 2.0 technologies and the transparency of corporate messages among different constituencies require the integration of various forms of marketing and communications. Businesses can no longer segment audiences and messages as if audiences don’t talk to each other.
Adopt new media: Organizations should consider setting aside a specific budget for experimenting with the newest Web 2.0 technologies. The CMO should have the foresight to anticipate how different constituencies will respond to different events, messages and channels, and should be able to deal with the proliferation of new-media tools and expanded audiences.
Develop new skills, capabilities-and partnerships: CMOs must understand the fundamental business model, brand, culture, policies and values of the organization. Equally important in terms of adapting to the evolution of new media are partnerships with vendors whose expertise can be used to take new initiatives to market faster-and more effectively-than a company would on its own.
Champion innovation: The need for greater accountability for marketing expenditure is pushing global companies towards digital marketing campaigns with higher returns than traditional media. The interactive nature of the latest digital-media vehicles provides the opportunity to develop deeper insights into customer dynamics and allows the CMO to become the corporate champion of customer insight.
“The CMO of the future must be the chief proponent of close engagement with customers,” says Nigel Holloway, Director, Americas, Industry and Management Research, at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “Rather than merely pushing out the corporate message to consumers, marketers must draw them in so that they are regarded as helpful participants in the development of the brand.”
About the survey: The research is based on a global survey of 263 marketing executives conducted in February 2008. Among respondents, 30% held C-level titles. In terms of geographic distribution of respondents, 35% were based in Western Europe, 29% in Asia-Pacific and 20% in North America, with the remainder coming from Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Respondents hailed from nearly 20 industries and their organizations had annual revenue of $500 million or more
Posted in consulting, gathering, interaction, listening, social media | No Comments »