Back in 2008, when I first started selling Gold Canyon Candles, I decided that I would start a blog. One of the main reasons why I started my blog was because I didn’t want to bombard my personal friends and family with information through my Facebook page. I knew it was against Facebook’s policies and I just didn’t want to bother my friends and family. I thought that if I put the information and monthly specials in one place then they could opt in to find information if they wanted to. {This was way before direct sales consultants started using Facebook Groups}
For me, it worked out well because I discovered the benefits right away when I received a $100 order from a lady in Pennsylvania ordering candles. I live in California, so, I asked my brand new customer how she found me and I was shocked when she said “Google!” I was sold.
Now, that was over 10 years ago. Blogging is still important now more than ever for your business.
- Central Place to Communicate with Your Team Members
- SEO. Basically, solid SEO means that you can reach more people.
- Build Your Brand. The blog is your own. Part of being a business owner is building your brand. What better way to communicate your brand is through your blog and social media channels.
- Inexpensive Marketing. Not only is blogging inexpensive, you can do it at home with your loved ones nearby. You don’t have to leave home to do it. This is perfect for stay at home moms who have little ones at home. You can blog while they nap or at night once they are in bed.
- Build Friendships With Other Bloggers. I don’t tend to see this one on the list of why to start a blog for your business but I think it is important to mention. As adult women, sometimes it is hard to meet other women and build relationships. You would be surprised how many groups there are out there for bloggers. As long as you are not spamming these groups, you can build relationships and friendships with other bloggers. Just like with your company’s national convention, there are many blogging conferences that happen throughout the year.
- Endless Leads. If you have a sign-up form on your website, you can have the visitors of your blog to sign up to receive samples, catalogs, etc.
Now, if you have decided to start a blog for your direct sales business, you will want to do a few things first. The first thing that you must do is check with your company’s policies and procedures to make sure if they allow you to create a blog and/or if there are any specific requirements. I used to represent one company who wanted me to send them the link to my blog before I shared it to make sure that I was in compliance. Another company that I represented ended up telling me that I had to take down my blog, but later decided that social media was here to stay and let me put it back up.
Examples of Direct Sales Blogs