If you’re using a Flip camcorder to create video for your blog or website, I’d like to share a tip with you.

The Flip is a great little camera. I love the fact that I can carry it around in my pocket, and take quick videos just about anywhere.

One of the difficulties I’ve encountered is trying to frame the shot just right when making a “talking head” video – a video of myself. Lots of us in network marketing, and other home businesses, do these to help with personal branding and promotion.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve framed a shot, did a short take, then had to re-frame the shot a few times to get it just right.

Here is a way I found to make this a whole lot easier.

There is an annoying trend among Facebook users who come on board primarily to promote home business opportunities and products. Armed with hope and good intentions, they try hard but  just don’t get it.

Since I am involved in a home business and write a great deal on the subject, I often get friend requests on Facebook from people who are seeking to meet and network with other like minded entrepreneurial spirits. I check their profile, and if we appear to have similar interests and ambitions, I accept them as a new Facebook friend.

Lately, I’ve noticed a few that I wish I had never accepted as friends. One person in particular announces promotions and invitations to check out a home business opportunity on a regular basis – at least twice a week. Others may only send out an ad like this a couple times a month, but not surprisingly, that’s all I ever see from them. A promotion for something.

Folks, please think about this. Do you like people getting in your face and only communicating with you when they want to sell you something? Or sign you up to make money off of your efforts?

I know you mean well, and I understand your passion and enthusiasm for promoting your business. I’d rather get to know and associate with one person like you who has a dream and a passion for achieving it, than a thousand people who have given up and live life with a negative attitude and chip on their shoulder!

What I’d like to ask you to do is consider your approach. The key to getting what you want is providing value to others. If you use Facebook and have 100 people agree to be your friend, then send them little or nothing more than promotions and invitations to join whatever you’re doing, do you really think they’ll respect you and look up to you as a leader? Will they perceive you as a person they would enjoy knowing and working with?

I doubt it.

If you’ve managed to get a few leads and maybe some other action by doing it this way, you’ll probably think I’m just crazy. What you may not see, though, is how much you could have accomplished if you had focused on providing value instead of just concentrating on selling and recruiting people.

Ultimately…and please think hard about this…ultimately your best success in online network marketing, direct sales, and other “people businesses” will come from providing value and publishing content that brands you as an authority and leader in your niche. This will attract interest in you and your opportunity, and the quality of prospects you get this way is far superior to any you get from just blasting promotions out to everyone.

Leaders (the prospects you want to attract) are drawn to other leaders (that should be YOU) when they are looking for opportunity.

You might have noticed a steadily rising trend in online network marketing and direct selling home businesses.

This trend is the result of new and innovative thinking. Smart networkers and entrepreneurs have caught on and realized that a huge key to success in the overly glutted Internet marketplace is distinguishing yourself from the hundreds of thousands of others who are also promoting home business opportunities.

One smart move in this environment is creating your own “brand” or identity online. This means you don’t just go and slap up a website or blog promoting your network marketing or direct selling opportunity and merely push its benefits and income potential. Rather, you create a central site, a foundation site for your overall home business efforts where the focus is on YOU and WHO you are and WHAT you are all about.

In a world that has become increasingly impersonal (this despite all the incredible advances in communication technology), people still want to work with other people they can relate to. This means people they can feel comfortable working with and acknowledging as a leader in the business they are pursuing.

So, if you’re in network marketing or direct selling and are aiming to build a powerful and profitable business online, here are two things you need to do.

• get involved in the social media and networking sites and consistently make new contacts

• begin work on your own personal web site, the one where you’ll brand yourself

With that in mind, I strongly recommend you go and register yourname.com if you haven’t already. If you’re not ready to start your own personal site, you will want to register your name anyway. You will want to use it in the future.

Even if you have no plans to ever put up a blog or web site at yourname.com, consider registering it regardless because things can change, and you really want to grab your name before someone else does.

If someone already has yourname.com, consider any reasonable variations you can find, such as your-name.com with dashes between your first and last name. Definitely register the “dot com” version, and consider registering the “dot net” and “dot org” variations as well. While registering the domain names other than “dot com” isn’t absolutely necessary, it does add a little more protection to your valuable online reputation and makes it less likely anyone else will set up a website or blog using your name and be confused with you.

Since I’m pretty active on Facebook, I get friend requests fairly often.

When I get a Facebook  friend request, I take a quick look to see if the other person has similar interests or ambitions, as well as consider the common friends we share. Based on this, I choose to add them as a new friend or just ignore.

Quite frankly, many people on Facebook seem to have the idea that “the more Facebook friends you have, the greater is your status in the online universe“. Some people seem to go out of their way to send as many friend invitations as they possibly can, as often as they can.

But all that aside, I want to make a brief comment on how to lose a Facebook friend.

I recently had someone send me a friend request. This person was also involved in the home based business and network marketing industry, so I accepted the invitation. Since then, I have received daily updates from them. They are almost ALL solicitations for their business. Headlines like “Join my business free this week” that just stick out and are a real turnoff.

This is a great example of how not to have success on the social networks. People just don’t want outright solicitation. They won’t respect anyone that does it. It is so obvious when someone is on Facebook or any other social network solely to promote a business or sell something.

You CAN very effectively get leads and grow your business through the social networks. You just need to focus on doing the most important things.

• provide value – share helpful tips and resources to help others in their business or whatever they do, without a link to something you sell or offer as an affiliate

• build relationships – get to know others and appreciate them as people – don’t just look at them with dollar signs in your eyes

• establish trust – you must provide value and build relationships to establish that trust which ultimately attracts others to you and your business or product/service

Always look at it like this – do you enjoy being sold? Do you like people in your face pumping the latest and greatest thing they sell? Of course not.

Bring value to others. Contribute something. Help people. Do things for others that are unselfish, for which you have no direct benefit or compensation. This is a key to success in social networking.

Here is something interesting I discovered this morning. It’s a smorgasbord of trivia and various questions that help others get to know you better.

I’ve noticed a few people using this very effectively on social networking sites.

Remember…the idea behind social networking is to make friends and build relationships. It’s amazing the little things that can help you know someone a bit better.

Here is what you can do – post this list on your profile on Facebook (in Notes), or on other sites as you desire. I’ve answered some of these as they apply to me, just replace my answers with yours.

If you use this on Facebook, tag 25 people you know to do the same thing.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I’m told my dad chose my first name, and my brother (who was in high school at the time) chose my middle name. Not sure where my dad found “Eldon”, but it’s me. 

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? When I was writing the outline of a tribute I delivered at the funeral of a long-time friend last year.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, my handwriting is not pretty, in part because I’ve gone to typing everything I do on a keyboard instead of writing by hand over the last 20 years or so.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Lite all-beef bologna

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, a beautiful daughter Erin (age 7) and a wonderful boy Ethan (age 12).

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably so, but I’d have to be patient with me. 

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? From time to time, and sometime people misinterpret because I can do it and appear dead serious.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never. I was born with a fear of heights, and will not fly (unless I absolutely HAVE TO) so no bungee jumping.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Vive, by Kashi (pretty new) – also like frosted shredded wheat, but too much sugar to eat all the time.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Rocky Road

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? How friendly and relaxed (approachable) they seem to be.

14. RED OR PINK? Red

15. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a little disorganized at times.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My parents. I was fortunate to have my mother for a long time (she was 80 when she passed away) but my dad died when I was only 8 years old.

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Sure, have fun!

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans and white/gray Asics running shoes

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the sound of clicking keys

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Navy blue

21. FAVORITE SMELLS? sourdough bread baking, freshly cut grass

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? A guy in my downline who needed help figuring out his new web site.

23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I found it on a friend’s Facebook page, so I do like them.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football, baseball to a lesser extent

25. HAIR COLOR? Brown

26. EYE COLOR? Green

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, since college

28. FAVORITE FOOD? pepperoni pizza with jalapenos, HOT and spicy salsa and chips (hard to find really HOT salsa in restaurants though, but I have found places where they will make some up for me when I go there)

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? thinking about this one…

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? white with navy stripes

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer

33. HUGS OR KISSES? Both

34. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not sure what to put here, use your imagination…

35. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ditto…

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? You, Inc. plus several practical “how to” books on SEO and other web-related stuff.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing, just plain dark blue

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I rarely watch TV, usually only sports, too busy for it.

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)?  gentle rain

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? New York City

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? communicating through writing, SEO stuff, persistence

43 WHERE WERE U BORN? Beaumont, Texas

44. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone I can

45. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER? We were introduced by a mutual friend – oddly enough, a very short time after I moved to a larger city (in part) to meet girls – ending up moving back after a year.

There is lots of talk in the home business and network marketing world about using online social networking to meet people, find prospects, and in general build a bigger and more profitable business.

The good news is, online social networking does work if you think about it in the right way. You don’t want to be like some people who think the more Facebook friends you have, the more powerful or popular you are or something. Having lots of Facebook friends is nice, but how many of them do you really know? At all?

Think about social networking as building relationships with people. Lots of people on Facebook make tons of friend requests, because they are hoping that doing so will help them get exposure and leads for their business. The problem is, they just send out the requests based on the results of some sort of search they did. Rarely do they bother to check out profiles to any extent.

Here is a thought – social networking takes some work if you do it right. When you make a friend, take some time to leave a comment on something they’ve written or contributed. It doesn’t take long, and is well worth the effort. A thoughtful response can be the beginning of some good exchanges and friendships up the line.

I found a video by Seth Godin about using social networking in business. This guy is sharp and very “to the point” about things. If you’ve read any of his books, you know what I mean. His comments help put the social networking phenomenon in perspective.

I think you’ll enjoy this video by Doug Firebaugh, one of the most noted and respected MLM and networking marketing trainers in the world today.

In this short presentation, Doug talks about some interesting observations that his mentor (the 7 Billion Dollar Networker) made that I think are quite profound.

One lesson here – adapt with the times and embrace new technologies for building your network marketing business. The “tried and true” methods still work, and the basic fundamentals of building relationships still apply.

However, we live in an age of fast-paced technology, and people are learning  to meet and connect in different ways than we could have imagined just a  few years ago. Who would have foreseen the Facebook phenomenon? Could anyone have imagined something like Twitter being a serious way to connect?

I have the pleasure of working with Doug and a select team of top network marketing leaders on a project (coming to you soon) that will bring you the skills necessary to adapt and thrive in today’s “social media” driven world, both online and offline. Stay tuned!

Enjoy this video, more news to follow soon.

A FLOOD!

THAT is what has happened in Social Media.

A flood of content on social media sites that have proven to be life changing in many ways and business changing.

But if a flood has occurred – what is left to passionately write about?

What is left to say that has not been said?

PLENTY!

How would you like to know 5 tips that will GUARANTEE eyeballs looking at or reading what you have put out in social media? THAT would rock your world and business if you could EXPLODE the ATTENTION given on the content you are putting out for your business and social media marketing.

There are so many things that you can write about for your personal life, business, or any other thing that you want to increase, expand, enlarge, or improve in your life.

But there is a question that YOU must find the answer to in order to write a post or article or record a video that will go VIRAL. This question will be your GPS system in finding what you need to write about.

Most folks in social media marketing make a HUGE mistake. They write about what they THINK they need to write about, or even worse….what they enjoy writing about and not moving from that topic. Nothing wrong with that, but there may be a problem with it as it may not be a broad enough focus to move people to listen or read.

What is what  I call the “BULLSEYE Question” that we all must focus on and listen to?

“WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR – in your industry and market?”

Think about it. If you KNOW what people are looking for, then you have a great start in creating topics that you KNOW will be read.

There are 3 things that people are always looking to read about:

a) Solutions to a challenge they have.

b) Information they do not know that they can learn to move their life forward.

c) Something that will move them on the inside and make them feel good.

These 3 things always seem to work. but what if you combined them with the 5 quick tips on getting your articles read and videos watched?

Here are 5 really quick tips to write about TO GET EYEBALLS looking once you have found out what your market is looking for and KNOW the Bullseye Question:

1) The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made in your Industry and how much that is Costing YOU.

This always gets read as it comes from a fear of loss and fear of continuation. What are people looking for and what are the mistakes being made to keep them from finding it?

2) The Most Powerful ONE THING You can do RIGHT NOW to increase your business in the __________ profession or market.

This really does get people to read what you have written as it comes from an “exclusive knowing PERSPECTIVE” AND an Authority position.

What is the ONE THING a person can do in your industry or market to start to improve their situation whatever is it – NOW?

3) The Three Reasons Why You Are Struggling in the ___________________ profession…or to lose weight….or to create better skin….or to increase your income….or to pay your bills….etc.

What are people looking for? Many times it is as simple as to get past their own barriers. This is a great focus on getting past where you are, and get you to where you want to go. This is a guaranteed read and will be passed along virally.

4) The 5 Lies that are Told Constantly in the ____________________ industry and what the REAL TRUTH is…

People always gravitate towards the TRUTH. And this would be no exception. If you want to get passed along in a video, blog post, or podcast, you must provide content on what people are looking for, not just what you think they will read. People want the TRUTH about what it takes, what it is about, what it inside it, what really happens, etc.

YOU be the Truth Light and shine the light on lies that are prevalent in your world.

5) The 3 Things You Can Say That Will Change EVERYTHING in your business….weight.…Beauty….Life – to yourself or others.

Declarations and affirmations are very popular. I declare and decree daily as the Good Book says to do. But when you can tell people what they must SPEAK to people or themselves in order to change things – that is quite a story to read and pass along. This will be read as it solves a problem or gives an answer to a challenge they are looking to get rid of. They may be saying totally the wrong thing. They may be speaking in a way that would never work in your market. Let them know and give them the words as well as the encouragement.

These are 5 quick tips that will help you in getting attention and focused EYEBALLS on your blog posts, videos, or any other content in your efforts in social media marketing.

Credit to Doug Firebaugh for providing this informative and useful training. I have the pleasure of working with Doug on the “7 Billion Dollar Networker University” project, which is ramping up and will be unveiled in the very near future….stay tuned!

Now that “attraction marketing” and social networking sites are all the rage in network marketing and MLM, I’m seeing a lot of interesting developments. As this movement grows, you’ll see predictable behaviors and results to match.

While Facebook and similar social networking sites are on the cutting edge of this movement, the same things have been happening for years on more traditional online communities, such as MLM message boards and WAHM (work at home mom) boards.

Let’s talk about three common social network user profiles common to network marketers and other home business opportunity promoters.

The Spammer – this is the user who creates an account (often with automated software), adds little or no useful information to their profile, never contributes to discussions, but posts links to their opportunity or recruiting page wherever allowed. These people often create multiple accounts under different names, posting the same links over and over.

The Pretender – this is the user who really tries and generally means well, but joins the community with one purpose in mind – recruiting. They will occasionally join discussions, but typically with the objective of getting a signature link in. Comments like “Great post!” or “Thanks for posting this!” are typical for this user. They will frequently fill out part of their profile, and often include a real photo.

The Contributor – this is the user who joins the community with two things in mind. First, to become a part of the community and really contribute. Second, to make friends and contacts, some of whom will naturally become business prospects over time. The Contributor takes time to post thoughtful replies to discussions, and often starts discussion threads of their own.

Let’s contrast the “Pretender” and the “Contributor”. At first glance, these users seem similar. Nice profiles, real photos, most of the basics. The difference is in the participation.

The “Pretender” is mostly interested in getting leads, and it shows. They post very short and infrequent replies, leaving the feeling that they are trying to do “just enough” to get by.

The “Contributor” also wants to get leads, let’s make no mistake about that! However, by putting first things first and becoming a valued member of the community, they are setting themselves up to make friends and build real relationships. They understand that it isn’t necessarily the person who clicks a link to their network marketing site that becomes a prospect. They understand that a new friend, a relationship they build, can recommend them to someone who IS a great prospect and ready to do something. We all know that referrals to us from friends can be the very best prospects, right?

So, my point is this. If you are building a network marketing business, or looking to drum up interest in your home business products or services, the key to long term success in online social networking is building relationships.

Join Facebook and other social networking communities as you see fit. Take time to get a feel for the groups you join and go in with the attitude of “add value and make friends” first. Once you get established and trusted, you’ll be surprised how many good things can happen for your business!

Are you ready to use social networking to help promote yourself and your home business? If so, you have made a very wise decision.

Social networks like Facebook and MySpace are growing by leaps and bounds, and professional networks such as LinkedIn are also experiencing unprecedented growth. This trend will continue, so now is the time to get involved.

For anyone using social networking to promote a home business or network marketing opportunity, you want to be seen and respected as a leader.

Here are five important things to keep in mind that are crucial to your success.

• Since you are in a “people” business, don’t use a fake name or alias – use your real name and create a meaningful profile for yourself. Fake names and thin profiles are the mark of spammers, and will often be recognized as such. Successful and respected leaders are open, ethical, and honest about who they are.

• When discussing your business or industry, always take the high road and avoid trying to cut down or trash a competitor. All that does is leave a bad impression. Many amateur home business builders try to make their company or product look good by trashing their competition, and in the long run this will backfire. True leaders understand that you don’t build yourself up by tearing others down.

• Do not openly and obviously advertise your products or opportunity  – this makes it look like you are participating just to sell something, and in some social networks can get you banned.

• Be a contributor – look for opportunity to help answer questions or provide input that is helpful to a discussion. This is where you can really shine and show visitors that you are a true leader. Leaders demonstrate a willingness to assist and guide others who are seeking help.

• Participate regularly and often – the more you show up, the better people will remember you and tend to look you up when they have an interest in what you are offering. You don’t have to necessarily participate in social networks each and every day (everybody needs a break sometime), but try to be consistent with whatever you do.