Advertising your MLM Program: The Do’s and Dont’s

O.K. So…you are in network marketing and you have ventured off into the advertising arena. Cool! You are going through a growth and development mode in your business!!

Hopefully, you do it the RIGHT way. I'm not saying that there is only ONE way to advertise, but there are lots of things you probably want to do and some things you DON'T want to do.

Advertising is an interesting game. It's not just about slapping an ad in your local newspaper of signing up for a PPC (Pay-per-Click) campaign and counting your money.

Advertising that produces RESULTS requires some thought….AND very good copywriting skills.

Let's start with some of the basic DONT'S. Now…understand these are my opinions of course, but I also have a very long background in marketing and advertising, as well as extensive studies on the subject.

Ready?

1. Don't be a cheese ball!

2. Don't make yourself look stupid!

3. Don't lie!

4. Don't be like everyone else!

5. Don't overpromise and underdeliver!

6. Don't make stupid claims that make your program sound ridiculous or unbelievable!

7. Don't say it's the greatest thing sinced sliced-bread, even if it is!

8. Don't say that everyone is leaving their program to join yours! That's B.S. and you know it.

9. Don't make product or income claims!

10. Don't exaggerate, lie, cheat, brag, rip people off, act like a jerk on the phone when people call you, and on, and on, and on, and on.

You get the basic drift. None of that is good. It isn't good for our profession. And, it certainly won't produce favorable results or improve your reputation.

When advertising your network marketing business, you first need to determine where and what type of advertising you want to run.

Do you want to run a classified ad in a local paper?

USA Today? New York Times? The Robb Report?

Or…do you want to do it online through PPC advertising, Ezine ads, etc?

Or…do you want to do both?

Here's some ideas for ya:

#1: What is your monthly budget? Don't blow your entire wad of money in your first month. Results in advertising are best tracked when you have a decent sample size and period of time in which to review your results.

#2: What is your specific objective of the ad? My tip is that you advertise to specifically generate a LEAD of someone looking to join a business, or looking to buy a particular product or service you may be marketing.

#3: Write a Big, Bold, Bodacious Headline that CAPTURES their attention! Spend time on this. Don't just slap it together and say something like MAKE MONEY FROM HOME. While that may be what your potential prospects want to do, it is a pretty weak headline for an ad.

#4: The Body of your Ad Must Be GOOD! Write short, concise copy that draws the reader in and makes them drool, chomp at the bit, or salivate enough to take immediate action. Be sure not to repeat yourself in classified ads where you have limited space.

#5: One Clear, Concise Call to Action: Don't give your prospects five different steps to respond to your ad. An 800# with a brief voice mail message will suffice for classified ads in print publications. A website with a lead capture page (aka Squeeze page) is the way to go when advertising online. Whatever you do…DON'T CONFUSE THE PROSPECT!

#6: Provide Adequate Time for Testing Results: Don't give up on your advertising source after one ad. Perhaps it was your copy, your headline, time, ad placement or other factor that caused poor results.

Just a little thought for the day. This isn't every answer to your advertising woes, but certainly some food for thought.

Cheers!