Direct Selling and the Digital Age

Direct Selling industry leaders know that in order to engage their customers, distributors, and find those who will help craft the future of the industry, they must stay one step ahead of the competition. With the advent of the YouEconomy, though, that competition is coming ever closer, and Direct Selling needs to harness all it has to stay on top of its game. The digital age, though, has made it possible for Direct Selling to do what it does best to stay in the lead: connect.

Facilitate Connection

The digital age makes it even more feasible for company leaders to facilitate direct communication and connection between consumers and distributors. Social media sites such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram let companies put their products in front of consumers and gives distributors a better chance at interacting with them. Eye-catching examples as well as tutorials on how to use the product or to demonstrate how the product has made a difference in a distributor or customer’s life is invaluable testimony that no brochure could convey with the same potency. By focusing on the customer and their personal experience, something Direct Selling is well-practiced at, companies can simultaneously tailor their message and the consumer experience.

Eye-catching examples as well as tutorials on how to use the product or to demonstrate how the product has made a difference in a distributor or customer’s life is invaluable testimony that no brochure could convey with the same potency..

 

The digital age also makes it possible for companies to meet customers just as they realize a particular need and satisfy it immediately. Companies that develop innovative apps that allow consumers to track their progress after purchasing a product or that allow consumers to virtually experiment with a product before purchasing, empowers the consumer and exposes them to a wider variety of product lines than previously would have been possible. Distributors or company representatives can also interact with customers to offer guidance or encourage them to share their success stories that in turn catch the attention of others.

Foster Community

Digital tools, if used well and creatively, can foster community. Facebook Live Streaming on a regular basis can be a useful tool for company leaders to encourage their distributors and customers to use as an innovative mechanism for interaction. By paying attention to consumer habits and interests and even the unexpected ways they use or want to use a product or service means that Direct Selling companies can use that information to model future product innovations and spot trends just before or even as they emerge. Encouraging consumer questions as well as the sharing of images or stories can be a way to not only build momentum but to see if others are interested in the same issues or like the idea of using the product or service in a particular way.

By paying attention to consumer habits and interests and even the unexpected ways they use or want to use a product or service means that Direct Selling companies can use that information to model future product innovations and spot trends just before or even as they emerge.

 

Working in the digital age also means that Direct Selling companies can be on the lookout not only for new products or ways to tweak existing lines for domestic markets, but it can also provide a window to international markets. As Direct Selling continues to experience steady growth in emerging economies, company leaders may use digital marketing as a way to test the waters of new markets to see how potential customers and distributors react, discern their preferences, and begin to learn how to effectively engage with them. Company leaders willing to think outside the digital box will find opportunities limited only by their imagination.

Photo by MKHMarketing

Photo by Jason Howie