The 3 BEhaviors
of effective social media
business building
Just like your interpersonal interactions, social media thrives best when you are authentic in your relationships. Communication that is pushy or robotic can be off putting and diminish your ability to connect with people online. Ideally, being real is simply about you sharing the details of your ongoing life story, with Nu Skin as an integral part of that narrative. Let your strengths and personality shine by sharing personal experiences in the social apps that best fit you. Build your personal brand and showcase the most important resource you have in this business – you!
Be You
Show off your unique personality and don’t try to be someone else. People interact with others on social media because they want to engage with other people they know and like. They are typically not looking for business or product information when they initially decide to connect with you – they simply want to know what is going on in your life, just as you want to know what is going on in their lives. Therefore, it is important to:
Let Your Personality Shine
This means speaking in the language and tone that you normally use with your friends. If you are excited or passionate about something in your life, let your friends know about it just as if you were talking to them in person. You have unique interests, values and traits – this is where you can share those characteristics with others quickly and succinctly.
An important part of sharing your passions is doing it in such a way that it reflects the best of you; in other words, be your best self … always!
When you share your excitement about Nu Skin, let it come from your heart and make it a natural extension of who you are.
Spark Curiosity
People can detect a “sales pitch” and that is not the message you want to convey upfront. You shouldn’t be overbearing, but rather spark curiosity with content that invites your network to ask you questions or engage with you through other social apps. Your pride in being part of Nu Skin will come through by letting your friends know that you are excited to share something very unique or innovative with them, whether it’s a way to improve their lives or how they look and feel.
Subtlety is the name of the game here. You want to weave Nu Skin into your life on occasion and provide a variety of product, event and personal posts. It may be sufficient to simply post a photo of a Nu Skin product with just #nuskin as your update.
Another effective way to include Nu Skin into the conversation is to refer to the many ways Nu Skin benefits your life, without mentioning the company. An example of this could be, “The kids are out of school today, so we are going to the children’s museum. I love the flexibility I have now.”
Weave Nu Skin into Your Life
Authenticity comes from the heart. Share what matters to you most and include your family, friends and associates in your posts. By sharing your life “as it happens,” and appropriately sharing the emotions your experiences create, you can show how Nu Skin is a wonderful part of your life.
Leverage Your Strengths and Skills
You have strengths and skills that are unique to you, so it’s important to leverage them creatively. Perhaps you are a stellar photographer. You could use this skill to take great photographs that showcase Nu Skin products and your involvement with the company.
Confidence is the polish on a particular skill set. Make your posts dazzle by communicating and associating with others in a way that makes you feel most confident. This means being open with people about your unique skills and abilities and using your strengths to effectively communicate your experience with Nu Skin.
Select Social Apps that Best Fit You
Another key to being real online is finding the social apps that best fit you. You’ll discover that every app has its own unique etiquette and culture, so finding the right app sometimes takes trial and error. You’ll identify with apps that match your personality and your level of interest. For example, if you are more of a visual person who prefers to share information in a simple and quick way, then you may want to focus your energy on an image based app like Instagram.
Avoid participating on too many social profiles; find one or a few that work well for you and focus on those. You can also try out several different apps to see how you like each one of them. And, remember that sometimes the right app will grow on you the more you use it.
Finally, find people who share your interests and try out the apps those people tend to use. For example, Pinterest’s user base is mostly women and it’s a great place to find DIY, crafts and home décor. Google Plus is mostly populated by men and it is a great place to chat about technology.
Build Your Personal Brand and Reputation
Know Your Audience
Know Your Audience
Effective messaging requires knowing the people you are addressing. This means understanding their challenges and frustrations as well as knowing their collective victories. It also requires that you understand their needs and desires – what they really want in order to be happy and fulfilled in life.
Communicate Core Messages
Now is the time to draw on those unique talents you possess so you can identify your expertise. Then, establish a personal messaging strategy and consistently use those messages in your posts.
Establish a Consistent Tone, Look and Feel
Regularly post content that is consistent with your personal brand. Choose an appropriate posting frequency, just make sure you don’t flood your friend’s newsfeeds. Nu Skin’s official social media profiles have a consistent look and feel, so the company’s approved content will also help your personal brand online.
Control Your Name
Your professional profiles, such as those on LinkedIn, About.me, etc., must be strong and quickly identifiable to you. In other words, there should be no doubt that the message or profile is coming from you or referring to you. By making your Google+ profile strong, you will improve your reputation on search engines. If your name is a common name (e.g., John Smith), leverage your middle name to make it unique. It’s also important to connect your name to your business and industry in your bio, and to ensure that all of your social profiles are up to date; this includes current bios, workplace, location, etc.
Establish a Strong Personal Image
Your name and image are your calling cards on social media, so it is critical that you use quality profile photos across your social apps. Nu Skin recommends using the same name, profile photo, imagery and look; i.e., don’t use a nickname in one app and your full name in another.
When you are posting about Nu Skin, be sure your appearance and environment reveal how Nu Skin is benefiting your life. Your profile photos and posts should depict your best self.
Follow these seven ingredients for creating a compelling social media bio. These include making sure the information is:
- accurate and tells what you really do or are
- exciting and has some pizazz
- targeted to attract people like yourself
- flattering and talks about your accomplishments
- humanizing by sharing a hobby or interest
- intriguing and highlights what makes you unique
- offering a way for people to connect with you via hashtags, @s or links to other social profiles.
And, be sure to disclose that you are a Nu Skin distributor in your social media bios.
Don’t Be Pushy or Robotic
If you want people to continue to read your posts and engage with you on social media, avoid blatant product pitches on public posts. This means using subtlety when speaking about Nu Skin products on posts that everyone can see, and avoiding pushy messages to those who have previously shown no interest. Also avoid automated posts and overwhelming people with Nu Skin content. Consider making the majority of your posts about your life and sprinkling in Nu Skin business or product posts as appropriate.
Know, Share and Revisit Your Story
First and foremost, define your “why”; defining your motivation for your work is critical to your ability to tell your story with clarity and enthusiasm.
Share your history, including your struggles and pain, and also your victories. When someone can relate to your experiences, your story can resonate with that person and allow him or her to envision “following in your footsteps to success.”
Just as important is sharing your transformation. Did you struggle to find the right skin care products that delivered good results and now have people say, ‘Your skin looks great, what are you using?” Did you cower in a corner at parties, afraid to meet someone new, but now love to talk to strangers and learn all about them? If you have been transformed, let people know!
Just like a good novel or movie, your story must have context, characters, conflict and a conclusion or resolution. It must be told with simplicity, emotion and honesty and be real and valid. It must also have a sequence that includes some suspense – think of your story as a rollercoaster that keeps the audience anticipating every turn, breathless at times, and fulfilled at the end. Again, you must pique the curiosity of your readers. What can you say that will entice them to learn more?
Practice, practice, practice. Practice sharing your story online and in person so you can relate it naturally and honestly. Also learn how to break up your story so you share only the elements that are relevant to a specific audience; you don’t need to share your entire story every time.
Pay attention to the facets of your story that resonate with individuals and emphasize those points in subsequent opportunities.
Revisit your story frequently and always incorporate new events and details; it’s important that your story be fresh and current.
Focus on the person you are becoming and the possibilities your new opportunity provides you and your family, such as having more time to spend with your loved ones, enjoying “date night” once again or reclaiming your self-esteem and confidence.
Don’t brag about your accomplishments or be arrogant and never divulge your exact earnings as a Nu Skin distributor.
Learning from others is a vital component of many sales leaders’ success. Find great storytellers whom you admire and learn why their stories and presentations are so compelling so you can become just as powerful as you share your story with others.
BE Wise
Being wise on social media can help you build your business and also protect you from tarnishing your personal brand. As you master best practices and stay current on the latest trends, you will be more effective in building your business online. It’s also imperative that you follow the proper guidelines – including Nu Skin’s Social Media Policies – to minimize potential negative consequences of social posts.
Know Your App
To be effective on social media, it’s critical that you know the features and capabilities of the apps you use.
Know the Best Practices
Learn the best times to post depending on the social apps and the demographics of your personal community. For some, it may be first thing in the morning. For others, it may be later in the day. The time of the week can also be important.
A few things to keep in mind include knowing how often to post depending on the social app you are using, and having a variety of different types of media. Nu Skin will provide further training on this to help you make the most of your posts.
Setting your email notifications properly will help you to better manage your social apps. Public posts are great for creating “soft leads” with subtle content, developing real relationships with a large group of people. In private messaging apps you can have more direct conversations with individuals regarding specific interests, such as specific product sales or promoting the business opportunity. Remember to keep public posts less direct and try to keep direct conversations private.
In addition, understand the unique culture and etiquette of each social app. Once you understand each social app you plan to use, you will be able to determine what types of content to share, when and how to share it, and the best ways to engage with others on each app.
Be Aware of the Current Tools and Trends
Keep up to date on what is happening in the world, as well as your industry and company. Also, be aware of free third-party tools that are available such as Buffer or Hootsuite that give you tools to manage multiple social apps, like the ability to schedule posts and easily view what your friends are posting.
Consider following social media thought leaders, leveraging social media search tools and following popular tech blogs to learn about the latest trends and emerging social apps.
Use Social Media to Sell Effectively
Messaging apps are a great tool when following up with customers. You can also use messaging apps to ensure your customers and those in your team are satisfied.
Use separate conversations for your customers and those interested in the business, since your overall message and purpose may be different for each type of business relationship.
Be sure to share new products with existing as well as past customers.
Use Social Media to Build Your Business
Begin your relationships naturally by connecting through social media apps and create interest and curiosity through consistent, authentic public posts. To help strengthen your online relationships, use subtle engagement in the form of likes, comments, questions, polls, favorites, shares, etc.
Remember that you are building relationships, so connect with people who share your interests not directly related to Nu Skin, such as fashion, skin care and cosmetics, health, nutrition, or even sports, politics, and travel. Once you have connected with an individual and developed a strong relationship, you can share your enthusiasm for Nu Skin’s product and business opportunity.
Seek Out Mentors
A huge part of creating success with your Nu Skin business revolves around learning from those who have already reached the goals you are striving to attain. That’s why it is important to follow and connect with other Nu Skin sales leaders who are finding success in building their businesses through social media. Find the people who are savvy and successful on social media platforms and connect with them. Watch how they use social media to increase their success.
Know the rules and be cautious
Understand Nu Skin Social Media Policies and Procedures
Appropriate posts are compliant with Nu Skin’s Policies and Procedures, and allow you to share information about yourself and your business effectively. Here are a few things you can do to make your social media posts as successful as possible:
- Share your experiences with Nu Skin products and the Nu Skin business
- Make new friends and contacts
- Offer support and interact with others
- Link to Nu Skin’s website
- Disclose that you are a Nu Skin Independent Distributor
- Join official Nu Skin fan pages
- Share company approved photos, promotional videos and business support materials
- Share individual photos and videos regarding your personal experience with Nu Skin (examples: incentive trips, global and regional conventions, and individual product usage)
- Use claims found in approved Nu Skin marketing materials
- Recommend that customers talk to their healthcare provider for all healthcare concerns or questions
- Share positive personal testimonials that are consistent with approved claims
- Share your “why”; be authentic and personal
- Talk about the success that can come through hard work and patience
- Talk about having fun with the business
- Emphasize the importance of reselling the product
- Talk about the fact that Nu Skin’s Sales Compensation Plan is competitive and innovative
What we CANNOT do with social media:
- Don’t solicit in public forums, groups, message-boards, blogs, comment sections or employment-based websites; Soliciting is allowed only in closed environments (friends/followers)
- Don’t use company trade names or trademarks when naming your pages or group
- Don’t create pages, websites, accounts or other online avenues for purchasing products (e.g. e-commerce) other than Nu Skin-produced distributor web pages
- Don’t use company trademarked logos for profile pictures
- Don’t use unapproved third party pictures, celebrity endorsements or literature to promote the products or business
- Don’t claim that our products treat, cure or prevent any disease (or that the product cured your own ailment)
- Don’t state or imply that our products helped address, treat, cure or prevent any disease or other medical condition, or that imply a result that is different from (or goes beyond) our approved marketing claims
- Don’t make claims for a product that are not found on Nu Skin’s website or in Nu Skin marketing materials applicable to your region or market
- Don’t use unapproved pictures, celebrity endorsements, literature, videos or materials to promote the products — testimonials must comply with testimonial guidelines
- Don’t share details of individual commissions earned or the specific details of the Sales Compensation Plan
- Don’t make lavish or unrealistic lifestyle claims
- Don’t offer or imply any guarantee of success by simply following a system
- Don’t use the terms “passive” or “residual” income. Instead, use “leveraged income”
- Don’t misrepresent past, present or future earnings
- Don’t use hypothetical earnings that exceed those of the average distributor for the same period
Never Do Anything that Could Potentially Harm Your Business
Always abide by Nu Skin’s social media policies and procedures, and be cautious when publicly posting sensitive or personal information. Also, abide by the terms of service of the social apps you use.
Remember that your business is your livelihood and your reputation on social media can directly impact your business. If you violate Nu Skin’s policies and post non-compliant content, you can face serious penalties up to and including the suspension of your business relationship with Nu Skin. Following these guidelines will protect your business, reflect well on you as an individual and help you to have every opportunity for success.
Be Kind and Respectful
Your goal is to present yourself and your Nu Skin business in the best light possible each time you post information on social media. Therefore, avoid offensive or unsavory language and treat your audience as if you are talking with them in person. No matter what you are feeling at the moment, don’t make personal threats, write insults, racial slurs, innuendo, gossip or display other inappropriate behavior.
Just as important, know how to handle negativity and personal attacks with poise and respect.
Express joy when others are having happy moments and compassion when they are experiencing difficult situations.
Understand Privacy and Security Settings
Set your overall privacy settings to fit your personal needs and use these settings on individual posts for personal content. Also, know and regulate the 3rd party apps that have access to your profile information. Be aware that malicious 3rd party apps, if given the right permissions, can hijack your profile and post unwanted or inappropriate content on your behalf. Equally as important, always be aware of what people can and cannot see. Use strong passwords and password management tools whenever possible to protect yourself and your content.
Know the Dangers that Exist in Social Media
Remember – once something is posted online it may never go away. Anything you post can affect your reputation.
Be cautious when sharing information about your whereabouts; it could give wrongdoers the ability to steal your property or hurt you in some way.
Always log out before leaving a public computer you have been using.
Know how to deal with online bullying and be careful to avoid catfishing, phishing, grooming, revenge porn and other online scams and threatening activity.
Be very cautious when sharing highly sensitive and personal information with others.
Understand the Terms of Service of Social Apps
Before you start using any social app, know the ownership rights of the media you create and upload to that app. Also, understand the app’s rules of engagement.
BE Connected
When you meet others, whether online or offline, connecting with them on social apps will not only grow your community but increase your online influence and your ability to build your business. Build meaningful relationships with those in your online community by engaging with them in positive conversations surrounding Nu Skin and our industry.
Grow Your Network and Community to Increase Sales and Build Your Downline
Once you meet people in person, connect with them via social apps in the moment or shortly thereafter. It’s also a good idea to encourage people in your community to connect with one another and to grow your community to increase your influence and reach.
Cultivate Your Relationships
Cultivating relationships is vital to growing a large and strong organization. Therefore, stay in touch with your social connections and engage with others through their posts. Take the time to reply to comments and messages and share and message person to person.
Always ask your connections what you can do for them and tell people you are excited to hear their stories and what they are experiencing in their lives. Plus, make yourself available to your connections; don’t make it difficult for someone to reach you.
Find Highly Connected People and Build Relationships with Them
Since you learn by following the examples of successful leaders, be sure to follow connected and successful people you know and connect with them appropriately. Also follow friends of friends.
Contribute to the Nu Skin Community
Since Nu Skin is part of your daily life, follow and engage with Nu Skin’s corporate social profiles by liking posts, making comments, indicating favorites, etc. Also share content from Nu Skin’s corporate social profiles and participate in contests, challenges and other campaigns. When you engage with Nu Skin’s corporate social media profiles, you are also helping Nu Skin to appear more positively in search results. For example, your engagement can help Nu Skin’s Facebook page be one of the top-ten search results when people use Google to learn more about the company.
Strong leadership begins at the corporate level, so it is important to follow and engage with Nu Skin executives’ profiles. Use Nu Skin’s official hashtags, especially #NuSkin.
Remember to connect with other Nu Skin people you meet online and at events or through mutual friends. And make sure you share positive messages about the company.
Gain the Respect of Your Peers through Consistent, Quality Posts
Be protective of your social profiles and only share quality content. Do post often and consistently to gain the trust of those in your personal community and to keep them engaged.
You love what you do and are proud to be part of Nu Skin, so share your knowledge of the industry, products and business. Also share industry news and relevant content to demonstrate that you are informed.
Social media is a powerful tool and can be a great way to build your business. Following Nu Skin’s social media BEhaviors will keep your business safe and enable you to use social media in the most effective way. Good luck and keep posting!
