In this article, we specifically discuss social media and a strategy for attraction marketing.  How can you attract customers and if you’re a network marketer, business partners?  Not surprisingly, the best advice comes from going back to basics and using timeless advice from classics such as Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

Attraction marketing on Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn and other social media sites is best done following a specific process of making friends.  We’ll use the paradigm of network marketing to explain this strategy in more detail, but the same concepts apply to any business model.  We’ll also use Facebook as the main example, although most concepts apply to other social media as well.

The first thing to realize is that Facebook is meant for social interaction, rather than business building.  That, however is not a problem, since the underlying strategy is first making friends.  So in this regard, Facebook is perfect.

Since Facebook is not for business building, any reference to a business or products you sell should not be present on your page.  How many marketers violate this principle?  Nor should your profile contain links to your company’s business website.  You should also not have “Likes” related to your company or products.  Does this sound like different advice that you have been getting from your network marketing company itself? How is their “advice” working for you so far?

Next, you need to do something to attract interest to you on a daily basis, such as posting a generic motivational video.  In addition, social media guru Max Steingart recommends using a catchy status, such as “Jim Green is ready to help 4 more people earn a fortune online,” and just change the numbering every day.

Then try to connect with old friends and/or invite them to join Facebook, while looking for new friends with similar interests on a daily basis.  The Facebook advanced search feature can quickly locate potential people that might be prospects for your business.  You are then in control of exactly you “invite” as friends and who you attempt to develop a relationship with.

Then when someone accepts a friend request from you, or you accept a new friend that requested you, develop a relationship first and attempt to qualify the person BEFORE trying to share your business or products with them.  Also when someone comments or asks about your daily status, you can assume they’re attracted to you and possibly a candidate for your business.  Only share your business with qualified prospects who express a need for what you can offer them.

We highly recommend Max Steingart’s Endless Free Leads course, bootcamps, and coaching for further information and assistance with your direct marketing strategy.