Social Media Tips, Because Who Doesn’t like Free Chicken Nuggets?

Carter Wilkerson opened his Twitter account on April 5^th, 2017 and had an idea. A 16-year-old fan of chicken nuggets wanted to try his luck. He tweeted Wendy’s the following question,

“Yo, Wendy’s. How many retweets for a year of free chicken nuggets?”.

Wendy’s tweeted him back directly:  “18 Million.”

This began Carter’s amazing campaign to achieve a nearly unattainable number. Not only had that number of retweets never been reached before, but someone with only 80 followers needed to multiply that audience by a thousand to have any hope. But that didn’t really matter to Carter. With nothing to lose, he began spreading the news online. The retweet record at the time was held by talk show host and actress Ellen DeGeneres. She took a selfie during the 2014 Academy Awards surrounded by several popular A-list actors. The tweet managed 3.4 Million retweets over a three-year period. In just one month, Carter Wilkerson was retweeted 3.6 Million times.

Millions of strangers picked up Carter’s simple, yet entertaining request, across social media.. Soon, mainstream media began reporting on the phenomenon, and today the campaign continues to grow. There is even a website called “NuggsForCarter.com.” Even though Carter may not have thought at the time anything would come of it,

a correctly-timed, well-thought post on a social media platform can accomplish what was previously unthinkable.

There are countless lessons to be learned here, but I want to focus on one aspect – true and genuine connection. Here’s a 16 year old having a direct conversation with a multi-million dollar corporation. Just a few years ago, that would have been nearly impossible – both for the company and for Carter—or anyone. Wendy’s could have chosen to not respond to the tweet, but instead, they chose to build a relationship, not just with Carter, but with the millions who heard Carter’s story. And I’m 99% sure they didn’t mind all the free advertising and press. The lesson here?

Wendy’s chose not to be a disconnected, headless corporation. The brand became an approachable person.

So what does this mean for Direct Sales?” It means everything. For years, our business model has flown in the face of Corporate America. We’ve always put personal connection and face-to-face interactions over glitzy corporate marketing. Today, you are witnessing the winds of commerce shifting. Corporate America is now recognizing the value of one-on-one brand building. The recent Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report[1] proves what we have always known – that people are far more likely to trust the recommendations of family and friends than they are to trust corporate advertising. We’re already ahead of the curve. Now we need to lead the pack when it comes to using tools to connect with customers.

In today’s smartphone world, effective interactions on social media are one of the most valuable tools we have in direct sales. Social media has become the new “word of mouth.” If your friend posts about a product or business she likes online, you’re more likely to buy. The speed and impact with which information surges through the internet is like touching an exposed electrical wire. It is instantaneous and shocking.

We should all be taking advantage of that speed and reach on a regular basis.

In March, 2017, Zephoria[2] did a study to determine how many active users are currently on Facebook. The answer was 1.94 Billion. Nearly two billion Facebook users are active and available to be targeted. WhatsApp adds another billion,[3] Instagram boasts a half-billion, and with Twitter and Tumbler pushing their 867 Million users into the pot, there are now more ways than ever to reach half of the planet’s population in a matter of seconds. We should all be utilizing multiple social media platforms to increase engagement with our products and opportunity. Personally, I have been seeing a lot of success recently utilizing BeLive.tv on Facebook Live. Last week I recorded an interview with one of our top distributors and as of right now, it’s reached over 12,000 viewers. Put another way, that’s more than we have at some of our larger events. The tool is incredibly simple to use, and it opened the door to a new way of approaching social media posting. What social media tools can you utilize and personalize to network with your audience?

And what social media platforms are you currently using, and are there others you should be?

Network marketing professional, Eric Worre, said that the average person needs four to seven exposures to our opportunity before they’ll even consider joining a network marketing group. Are you giving up after the first rejection? We’ve all heard the stories of the most successful people on earth. They fought through rejection, learned from their experiences, and focused on success. As entrepreneurs, we know that to reach heights that were once unattainable, we need to think outside the currently cemented norms. Social media is the stepladder to transcend business barriers and industry obstacles.

In a recent private meeting with leaders of the direct sales worlds, we had a discussion about whether we should be still be using the term “direct selling.” It’s a term that means different things to different people (some good, and some bad). Regardless of the meaning that’s put to the term, it indicates a means of selling. In our industry, we know it’s more about sharing than about sales. It’s about the people and relationships we build as part of our business models.

Personally I like the thought if using the term “Social entrepreneurs.” That’s really who we are – entrepreneurs that understand the power of human interaction.

As a social entrepreneur with today’s technology, we have the ability to connect to billions, I repeat, billions of people all across the world. It’s not possible to shake all their hands and share the power of our products, but we can use social media in creative ways to bridge the chasms of culture, ethnicity, and personality.

Like any skill, we can get better with how we use social media. Here are a few ideas.

• Make your posts genuine and honest. People know instantly when you’re being disingenuous

• You are the most important part. Remember, people don’t want to be sold something. They want to connect with you. This takes the pressure off of selling. Just share your personal experience with the product.

• Post at peak times during the day. People are most likely to check social media first thing in the morning, during lunch breaks, and the two hours following 5 p.m. local time.

• Keep your posts concise and accurate. We live in a time of brevity and transparency. Any non-essential information will get tuned out.

• Be you, and be creative! You have your talents and abilities for a reason. Be bold and creative in your posts and think outside traditional posting methods.

As for Carter Wilkerson, he may never reach that 18 million retweet mark. But his followers skyrocketed[4] from just below 200 to 124,000 in a matter of days. And he ended up getting a year of free chicken nuggets. One great post, one calculated launch into the social media sphere could generate hundreds, or even thousands of responses. It could also mean engaging that one person, that meaningful face-to-face conversation you’ve been trying to have for years.

The properly calculated and inspired interaction on social media could be that record-breaking retweet that changes your life, and the lives of your network. And that beats a year of free chicken nuggets any day.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

[1] http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2015/recommendations-from-friends-remain-most-credible-form-of-advertising.html

[2] https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/

[3] http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

[4] https://twitter.com/carterjwm

Social Media TIps-Darren Jensen

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Darren Jensen

President and Chief Executive Officer at LifeVantage

Darren Jensen | Bio
Darren Jensen is the CEO and President of LifeVantage (LFVN), one of the world’s preeminent publicly-traded biohacking companies. A biohacker in his own right, Darren is an emerging authority and thought leader in the biohackersphere and field of nutrigenomics.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the direct selling industry, Darren has co-founded two DSN Global 100 companies and has served in a variety of leadership capacities over the arc of his career for multiple privately and publicly-held companies in the industry. He has been named to the Ambassador of Network Marketing Hall of Fame and has repeatedly been voted one of the top CEOs in the direct selling industry. Darren is a member of the CEO Council for the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations and also serves on the Direct Selling Association Board of Directors. He has lectured and given presentations across the globe on a gamut of issues impacting the industry.
Never one to shy away from rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty, Darren also served as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown in the wake of 9/11. He has also served in a variety of roles for the Boy Scout of America. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brigham Young University with a focus on international business development. Ever a family man, he and his wife, Carolee, are the proud parents of 5 children and impending grandparents of 1.

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