Starting Before You Start: Successful Brand-building in Pre-launch

September 24, 2008 at 10:52 am | Posted in Personal Branding | 1 Comment
Tags: affiliate, affiliate marketing, affiliate program, brand, business opportunity, corporate branding, direct sales, distributor, downline building, i build, iBuild, Ina Stanley, mlm, network marketing, opportunity, Personal Branding, pre launch, social media, social networking, twitter, viral marketing

From the personal journal of Ina Stanley, MLM Branding Specialist

At some point or other we’ve all been involved in a pre-launch, whether just getting into the newest MLM or direct sales opportunity, launching our own venture or expanding a franchise. I’ve personally seen and been involved in dozens of pre-launches for “the biggest thing to hit the Internet since email.” But what I’ve noticed from all of those processes is that people are so bent on getting the word out about the new opportunity, signing up affiliates and building up hype, rarely do they ever stop to factor personal branding into the mix. From most every pre-launch I’ve seen, the corporate branding is the star of the show, but the curtain gets dropped on personal branding.

I wonder why that is? It would seem like, with a new mlm, home business opportunity or affiliate program in its infantile, pre-launch phase, the personal branding process would be the easiest you’d ever see in this industry. The point of the pre-launch is to generate buzz and get people involved before the product or opportunity hits the market. That means that there would be much less competition than joining a more well-known opportunity that’s been around for decades. It would be a prime time for those few who jump in at “ground level” to really focus on putting their face out there, developing a great benefits package for their downline-to-be, letting their unique skills and experience show. But in reality, I just don’t see that happening. So the question becomes this – when a new venture is launching and neither brand (personal or corporate) has made its big splash, which is more important to focus on? Do you spend all of your time on building a brand for the company (after all, that’s what newcomers will be joining)? Or do you use the calm before the storm to really help people get to to YOU, your business practices and what you have to offer personally?

To me, it’s a simple answer. As a distributor or affiliate, it is partly your job to spread the word about the new product or service. But in reality, that’s what the company itself is focused on. It’s just not efficient to have both you and the company focused on the same aspect of the business. If this was the corporate world, you’d lose major productivity points! So let the company focus on building that corporate brand while you work on building your own. After all, when it comes right down to it the opportunity-seekers will be joining YOU and YOUR downline, not just the company.

Starting Before I Start: My New Approach to Branding

I’m facing the same dilemma with iBuild™, but it’s even harder with just a few people. We’re the company and the distributor in this case. I have to be sure we’re dividing our time equally between corporate and personal branding, or else we’ll fall short by the end of pre-launch. So I’m taking a new approach to pre-launch branding that I hope will spur some ideas in you guys.

Originally, I wanted to have all of our ducks in a row before moving into the branding & marketing sectors. I wanted our websites up and fully functional, I wanted our blog up with plenty of content, and I wanted the network all finished for our behind-the-scenes peeks. I also wanted to wait to get our social networking profiles and social media presence going until I had a valid website to send folks to (in case they have questions, want the benefits, need a few weeks to mull the decision of joining over). Not a horrible game plan, but not very time-efficient either (not to mention I’m super impatient, but it actually helps rather than hinders this time around). For iBuild™ to be as successful as I’m imagining, that plan just wouldn’t work. It would take a few weeks to get those duckies lined up, and another few weeks once done to get the word out. Not exactly hitting the ground running, if you ask me.

So being the Twitter fanatic that I am, I decided to start posting updates to the iBuild™ pre-launch process for the world to see – the ultimate in “professional transparency.” That way, I could keep folks updated in a less-intrusive, less-annoying and more time-efficient way than building a mailing list. I’m not saying mailing lists don’t have a use, but in this case trying to build a responsive opt-in list on top of building a training community, a website a solid social media presence to time-consuming. With that aspect of the pre-launch out of the way, I turn to social networking. It’s my favorite method for personal branding. Rather than waiting until I have the official site to send people to, I’ve decided just to suggest that they follow iBuild™ updates on Twitter. That way, I can begin to build my personal brand while making my pre-launch more interactive – a HUGE time-saver.

I already have somewhat of a brand out there, but what better time to reinforce that brand than now, before we officially launch. I can generate buzz, answer questions, take suggestions, offer a soft launch to close partners and more, and those who do want more information can follow at their own leisure instead of being flooded with emails that they’ll eventually consider spam (like every other pre-launch out there). I don’t have to worry about email deliverability, spam complaints or my corporate email addresses being blacklisted, which we all know is a huge issue in the mlm & home business industries. With the day and age we live in, it just makes sense to put it all out at the same time. I’m just casting my line while I’m testing out baits. I’ll be more than happy with the fish that bite while I’m testing, and it’ll put me steps ahead when the bait’s all set.

When it comes to an mlm or home business pre-launch, the concept is no different. We live in a world of instant gratification, it’s what we’ve all come to expect. Utilize the tools that will give you and potential prospects that instant gratification, the biggest reach, the least expensive service, the best result – in other words, the farthest cast. And don’t be afraid to put some YOU in the mix. The company will always handle its own corporate branding. It’ll do that whether it has 10 distributors or 10,000. But what it won’t do is promote YOU. So be sure you’re not encouraging a nose-dive in your own productivity. Use the pre-launch to educate others and build relationships. Trust me, it’ll make your job MUCH easier when the official launch actually arrives!

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As a side note I’ve seen a lot of marketers, even some of the well-known guys, write Twitter off as unimportant, inconsistent and ineffective. I beg to differ, and I’m willing to bet it’s because most folks don’t really understand how to use Twitter effectively. Sure, if you use it to only post your most random thoughts or your hum-drum, day to day routine, it’s not likely to yield many results. But if you use it strategically (to give updates, to track a certain event, as an alternative to traditional email marketing and list-building), it can have a greater effect than anything you’ve ever seen!

I don’t think many consider Twitter much when it comes to viral marketing, but it’s definitely a major player in that field. My “seed list” has grown simply because of my association with others on Twitter (as in, those I follow). My secondary list is now growing because of those who’ve chosen to follow me! And don’t think I’m not checking to see how “qualified” these followers are. Most all of them are completely targeted, without me having to do anything more than follow the right people. My #1 rule of thumb – if it’s got anything to do with social media or social networking, don’t rule it out!

Speaking of which, if you want to stay up-to-date on iBuild™ Branding pre-launch progress, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!