Evolving Best Practices for Growth Through Social Media

Harnessing social media to foster curiosity, engagement and authenticity

By:  Jenna Lang Warford

“The currency of social media is conversations.” — Scott Kramer, CEO, MultiBrain

This is Part 2 of our conversation about digital best practices that was first featured in the March 2023 Special Report. In that piece, contributor Jenna Lang Warford discussed “Digital Marketing’s Baseline for Growth.” Now, she will share more insights from channel executives about using social media to build community with distributors and customers.

Creating community on social media is a more complicated endeavor than creating brand recognition through savvy product placement and endorsements. Direct selling companies that crack the community code are using multiple platforms, incorporating comp plan tweaks and providing the field with strategic new training.   

“After $2.35B in sales in 2021, we grew by 23% in 2022. This year, our recruiting is up 89%, January over January,” says Gordon Hester, PM International’s general manager of sales for the U.S. and Canada. 

“When a company’s sales go backwards, there’s a tendency to say, ‘Whoa, we need to figure this out.’ No, you need to figure out how to get your field engaged. You’re seeing more companies that say, ‘We’re going to control (customer engagement).’ And the reality is, that’s the complete opposite of what you should do.”