Written by Matt Zavadil
Updated August 26, 2024
Does it actually make sense to use LinkedIn for network marketing?
Aren’t other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram or TikTok better to pay attention to?
I ask you back, why would you want to eliminate the possibilities of using the most professional social platform on planet earth?
That’s right…
As an MLM entrepreneur, using the power of LinkedIn can mean the difference between an extra sale per day or a couple new downline members per week…
and, well, not ever realizing those new inputs into your network marketing business.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to use your LinkedIn profile to:
- build your brand
- connect with prospects
- grow your direct sales business bigger
Let’s focus on your LinkedIn MLM strategy!
Related Reading:
How The Attraction Marketing Formula Will Build Your MLM Business
My Review Of The Attraction Marketing Formula
How To Buy Leads For Your Network Marketing Business
Why LinkedIn is Perfect for MLM
Unlike other “less serious” platforms, people on LinkedIn expect to make business connections.
This can make it actually easier to get conversations going about your network marketing business.
Many people hanging out on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook are focused solely on their personal lives or looking at silly, funny stuff.
(Although Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are also awesome for MLM 🙂
But over on LinkedIn, people are predominantly looking to grow professionally.
They’re open to discussing opportunities and income possibilities.
So you should enter the LinkedIn space being mindful about the advantages of working toward network marketing business growth on it.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling MLM rep): I’ve put together a free “MLM Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New MLM Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
Go here for the Business-Building Training I mention in above video
Building a Killer LinkedIn Profile For MLM
Having a profile that attracts the right connections is half the battle when using LinkedIn for network marketing. Luckily, crafting an impactful presence is one of the most straightforward MLM strategies for LinkedIn.
Start With a Professional Headshot
Your LinkedIn profile picture is often the first impression you’ll make on potential connections.
Take a headshot that makes you look professional.
This isn’t the place for the peace sign/RnR horns or weird profile pics that work well on other social profiles.
I mean you’re not looking to interview for a job or anything LOL
But aim for professionalism on LinkedIn.
Craft a Compelling Headline
Think seriously about your headline…it’s the next piece of info your profile visitors see.
What’s your USP (unique selling proposition)? Make it good and add it here.
If you’re not sure about your USP yet, keep it simple for now. Brainstorm the problems you’re solving through your MLM product or service, and summarize those thoughts here.
Showcase Your Expertise In Your Summary
Use your LinkedIn profile summary to dig in deeper as you tell your story.
Explain how you arrived at where you’re currently at in business. Explain your passion and vision.
Don’t get too in the weeds here. Keep it simple and engaging so people feel compelled to pay attention.
Help your viewers understand your achievements and why they should consider making a connection with you.
Do this right, and you’ll start attracting new connections who become customers and team members down the line.
Highlight Relevant Experience & Skills
Don’t overthink this section. I know it’s easy to try and squeeze in a novel into your experience section.
You don’t need to list out every single work experience you’ve had since junior high 🙂
Think about the skills you have that will relate most to the target market audience that matches what you’re selling inside your network marketing company.
And since you’re going to be selling network marketing products via LinkedIn, feel free to add in past experience that relates to:
- sales
- communication
- relationship building
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling MLM rep): I’ve put together a free “MLM Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New MLM Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
Here’s the training I mention on the above video
Build a Targeted Network on LinkedIn
It’s easy to think of LinkedIn as just a place to post your resume and hope for the best.
But you can find quality prospects on LinkedIn.
The key is to avoid a “salesy” approach to your LinkedIn activity.
Remember, the social platform mainly consists of professionals. So interact professionally if you want to pick up customers and valuable team members.
As I preach for every social media platform, stand out by offering helpful tips, insights, and advice related to the niche your MLM product places you in.
Selling something related to health and wellness? Offer tips that related to improved health.
Selling a service like with Legalshield, Primerica, or MWR Financial? Offer quality advice related to those services in your LinkedIn activities.
Don’t be that person sending 21 connection requests per day to everyone and his Grandpa!
Offer value, build a network of people tightly interested in your topic, and then engage with people when the time is right.
Focus on Your Product Target Market Profile
As you’re building your LinkedIn network, avoid the tendency of most network marketing company advice to lead with your opportunity.
It’s far more effective to engage in groups or via personal posts if you focus on the benefits of your product or service first.
Consider personality type and master who will identify best with the solutions offered by your product when identifying your perfect target market.
It’s easier to create content and posts around your product than looking like the spammy person hawking an opportunity.
I know this might go against what your upline or network marketing company says.
But:
Focusing on your product solutions helps you find the best prospects who will be more likely to do business with you.
And if you act like one of the professional network marketers, get them excited to use your product/service first, you’ll discover that these people become your best business builders.
Content Strategies For Network Marketers on LinkedIn
So far, I’ve alluded to the content you’ll post on LinkedIn. Now, let’s dig into this idea further.
You can do all sorts of content marketing on the LinkedIn platform.
You can post product- or service-related content directly on your feed.
Or, you can use LinkedIn as your blogging platform.
If you’re in a health and wellness company, you might post about the three best tips for how to lose weight or look younger.
See how that blog post isn’t hawking your business opportunity with spammy “make $10k in 60 days” type messaging?
Your LinkedIn content should highlight you as thought leader. A leader who gives our real value and encourages authentic connections with people.
Is it sinking in yet that building your network marketing business on LinkedIn is the same as building any business on social media?
It’s amazing to me that in the age of the Internet, MLM is still the only industry where reps are encouraged to lead with messaging that makes them look like snake-oil salesmen.
Don’t be that person!
Your product or service solves a specific problem for people. Focus on educating them about that!
Sit down and list out all the benefits to using your product or service. Get past the surface level stuff like “they can lose weight” or “they can save on their legal challenges.”
Get into the emotional impact, like:
- Lose weight so you and your spouse become more intimate again
- Protect your assets so the idiot suing you for falling on the sidewalk doesn’t take your kid’s college fund, and your child looks at you with pride wearing a cap & gown at age 22
- Eliminate the joint pain so your grandkids keep giving you hugs for taking the time to play with them
See what happens as you help solve problems for your audience?
They see you waaaay different than the other network marketer offering the same old hollow, “Wanna make some money?”
Go Live & Engage Authentically
Once you have your topics listed out to discuss, you can move beyond the written word of personal posts and blogging…
…and get in front of your audience via a LinkedIn “live.”
It’s a great way to put a “face to the name” and humanize yourself to your audience. Answer questions. Offer advice.
You can also delivered structured training sessions, with a well thought out beginning, middle and end.
By the way, here’s one of my YouTube videos, teaching you how to attract prospects in network marketing.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling MLM rep): I’ve put together a free “MLM Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New MLM Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
I Bought This, Then Built a 9-Levels Deep Int’l Organization (click “play” to see details in Review Video below):
LinkedIn Groups for Network Marketing: Find Your Tribe
LinkedIn offers a powerful tool for network marketing growth with its groups feature.
Use LinkedIn groups to get in front of your target audience, interact, and create relationships.
Remember!
The target audience for your product/service… NOT for get-rich-quick opportunity seekers.
Research to find one or two LinkedIn groups to focus your attention on.
Then, get in there and answer questions…
Offer advice…
Make a name for yourself in each community as someone who’s always showing up with helpful ideas.
People will start to reach out to you and as they do, cultivate relationships by showing interest in them, and asking questions.
Look for opportunities in their answers that tell you it’s time to engage them with your product or service solution.
Effective Outreach Strategies for Network Marketers
Successful network marketers using LinkedIn for MLM extend beyond building a profile and gaining connections.
Craft Personalized Connection Requests
As you can tell, I’m a big proponent of “not being a weirdo” online LOL
As you identify people to connect with on LinkedIn, do it without making the process all strange and awkward.
Don’t copy and paste the same message and spam it off to 17 people with the latest and greatest AI tool.
NO!
Be a real human being.
Personalize each message.
For example, have you answered questions for a person in one of the LinkedIn groups you’re in a couple times? Do you see that they’re still not really understanding and still struggling?
Now, you have something real and tangible to reach out to them about.
Remind them where you’ve “met,” and see if they’re interested in digging deeper into the conversation together.
Create a real conversation as you connect with others.
Focus on Building Relationships, Not Selling
I may be getting redundant here, but I do it for a reason.
In my time coaching network marketers, I’ve found that I’ve had to speak these concepts over and over and over…
…because the industry at large (like your company or upline group) typically focuses on the direct opposite of what I’m teaching.
BUT:
The biggest network marketers out there don’t spam people. They don’t mass produce their connections.
They actually CONNECT, and build relationships, and THEN sell.
Make sure you’re doing the same.
Take It Offline
OK, you’ve cultivated some relationships on LinedIn…people are actually reaching out to you and asking YOU for help…
…nice! You’ve become an attraction marketer like discussed here.
Now you can take things offline and frame up your product, service, or business opportunity with someone who’s ready and open to listen to you.
Call them…. hop on zoom…whatever feels correct to do in each situation.
Not sure what to say at this point in the process?
Read my MLM scripts post for tons of ideas.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling MLM rep): I’ve put together a free “MLM Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New MLM Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
FAQs about Linkedin for Network Marketing
Can I promote my MLM business directly on LinkedIn?
While directly promoting isn’t recommended, you can subtly showcase your network marketing business. You might list your expertise in your bio or skills section. Make sure to stay away from saying, “Hey all! I’m a rep in [fill in name of your company] and I’m ready to sell you my products and get you ‘in’ the business. Let’s go people!” Don’t be a LinkedIn weirdo 🙂
Is using automation tools on LinkedIn for network marketing OK?
Yes, you can use automation tools. Just be careful with them. As I’ve mentioned all throughout this article, you need humanize the interactions as much as possible. Don’t use automation tools as some sort of “replacement” for you and your skills.
Is MLM prospecting on LinkedIn allowed?
As I mentioned above, you shouldn’t go on LinkedIn and start prospecting people to join your business. How many times have you been pitched on a business opportunity and just joined willy nilly, right? Instead, prospect by talking about your product’s solutions. That’s a topic your audience will respond better to.
Final Thoughts on LinkedIN for Network Marketing
LinkedIn gives you an amazing opportunity to find the right people for your MLM business.
But you’ve got to do it correctly. Take the time to follow my tips above as you work on:
- Creating your profile
- Building your network
- Creating your content
Make it a point to authentically build relationships with real people who value what you have to offer inside your network marketing business.
Remain consistent. Don’t start today, and fall off tomorrow.
Make a commitment to the platform, your business, your family, and yourself.
Make LinkedIn a part of your daily routine, and watch your network and business flourish.
Lastly, follow my advice to connect via content that highlights the benefits of your product or service, as opposed to becoming another “let’s make a ton of money” network marketer.
Find people who love your product so they come to trust you and the company. Then, those people become your best business people.
Ready to grow your MLM business on LinkedIn?
Get over there and get the machine rolling along 🙂
By the way, still feel a little unsure about how to use LinkedIn, or any of the other social media platforms?
I get it…it sometimes takes time to feel like you have the right skills for all this.
I have a Quick Start Video Training that explains all this stuff in more detail.
Grab that training here and let’s help you build out the success you’re looking for in network marketing.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling MLM rep): I’ve put together a free “MLM Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New MLM Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.