According to the IAB, the national trade association for the digital media and marketing industries, nearly half of all U.S. consumers are disruptor brand shoppers. The IAB recently released “Disrupting Brand Preference,” a study that shows that disruptor brand shoppers comprise 48 percent of all U.S. consumers. They are younger than incumbent brand-only shoppers, with 84 percent under […]

Back in 2006, when Facebook was just a site for college kids, Twitter had less than 100 users, and Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok, and Pinterest were still just ideas, the manner by which brands reached their consumers was relatively simple and straightforward. Traditional marketing—like print, television, and radio—was the only way to extend reach. If you […]

Jeff Bezos has written a letter to his shareholders each year since the company’s inception. These letters outline Amazon’s long-term mission, culture and values. His 2017 letter, however, stood out more than the others for me. Bezos defined what he calls a Day 1 company vs a Day 2 company. Day 1 companies are: Agile […]

Strategies and statistics for thriving in the social media arena. Social media platforms continue to evolve as natural tools for direct sellers to increase their network and attract customers by building genuine relationships. Social selling is not about the short-term, one-time sell. Rather, it’s about building relationships for the long-term. It requires more than “liking” […]

Instagram is launching in-app shopping capability is another sign that social media platforms are getting into the commerce game. So how does all this impact direct selling? With so many distributors using Instagram as a way to showcase new products and build their own personal brand, it’s only natural to assume they will want to […]

What’s Working, What Isn’t and How Digital Is Changing The Game. BEFORE SMARTPHONES were in every pocket and tablets became as common as the personal computer, sharing the direct selling opportunity meant hosting an in-person event. Potential customers had to be local or willing to travel, and the main attraction was either a talking head […]

E-commerce giants and the gig economy are fierce opponents, but direct selling’s unique marketing strategy could be its best chance to weather the competition. Meaningful human interaction can seem like a dying art in this digital age. Front porches have been replaced by neighborhood Facebook groups, teachers assign homework by email, and political candidates rely […]

Some years ago, on this page, I wrote about a “defining moment” for direct selling. And during last year’s DSA Annual Meeting, I spoke of the changes that were taking place in direct selling, and those changes I predicted we could see over the next few years. Now, as we move full ahead into 2019, […]

For nearly as long as direct selling has been in existence, our business model has been the subject of skepticism, and often by virtue of the fact that it’s one with which many aren’t familiar. That uniqueness—that flexibility to operate one’s own business with an unparalleled degree of support from an established brand—is what inspires […]

The latest disruptive social media platform that could be a powerful tool for direct selling companies and their field… There are more than 1 billion active users on Instagram, making it the third-largest social media platform behind Facebook and YouTube. This summer, the social media titan launched Instagram TV (IGTV)—a formidable answer to YouTube, but […]

How many of us DVR our favorite television shows because we don’t want to be bothered with ads? Or click the “x” on those pop-up screens telling us about limited-time offers? What about the ads displayed on billboards, on the sides of buses, in the subway, the grocery store and sporting events? When advertising pervades […]

When customers perform a search for your company, what do they see in the first page of the Google results? Chances are a search might include websites with negative content about your company. Negative websites can hurt your brand and decrease your company’s revenue. You can either let your reputation and sales suffer, or you […]