Get in Front of People- Why building your brand through events remains important in the digital age of network marketing. By: David J. Ciemny

Several years ago I attended a large outdoor music festival in San Diego, CA.  It was an all-day event with vendors selling everything from churros to cellular phones.  Apart from the headliner, The Killers, the performances were not too memorable.  There is, however, one thing I remember clearly about that day. I witnessed the power of building a brand in action.  Every one of the 15,000 rabid music fans attending the festival that day received a free pair of Sketchers sneakers.  Some west-coast marketing executive apparently had a very large event budget and sent the Sketchers truck down to San Diego to make a bunch of Gen X&Y’ers very happy.  It worked.  Years later, I still slide Sketchers sneakers on when I am looking for comfort and style and whenever I see the Sketchers logo there is indelibly etched in my mind an experience with which I associate that positive feeling.  Though traditional marketing techniques vary in many ways with network marketing, there is a common thread from my story:  Getting in front of people is effective when delivering a message and building a business.

There is a lot of psychology that goes into branding these days.  The important takeaway from any brand-building initiative should be the message that comes to mind when someone sees your logo or product.   We all know the most established brands in the world by their golden arches, swooshes and apples, but what comes to mind when someone sees your company’s logo?  The timeless words of Oscar Wilde ring true today now more than ever as network marketers strive to build an organization and a brand for themselves: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” 

Everyone in this business is a brand ambassador.  Businesses will grow when what benefits the individual benefits the brand.  Whether you are representing a startup or an established company, your brand is your life, your reputation. Often the first introduction someone will have to your brand is at an event.  In this digital age of impersonal communication, we are fortunate that our industry has remained a predominantly face-to-face business.  That is not to say that the social paradigm has not shifted, or that the internet is not a highly viable marketing vehicle, but it is important to remember that people these days appreciate the personal connection that network marketing can offer.  It is a business built on one-on-one, personal interactions and relationships.  One of the most proven ways to build a brand is through events and this method of building is just as important today as it ever was.

I once had the pleasure of attending a multi-national network marketing company’s event in southern California and was elated while walking the halls of the meeting to see the excitement in the air as everyone interacted with each other, proudly displaying their badges and dressed for success.  It was the essence of our business and the excitement that our industry thrives on.  During my years at my former company, I witnessed first-hand how a multi-billion dollar global company, created events that have become brand names in and of themselves.  Their worldwide ‘Extravaganza’ event is for its distributors synonymous with strength, passion, and an ever-expanding global presence, and is an inspiration for the tens of thousands of people who attend.  It is a place to meet your teams from all over the world and come together to share your passion for health and wealth.  When Jusuru held its first-annual ‘Rise To Enterprise’ event in Anaheim, CA in 2010, we made history.  This event instilled a passion and excitement in everyone in attendance.  When those who came returned home to their teams they shared that excitement.  Events are the fuel for our fire. This year’s Rise To Enterprise is now slated to be at least three times the size of our first event!  It is that kind of enthusiasm that no webinar could ever instill. In-homes and local trainings will build toward regional events which will build toward national events.  This fuels momentum and momentum fuels growth which will increase your paycheck.  Bottom line: The more representatives who attend our national event, the more your paychecks will increase. It’s a time-tested proven system for success in our industry.

In 2010 I found myself having invested eighteen months of my life in a girl who, despite a funny name and young age, was the most talented and purpose-driven person I had ever met.  She was a singer and fashionista with a flair for the dramatic and the hardest-working twenty-three year old on the planet.  For the better part of 2008 and 2009, she and I visited every radio station in the country and beyond.  We went from club to club, DJ to DJ, promoting at events in cities across the world from Singapore to Sweden.  It was a grind.  We went for periods of 72 hours or more with no sleep.  The sleep we did get was in taxis or on planes.  Throughout, one thing was apparent as time went on and the movement spread: the power of one-on-one, in-person interaction was magnetic.  As we would get her (the product) in front of people, it would sell.  She attracted others to her business.  Coupled with the support of a successful corporation in the form of a record company we were able to use live ‘presentations’ to build rapport and demonstrate her value, which in turn led those we met to believe and invest in her.  Ultimately we built a team of over 100 full-time employees and sold over 10 million records in the process.  The household name that we created in Lady Gaga was by design.  Her album was even called “The Fame”. 

When the stars align and you believe in yourself and the product, the company directive is crystal clear:  Get in front of people.  Whether a living room or hotel meeting, one-on-one presentation, or a corporate event, get out there and get people talking.  We are in the people and relationship business and if we are going to tap into the billions of people around the world who are looking for a better way, who need financial freedom and a better quality of life and health, we must be willing to get out there and make it happen.   We are passionate about this mission.  Every time I schedule a webinar or Skype presentation, I somehow always end up thinking about when my next trip will be, where I’ll be plodding through some airport somewhere in my Sketchers on my way to a Jusuru meeting.

David J. Ciemny is the Vice President of Business Development for Jusuru International.