Warning! Have You Been Targeted By These Deceptive Facebook Advertising Practices?

As you get more active on Facebook, with the intent of networking and marketing your business, you will most likely be mentioning your company name.  And once you do, there’s something you need to be aware of.  Have you ever noticed how creepily-accurate those little Facebook ads are on the right side of your Facebook screen? I’m in Las Vegas while writing this, and have mentioned Las Vegas a few times on Facebook.  Guess what I saw today?

Yep, the Facebook ads are very targeted, based on what you do and say on Facebook.  Now for advertisers (which may include you, in fact) this can be tremendously beneficial.  Getting the right ad in front of the right person is what we all strive for.  Laser-focusing your efforts through keywords can really help with your relevance.  And most of this is simply that…giving you info about products and services you may find interesting.

But there’s a seedy underbelly to this that specifically targets direct sellers, and it’s important that you’re aware of it.  I regularly talk about various direct selling companies on Facebook.  And look what appeared on my screen today:

See that nasty one about USANA on the bottom? (and don’t you just love how both ads are using registered trademarks of these companies without permission?)

Now I know the folks over at USANA, and know how ethical and upstanding that organization is.  In fact, Tim Haran from USANA is one of the guest posters on this blog, and they are DSA members, fully in compliance with the DSA code of ethics.

But what ads like this try to do is create doubt in your mind.  And they are specifically targeting USANA distributors.  Now I’m the rare person who talks about companies I’m not a consultant/distributor for.  But some organizations are using their ads to try to pull you away from your direct selling organization, so they can make money from you.  It may not be apparent immediately, when you first click on something (sometimes it is.)  But I have heard stories about people who have commented on blogs and in other ways interacted, and then were contacted by people in these seedy organizations, trying to lure them away from their companies.

What I’m trying to say here, folks, is don’t fall for it.  Companies and individuals that use these tactics are NOT the ones you want to be associated with.  I am fully on board with advertising.  But if you’re going to use deceptive practices, then you’re not someone I want any part of.

Just be wise, and you can avoid the nastiness.

Have you seen ads like these? What are your thoughts?

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Seeing Past the Sparkle, and Why Chris Brogan Got it Right

Right now I’m in Las Vegas.  I’m here speaking about social media to the fabulous consultants of Arbonne, at their National Training Celebration.  Now when you think of Vegas, what comes to mind?

Is it this?

Probably not.  Probably you think of the glitter, the excitement, the noise.  And I have to admit to you, that’s not really my thing.  Cigarette smoke bothers me, so I tend to avoid the casinos, and I actually prefer to curl up with a book in my room where it’s quiet (I have 3 young kids…I don’t often get that opportunity!), rather than run around the city at all hours of the night.

The picture above was taken this morning, right here in Vegas.  As I went for my morning walk, I found it so stunningly beautiful, I couldn’t help but take a picture, and share it with you.

Which brings me to my point.

In social media, it’s easy to stay focused on the surface of things, and people.  The glitter of the sparkly people and events that fly by.  But if we only focus on that, we miss a big opportunity.  Because you see, at the end of the day, these are still people.  And there are many layers to them.  They have needs, hopes, fears, desires.  When we focus on taking the time to get to know people through our social networks, then we have the opportunity to share our products and opportunity in a meaningful way, and develop some incredible relationships that feed us in the process.

Chris Brogan recently illustrated this in a powerful way.  This past week was the South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin.  It was a big, glittery event, and everyone who was anyone was there, rubbing elbows with the big names in social media.  It was very easy to get swept away in the parties, the sessions, the glitter, and many did.  Yet here was Chris’ post on the topic: We Could Do So Much More.  By focusing on the less-seen people, I believe Chris made a difference with this post.  And it’s a difference we can make each day through social media, by making each person we come in contact with feel “seen.”

Will everyone need what we have to offer? Probably not.  But that doesn’t discount the importance of the relationships that we build with them.  We are richer for every one, and so are they, when we take the time to dig beneath the surface.

Your thoughts?

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How Twitter Helped Me Meet Seth Godin

Yesterday I had the incredible opportunity to hear Seth Godin speak at the Small Business Summit in New York City, and received a copy of his newest book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?. The fact that I knew about this event, and had the opportunity to attend, was all due to Twitter.
You see, I was [...]

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For heaven’s sake, if you want to do business online, keep your politics to yourself!

Warning: Rant ahead.
I am getting sooooooo tired of political posts from direct sellers.  Seriously.  If you are trying or planning to promote your business using social media, you really need to cut it out.  You simply cannot assume that all your customers and prospects feel the same way that you do.  And a big political [...]

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How to Write Status Updates that Don’t Cross the Line into Spam

Last week I was writing social media training for a direct selling company.  Now this particular company does not allow their consultants to blog to promote their businesses (at least not yet), so I’m teaching the topic of content marketing through social networks.  I flipped over to my Facebook account and began to scroll through [...]

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But I want it NOW…

We direct sellers are a funny bunch.  We really like immediate gratification.  We show you a product, you buy it.  We tell you about our opportunity, you give us a yes or a no, and we move on.  (OK so maybe I’m oversimplifying things a little bit here, but you know what I mean.)  We [...]

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Comment Time: Why Do YOU Return to Facebook Fan Pages?

Today’s post is a bit different because I’m hoping you’ll engage here in the comments.  (Seriously…don’t leave yet.  Take 2 extra minutes and comment.)  You see, recently I’ve been working with a number of clients that are thinking about how to make their Facebook Fan Page engaging.  Now what you’ll ultimately choose as the best [...]

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Direct Selling Companies: Are you mobilizing your greatest brand asset in social media?

When companies in most industries begin to use social media marketing, one of their first priorities is to develop is a group of brand evangelists.  These are people who love the company, and will staunchly promote and defend it on the social web.  A brand that is able to develop and mobilize its brand evangelists [...]

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