By: Dalton DeVos, son of Doug DeVos and the grandson of Amway Co-Founder Rich DeVos
@daltondevos_
As I’ve grown up around the Amway™ business, I’ve had a front row seat to the evolution of entrepreneurship around the world. The one constant I’ve seen across continents and cultures, business owners and customers, is that the future of entrepreneurship is social.
It’s no secret that consumers are spending increasingly more time and money online. Technology has raised the bar for entrepreneurs, blurring the lines of professional and personal brand building. Social media has become the new handshake, the way we connect, communicate and share our lives with family, friends and colleagues alike.
Companies that use social channels to educate, entertain, influence and sell will inherently have an edge. And with its person-to-person business model, direct selling is especially suited to lead the way. Within our industry, business owners leverage their social networks to become social influencers, inviting their followers into their everyday lives by sharing their favorite products, places and people. At Amway, we see our influencers not only focusing on products, but more importantly, how those products enhance their health, beauty, family and career––they tell the story of how their Amway business has given them the freedom to curate a life they love.
Creating social community
It starts with a mindset. The rising generation of young entrepreneurs see social not as a part of doing business but the way they do business. Social erases the boundaries of geography, culture, race, gender, age and socioeconomics, giving business owners a global forum for creating their personal brand online as they connect with their followers through common lifestyles and experiences, in real time.
Likewise, direct selling feeds this passion for community with an all-access, low (or no) risk business model that thrives on relationships. Social is the ideal vehicle to elevate the selling conversation, bridging offline and online customers and aspiring entrepreneurs to form a worldwide tribe of people who love your brand, your products and your lifestyle––and who are likely interested in the business that got you there.
What’s your story?
Social provides the platform, but it’s your story that captures an audience. Content is king, and the better yours is, the more likely it is that you will attract and retain an engaged community. So how do you disrupt the scroll and get attention? Consider this:
People want to get to know you––the real you.
What is meaningful to you? How do you spend your time? Who do you spend it with? What can’t you live without? Challenge them to look at the world through your lens. When you do, you create an authentic community, broaden your influence and inspire others to follow you or, better yet, join you on your entrepreneurial journey.
Perfection is passé.
Content should be relatable, conversational, even candid. It’s not about what you have but what you do. The more you give people a look into your life, the more they’ll want to follow and engage with you to see more.
Intention leads to influence.
Social influencers build and leverage their credibility to encourage and motivate others with their authenticity and reach. They aren’t better at social media, just more intentional about it (and if you have more than 1,000 followers, you’re an influencer––whether you think of yourself as one or not). Consider how you’re actively creating and sharing content, and growing your network––go beyond selfies and #TBT.
Community is key.
Interaction is everything, and constant. Influencers post regularly, engage with questions, ask for opinions and respond quickly to encourage open, ongoing dialogue that builds trusted relationships, and ultimately, leads to more customers. Influencers also like and follow other brands and influencers to organically grow their community. If content speaks to you, give it a thumbs-up or, better yet, comment. Ask and answer questions quickly and thoughtfully. You’ll see your community––and your business––grow.
Social is where the business is going. It’s redefining entrepreneurship by opening up the channels of communication and commerce. I’m continually inspired by the creative, clever ways that Amway Business Owners use social to build their personal brands. In this digital and social world we live in, the Amway opportunity has never been more exciting or accessible
Dalton DeVos is the son of Doug DeVos and the grandson of Amway Co-Founder Rich DeVos. He is an avid sailor and is currently employed with Amway™ as an Experience Designer on the Global Social Team. Dalton is part of the third generation of Amway’s Founding Families who contribute to the business in ways that complement their personal and professional passions. Together with Amway Business Owners, they’re helping build a bigger and better Amway for the future.
