As a Social Media Manager for Market America, I published several blog posts per week. The subject matter varied greatly from advertising products and explaining app features, to offering entrepreneurial guidance and tips.
Market America and “UFO’s”
Market America is a global e-commerce and product brokerage company specializing in one-to-one marketing. An UnFranchise Owner, or UFO, is an independent contractor who markets and sells Market America products.
My role as the blog writer for the Market America channels was to speak to the general Market America audience, including both UFO’s and the clients to whom they’d sell products to. This meant that my monthly blogs were expected to encompass all the other channels’ topics. Comparatively, J.R. Ridinger’s channel spoke directly about his experience as an entrepreneur-turned-successful-business-man, and Shop.com’s channel spoke specifically about products and product lines.
Blog Samples
Although the UnFranchise Blog has since archived most of their older blog posts, I had kept some of them saved in my personal folders. Below is the original copy of four samples:
- Hurdlr Helps You Finance
- Make the Most of your Fuel with Autoworks
- Let’s Talk About Networking
- Pulse Marketing will Quicken your Pace
Hurdlr Helps You Finance
Now two years running, Hurdlr continues to aid UFO’s in what is considered the entrepreneur’s greatest hurdle: taxes.
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Hurdlr automatically tracks mileage, expenses, income streams, and tax deductions for you. Not only does the average user save US$5,600 per year in taxes, but they also save countless hours calculating their taxes. Hurdlr maximizes the efficiency of how much of your time is invested proportionally to your earnings.
Be proactive in your business by facilitating your entrepreneurship. Explore Hurdlr now so that, come March, you aren’t scrambling to align your paperwork to send to your accountant. Take a chunk of time each day and begin inputting your information so that it can develop the appropriate reports for you. Hurdlr is also available as a mobile application, making it convenient for you to work on even in-between other activities.
Last year, Hurdlr team members, including Ashleigh Rockwell, answered questions about the tracking aid live on Instagram. These Q&As can be found here for your convenience.
You are not alone in this endeavor, either! If your questions are still unanswered by Hurdlr’s Team here, send a chat message to Hurdlr personnel for help.
Make the Most of your Fuel with Autoworks
If you’re nervous about gas prices, make the most of your fuel with Autoworks products!
Nervous about gas prices? Make the most of your fuel with Autoworks products and more! Especially as the summer comes around, road trips are more likely and your fuel needs to be more efficient!
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While Gas Prices Increase, Your Car Maintenance Improves
We recommend the following two products to help you save on gas! While one is added to your engine oil, the other is added to your gas tanks – but both will help your engine and maximize your gas usage.
Autoworks™ Fuel Enhancer
Unlike most fuel treatments, Autoworks Fuel Enhancer doesn’t just clean one portion of your fuel system – it cleans fuel injectors, carburetors, combustion chambers, intake valves and ports, and gas gauge sensors.
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It helps relieve cold start up problems, protect against fuel system sulfur deposits, and reduce deposit related engine knocking and pinging. This approach to fuel treatment is multifaceted in the sense that a single bottle does the jobs of multiple other products.
To use Autoworks Fuel Enhancer, add one ounce to every 17 gallons of fuel.
Friction Free 3000™ Engine Treatment
While the fuel enhancer is cleaning all of those parts, the Friction Free 3000 Engine Treatment is lubricating your engine and enhancing its performance. This engine treatment has been shown to provide superior engine lubrication, improve engine power, increase fuel economy, reduce emissions and reduce engine surface wear.
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Metallurgists in the field of tribology confirm that soft metals are superior in providing a reduction in friction and enhancing lubrication between two hard surfaces. The proper use of Friction Free 3000 Engine Treatment can help increase gas mileage, prevent dry starts and reduce exhaust emissions.
To use Friction Free 3000 Engine Treatment, first have your oil changed by a qualified professional. Start your engine, allow it to reach its regular operating temperature, and then stop the engine. Immediately add a complete bottle of Friction Free 3000 to your engine’s crankcase – where you add your engine oil. Immediately restart the engine and continue to drive the vehicle at normal speeds for at least ten minutes.
Other Autoworks Products
While you’re at it, might as well keep on caring for your vehicle! Get your car hyper cleaned with Autoworks™ High Performance Auto Care Tire & Wheel Cleaner and Autoworks™ High Performance Auto Care Shimmering Polish!
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Don’t Waste More Time & Gas
Get products that will assist your vehicle and in turn, assist you in saving on gas. Gas prices are guaranteed to fluctuate, and those who are prepared for those fluctuations are the wisest vehicle owners!
Let’s Talk About Networking
We’ve identified your resources and explored marketing ideas, now let’s talk about networking! Learn how to accumulate your knowledge and apply it to your web of fellow entrepreneurs.
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We leveraged first impressions with the tools we have at hand. We discussed four creative springtime themes for marketing. Now that you have initiated or revitalized your business processes, and given it a shot at new ideas, it’s time to begin floating your presence amongst various groups to achieve strong business connections. Take a look at some examples of how to do so!
Review Your Existing Networking Relationships
Mentors
Obviously, your sponsor is your primary mentor within your business, and you have already networked and connected with them. However, who else do you consider to be a mentor? Do you attend the Zoom sessions of Jim Winkler, Melanie Nelson, Cullen Haskins, Dr. Deedra Mason, Andrew Chee? Attendance to zoom sessions is a networking practice with these individuals, as well as with other attendees of the sessions!
Or perhaps you felt connected to some of the individuals who participated in the open discussion panels at MAWC2022. Allison Abbott, Dritan Hodo, Don Martin, and Al Yentsch participated in the Business Development panel with Jim and Andrew. Dr. Joe Taylor (TikTok), Dr. Tamara Weinstein, and Gary Brecka participated in the health & nutrition panel with Dr. Dee.
Each of these UnFranchise Owners are mentors to you of some kind. If you didn’t have the chance to speak to them at the event, perhaps follow them on social media. By ollowing them on social media and engaging with their content, you are networking with them! We encourage you to network with and learn from all of our successful UFOs, because each entrepreneur has fantastic and differing insight into their business methods.
Peers
Which UnFranchise owners, either within your team or outside of it, are generating similar amounts of BV and IBV? These peers are people with whom you can (net)work together to discover new prospective UFOs as well as market and retail to customers. Recognize that the UnFranchise Business plan relies not on competition, but collaboration to be successful. You and your peers should engage with social groups together with a clear expectation on how each of you intend to present the UBP or your products. Exchange ideas with your peers, and give one another the support to try them!
Sponsorships
You were sponsored, and then it will be your turn to sponsor others. Entrepreneurs who are seeking a successful business plan that will change their lives are looking to you. As you continue to become more successful, you must take on the responsibility of helping new UnFranchise owners network themselves. When a fresh UFO reaches out to you for guidance, take the time to inform them or otherwise direct them to the appropriate resources. As you know, it is the power of people that develops and maintains the entire system!
Organize Recently Acquired Relationships
Record Keeping
Having attended MAWC2022, and perhaps other UnFranchise events since, can you confidently name and describe everyone you’ve met? The ability to reflect over your connections is a part of networking. Recall the blog on MAWC2022 Tips & Things to Bring: did you keep track of their content info? Did you add “UFO” to each new contact ID on your phone? Did you write down their Instagram handle?
We’re not saying you need to carry around an Address book like we used to back in the day. However, it is important to keep track of details about the fellow entrepreneurs you meet. You will create deeper connections when, given the next time you see John, you are able to ask him, “How is your daughter Sarah doing? Is she enjoying her piano lessons?”
Theoretical John will appreciate your remembering him and his family life. After all, we have all selected the entrepreneur lifestyle because we are passionate about having full-fledged lives outside of our work – something near-impossible for the average nine-to-fiver.
Follow-Ups
While Pulse has auto-generated follow-ups for your customers, it is up to you to follow up with your prospects. For every UBP you’ve given, how many have you reached out afterwards (a couple days to a week later) to ask them for feedback, or to meet again? Perhaps the follow-up isn’t as formal as, “It has been a week since I presented the UBP to you. What have you concluded about it since?”
Instead, approach prospective UFOs with precisely what it is that they’re most concerned about:
“Hey John, have you been able to attend Sarah’s piano recitals?”
“No… My boss won’t let me take a half day while we work with this client.”
“Well, you know the UnFranchise Business Plan would allow you to work on your own schedule. Have you thought about the plan since last week?”
Set Goals for Future Networking
Events
Consider inviting a group of your friends over for an evening event, and show them what you’ve been working on. Have a personalized basket of products and infographic cards for each of them to illustrate the effectiveness of the plan and the products themselves. Include trial sized marketing sample packets according to each person’s needs – Bliss for Helen who struggles find calm, TLS Thermochrome V6 for Jill who is looking for ways to be more energized, and Neuro Focus for Tom who often finds himself easily distracted. Providing prospective UFOs with the utmost business experience themselves is a great way to network. Even if Helen, Jill, and Tom are not interested in becoming UFOs, perhaps they’ll refer their friends who are seeking entrepreneurial opportunities.
Referring back to collaborating with your peers – you could co-host with another UnFranchise owner or simply attend their event for support. Even if these new UFOs join your peer’s team rather than yours, you are networking for them to refer their potentially interested friends back to you.
And when it comes to events, MAIC2022 is in less than four months; have you purchased your plane tickets? Booked your hotel? UnFranchise events are the most wholesome and family-oriented, but also passionate and exciting events you could plan for in your yearly travel schedule. Making them an integral part of your lives is pertinent to your success as an UnFranchise owner precisely because they are the greatest locations for your networking.
Business Development Center
Stay Focused, Stay the Course refers to identifying your goals, and then following through with Base 10, 7 strong. Dennis Franks explained what it means to develop Base 10, 7 strong in your Business Development Centers, and how important that is to your success. As an UnFranchise owner, it is up to your networking methods and business practices to establish your business and then sponsor the businesses of other UnFranchise owners. Set realistic goals for how many UFOs you want to have in your Business Development Center within a certain time frame, and then set off in acquiring them!
Pulse Marketing will Quicken your Pace
Marc Ashley just had our Pulse Announcement! Teased last event, with this new feature on the UnFranchise Marketing app, you will be able to keep a finger on the pulse of your customers. From notifications of new customers’ first orders to tracking recurring orders, you will be updated regularly and have the ability to customize your digital interactions as a retailer!
Pulse Features
Pulse will enable you to:
- View Customers Order History
- Review Customers on AutoShip
- View Active & Inactive Customers and when they last purchased
- Maintain a list all customers you have completed your follow ups with
You will receive push notifications for:
- When new customers order their first order
- Upcoming autoships
- Active & Inactive customer statuses
- Follow-up reminders & tasks
AutoShip
This part of Pulse will keep you up to date on every one of your customers’ AutoShip activities.
You will:
- Know when your customers are active on AutoShip
- Know when their next order is scheduled to ship within 7 days
- Be able to set reminders for their orders
- Be able to set reminders for follow-ups
First Order Review & Information
Being able to see what your new customer first ordered is crucial to comprehending your consumers. Having received the notification, you will be directed to their order details page. On this page, you can review everything they have ordered at once, giving you insight into their consumer patterns. From this review process, you will have the option to follow up immediately with a message, or schedule a reminder for a follow-up at a later time.
Following Up
Although a “follow-up” may seem daunting, Pulse provides you with pre-written messages for you to send to your customers. Having these pre-written messages available provides you with support and even education for how follow-ups are typically conducted. Once you become familiar with the process, you can personalize your follow-ups to hone in on your customer’s wants and needs.
Active vs. Inactive Customers
Pulse features also include business intelligence that will give you insight into the activity or inactivity of customers as well as your activity and inactivity with them.
With active customers, Pulse will indicate:
- Active Customers who placed orders within 25, 60, 90 days
- The order history of all your customers
- When you last followed up with your customer
With inactive customers, Pulse will indicate:
- Customers who have not placed orders within the last 90 days
- Targeted campaigns featuring new products and/or promotions to encourage a new order
As promised, Pulses a feature on the UnFranchise Marketing app that supports and guides you into improving your retailing capabilities. All that’s left is your part – to utilize it! If you haven’t already, download the UnFranchise Marketing app now!
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