Last year, one of the last online parties I ran for my Younique Business – before I gave it up for good – was ‘Inside Out’ themed.
It was, quite frankly, amazing! (If I don’t say so, myself.) It involved make up looks, games, funny videos and some heart-warming advice. It was so much fun and I thought that for today’s post, I would share how I did it – and how you can do one too!
If you’re in the Network Marketing industry, I do recommend you consider thinking outside the box when promoting your products. My niche was themed online parties. A lot of people ask me though, “but Laura, HOW do you do a themed party online?” Well, I’ll explain everything in this post!
Laura’s – Not So Secret Now – Party Formula for Success
Step One: Preparation.
A good party requires good preparation. Yes, I did do online parties where I just threw something together quick last minute but guess what – you could tell I didn’t put a lot of work into it and my sales (or lack of) reflected that. Your party guests appreciate hard work when they see it. If they get the feeling that your heart isn’t really into it, that you’re just doing this ‘stupid’ party to get some money, then you’ll be fighting a losing battle.
First thing you need to do, I prepare fun, engaging and informative material for your party. These include (but are not limited to)
Games
Popular games are like this one:
The concept is quite simple really. Have something to giveaway for Free. (People love free stuff!) And put it up for grabs in a game. See how I made the game personal to me? I want my party guests to get to know me better, because not only am I promoting the brand that I’m selling, I’m promoting myself.
Note: Ultimately, YOU are your own brand. When you’re a sales rep for a company that offers the same products to millions of other reps, you need to think about what makes you different. Why should people buy from you? People bought from me because I was fun, offered make overs and gave a personal touch to the whole experience. What is your USP? (Unique Selling Point.)
Another game to try is: ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ – inspired games. What are you selling?: Magic hair-growing shampoo? “Long, Long, Hair.”
Mascara? “Long, Long, Lashes.”
Magical oil that kills viruses and bacteria? “Bye, Bye, Germs.”
You get the idea, right? Just put a picture of the product with the title of your choosing. Challenge your guests to comment with “Long” or whatever the first word is. The last person to comment before you finish the phrase with your comment, wins a prize! (This could be an offer, freebie or consultation)
This game is GOOD for interaction, because the more comments and likes a post has, the higher it scores in Facebook’s algorithms. The result? More people see that post and will – hopefully – join in the party!
Tag a Friend game: You need a decent prize if you expect your friends to give up the names of their friends in a party. Most people hate tagging their friends in a game, and even more people hate to be tagged. However, if the prize is REALLY GOOD, and if you offer something for both the person who tagged the friend, and the friend who has been tagged you’re onto a winner. i.e. “Tag your friend, if you’re chosen you’ll BOTH win a free – blah blah -”
TIP: “With your order” Never just give something away for free. There’s an old saying that goes “You can’t get something for nothing,” unfortunately a lot of people (especially your friends) want just that. Free stuff for nothing. This is a fast way to put you out of business. So, if you give a free product, you’ll need to follow up and provide the best customer after-care and at the very least, encourage that person to do a review and tag you…to generate any sales. The best way to ensure you don’t lose out on money is to add “with your order” when you announce the freebie. i.e. “Free make over with your order!” “Free Oil with your order”, “Free chewables with your shake order!”
You don’t always have to offer a prize: Some games can simply be a selection of pictures and asking your party guests to choose their favourite. Or ask for a selfie battle. Just make sure it’s fun.
Videos
Prepare some short videos to introduce the next segment of your party. This obviously takes some work, but it’s worth it. Not only does it show how organised and polished your party is, it’s doing a great job of promoting who you are. Oh, did I forget to mention that? ALWAYS share videos of yourself. Never, ever post a video of anyone else. I learnt the hard way, that all you do is drive people to the people who create the video! You don’t want to do that. Besides, making sure all the content you display is made by you, will keep you out of trouble and keep your customers too.
As you can see in the pictures above, I made a short video as each character from Disney Pixar’s ‘Inside Out,” Each day of the party (It ran over 5 days) I focused on a different character. (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger) Why over 5 days? 7 seems to run a little long, 3 is too short and 5 just felt about right. It worked well with the days of the working week and ended on a Friday with a bang! (So to speak)
Product Highlights
How do you highlight products without looking sales-y and putting people off? Create your own photos for starters. If you just post stock photos of the products from the company, it looks sterile and screams “Buy me now!” Let’s say you’re a DoTerra rep and sell oils. You could TOTALY do an ‘Inside Out” party. Research which oils are best for:
Joy – What uplifting blends are there? (Energy, Positive boost, self-esteem)
Sadness – Are there grounding oils that make you feel comforted? (Grief, Pain, Guilt, Sorrow)
Anger – Which oil helps with hormones? (PMS, Stress, Tension)
Fear – Which oil calms you down? (Panic attack, Nightmares, Nervous before an interview)
Disgust – Which oil gets rid of a bad smell? (Teenager’s bedroom? Shoes? Dog accident?)
Then think of a picture (or even better, video!) that is interesting and engaging for people to look at. The more memorable the better. (I find going for funny is good. But if you’re personality is more serious, go for “Did you know” facts instead.)
I would write a little about the character I was for that day and list the products I used for the look. For the most part, I let the pictures speak for themselves and would just add a line or two about what I loved about them. E.g
I love that this eyeliner doesn’t smudge when I’m crying! So I can watch a Nicholas Sparks’ movie and not look like a Panda by the end!
Step Two: Advertising Your Party
Too many people forget this step! They will set up a party and post an advert on their wall…then that’s it. They think people will a) magically see your post advertising the party and b) Pop a reminder in their phone of the date, time and group that it’s in.
If you don’t bother to advertise your party properly, then you may as well give up now. You’re doing yourself a major disservice because here’s the thing. Only about 10% of your friends list will see what you post on Facebook. So, a few tips: Add you poster to your story. Post it on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and any other social media platform you have.
Send personal invites to your customers, previous party guests/hosts – and yes, close friends and family.
A note about your friends and family: They are the gatekeepers to your real customer. They are not your customers. If you’ve got an up-line telling you that they are your “warm” market and you MUST get them all to buy your products and become a rep then please do yourself a favour – smile and nod, then ignore it. Building your business with your friends and family as your customers and sales’ reps is like building a house of cards. They can only support you for so long (I would say a month or two at most.) And then sooner or later, it all comes crashing down. Unless, you know, you’re a huge family of Entrepreneurs and all your friends are passionate about doing what you do, that is. If that’s the case, I stand corrected. However, for most of us, your friends and family will be your walking advertisements, the mouth piece for YOU. They will direct their network to you by talking about what you do, introduce them to you and encourage them to go for it when they’re not sure about making a purchase. So, your friends and family are helpful to build your business in the early stages, just don’t ever see them as your customers.
Make several adverts! Follow ANY upcoming movie FB page and take a scroll through their feed. You’ll find there are more than one trailer and several posters. You want people to be reminded of YOU and your party multiple times. Also…I am particularly fond of building hype. So, post lots of different material, add in a video or two and send out personal invites. Got it? Ok let’s move on…
Step 3: Party Time
Write an outline for your party and have all your posts and videos ready to go. This schedule is just an example but generally the type of schedule I followed.
Day of the party: Can’t wait to see you all TONIGHT! – Post
60mins before the party: 1 hour to go everyone!
30mins before the party: Grab your PJs and get comfy, we’re about to party in 30mins!
Welcome Post, Start with a question or a game
Quiz – Link to a personality quiz and ask party guests to put their results in the comments
Product Highlight
Video (Go LIVE and have a chat!)
Game
Joke/Funny Post
Get the Look/ How-To Post
Game
Video/Live Video to end
Thank you and see you tomorrow – with a preview of the next party!
Step 4: Fortune is in the Follow Up
The week is over, the hard work is done. Take a deep breath, relax and watch those sales come rolling in.
Cue: Insane laughter.
Yeah right! This is where the real work begins. Private message everyone who engaged in your party, thank them for joining in and ask for feedback on how it went. Some people are terrified of asking for feedback, “what if they say it was rubbish?” GREAT! Feedback is useful! You can ask your guests for their opinions and tips on how you can make your party even better next time.
While you’re talking…this is where your top selling skills come in. Dust off your sales hat and get ready because this is where you do need to be the car-salesman. Brush up on on how to sell like BOSS here.
Continue to advertise your party over social media to encourage people to come in and catch up on what they missed!
So there you go. Laura’s – not so secret now – Party Formula. All at your hands.
In the meantime, enjoy looking back on these hilarious looks.
Found this helpful? Go ahead and click the subscribe button for more.
XOXO
Laura
