Pop-culture the New Medium to Market Your Network Marketing Products

Pop-culture is the sum collection of ideas which market to the popular generation of people dominating western society.

Do you remember those high school days where all the in-crowd kids hung out and everyone wanted to be with like them? Pop-culture is the in-crowd.

Mass media has heavily influenced pop-culture. It has permeated the collection of ideas into every level of society. The most popular pop-culture ideas are: “entertainment (movies, music, TV, games), sports, news (as in people/places in news), politics, fashion/clothes, technology, and slang” (See Wikipedia “Popular Culture”).

Popular culture has a way of influencing an individual’s attitudes towards certain topics. Pop-culture turned the tide of the Gen X baby-boomer generation from the past and has heavily influenced the millennials of the present.

The millennials of the present dominant pop-culture.

Millennials approach the way we look at the world differently than the Gex X crowd.

For example, baby-boomers would say that truth is what has been proven accurate and right. Millennials say if something works, then it must be real. Accuracy and right are secondary.

The millennials live by different values:

• News is old before it goes to print.
• Television shows, movies and books are watched and read on an electronic device.
• They communicate by texting and using viral words and phrases to capture thoughts and ideas (“creep”, “drive up the wall”, “jack up”, “hyped”).
• They value transparency and vulnerability.
• They believe in community and involvement.
• They are romantics.
• They are health conscious and are drawn to communities that run, exercise, diet, eat right and value health.
• Social needs and injustices are foremost on their minds.

Basically, the human desires of millennials center around:

1. The “respect and admiration of others” – Yesterday is old and today is new – speed is required to keep up with their peers. They use viral words and phrases to convey meaning which adds to their need to be respected by others.
2. Most millennials come from broken homes and single parents raised by their mother. They seek “companionship and love” and want to belong and be involved in communities which value health and integrity transparency and openness. They are romantics because it adds to their need for companionship and love. They value products and services which make them happy and healthier.
3. They like to “accomplish something great” by tackling and solving social needs and correcting injustices.

(For an understanding of the all the basic human desires, wants and desires of all people, see “Romantic Packaging Motivates Prospects to Respond More Positive” and “Four Steps to Create Romantic Offers for Your Products”).

How to Reach the Pop-culture In-Crowd with Network Marketing 

Want to know how to dress up your products and sell them to the pop-culture in-crowd? Then learn to market to their desires and needs. Learn to find what problems they have and use your products to solve them.

The word “market” (“marketing”) is a very viral term when you understand its origin. It was the pop-culture term of its day.

The word “market” comes from the ancient world view behind the exchange of gifts. There is the gift-giver and the gift-receiver. With giving comes respect and honor. With receiving comes responsibility. You wouldn’t give gifts to someone whom you didn’t respect and honor; and you wouldn’t receive gifts from someone without living up to the responsibility which comes with honor.

We are going to market to millennials by honoring and respecting their standards and values for the world. We are going to market our products with personal stories of belonging. We are going to advertise to millennials by romanticizing the products. We are going to accomplish all of this through the media and popular culture viral words and phrases which speak and communicate to millennials.

The five basic guidelines for marketing to the millennial pop-culture are:

1. Have a first sentence which sizzles.
2. Brand your products with a story.
3. Find out their needs, desires and wants.
4. Find the product which perfectly matches their needs, desires and wants.
5. Romanticize the products.

(1). Have a First Sentence Which Sizzles – 

The first sentence is the one chance we have to make a first impression. If our impression is great, no matter what else happens with the rest of the presentation, our millennial prospect will still like us and will buy our products.

Millennials like speed and they want you to get to the point. The first sentence must get to the point and captivate them using viral words and phrases from the pop-culture media.

Where can we turn for help with finding what sizzles and communicate to pop-culture millennials? Look no further than the magazines which represent the brand of your company at the check-out counter of the local grocery store.

You’ll find travel, health and wellness, entrepreneurialism, diet and fashion magazines. Buy the magazines which represent your company’s niche, and you will have a wealth of pop-culture media slangs, sayings and first sentences to use.

For instance, I have a “First” magazine in front of me. It is a health and wellness magazine which fits my company’s niche. Here is a first sentence “Secret Weapon Protein” which speaks to millennials about weight loss.

“Secret weapon protein smoothies that rev up fat burning, curb hunger and more! Want a weight loss product which perks up your beauty? Try this dial down appetite delight.”

Don’t you think you could adapt that pop-culture first sentence to your own protein weight loss products?

What have we done? We’ve used the language of popular culture. We impressed them with a first sentence that gets right to the point and tells them exactly what the product is and does.

When would you use first sentences? Only during formal meetings, such as home product tasting meetings where the host introduces the products. You would not necessarily use first sentences with a one-on-one or family and friends, not even on strangers.

First sentences set well in formal meetings.

(2). Brand Your Product with a Story – 

There are two rules for branding a product with a story.

1. Tell a story of a problem prior to using the product.
2. Tell a story of the solution after taking the product.

If you are new to network marketing, you won’t necessarily have many stories. So, use someone in your upline.

Be personal about it. Give them a sense of belonging. Remember, millennials crave belonging, companionship and love.

Let me give a personal story about one of my products in my network marketing company. It isn’t my story but it is perfect to illustrate what it means to brand a product with a story.

“’What do you mean you’re not coming? It’s a tradition!’ Judy mom’s, Debra, prodded as Judy melted into the couch in the next room.

‘The menu is already planned. I bought all the centerpieces and we’re going to take a family picture. You must be there!’

‘As much as I didn’t want to let my mother down, I felt I had no choice.’

‘It was a week before our annual family gathering at Thanksgiving and my mother had planned a Martha Stewart event, complete with fresh flowers, plate garnishes and decorations.’

I only lived 20 minutes away, but the thought of getting dressed up and putting on makeup was too much. I tried to explain that I was exhausted with a runny nose, sneezing and my face beet red from the cold I got after a short bout with the allergies of the fall wild flowers and trees which began to bloom. I got into an argument and stormed home.’

‘That was the main fighting event of the season between my mother and I around fall of each year for the last 23 years.’ I constantly got colds from allergies.

‘But NOW, November of this year, after taking VERAMAS for 17 days, I no longer have a runny nose, my face has a natural color to it, and I no longer sneeze.’

‘I’m able to walk outdoors for the first time and with no problems taking deep breaths of fresh air with pollen falling all around me.’ Colds and flu are fleeting moments in my life.

‘I attended my mother’s Martha Stewart Thanksgiving banquet for the whole family. My kids love it when I am now able to play a little ball with them in the crisp cool air of Fall.’

VERAMAS has restored my family and my health and given back my freedom to enjoy the outdoors all year long.’”

3). Find Their Needs, Desires and Wants – 

This is where you learn the art of questioning. When one answers questions he is revealing himself. He is opening himself up to vulnerabilities.

The way to ask questions is through a formula called FORMD. It stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, Motivation and Dreams.

Center your questions around those five things and you will find the millennials hopes, desires, dreams, wants and needs and the products to meet and fulfill them.

Here is how FORMD works:

• Family – “How’s the family?” – “What have the kids (wife, etc.) been up to?”

o   “Are you married?”

o   “How’s your family?”

o   “What is your spouse’s name?”

o   “How many kids you have?”

o   “What are their names and ages?”

o   “Where do they go to school or college?”

• Occupation – “How’s work going?”

o   “How’s work going?”

o   “What are you currently doing for a living?”

o   “What do you like about your job?”

o   “What do you like least about your job?”

o   “How long you been at your current work?”

o   “Do you see yourself working there for the next ten years?”

o   “How did you start in your position?”

• Recreation – “What fun things do you have planned for the weekend?”

o   “What fun things you been doing lately?”

o   “What fun things you like to do this weekend?”

o   “So, you still (riding bikes, going to the beach, sailing, racing cars, etc.)?”

o   “By the way, how was your trip to Mexico?”

o   “Just out of curiosity, what are you doing to enjoy yourself?”

o   “What’s the least fun thing you ever did?”

o   “What’s the best fun thing you did?”

• Motivation – “How are things going?” – “How are you feeling?”

o   “Do you mind if we exchange numbers and talk more about it?”

o   “Do you keep your income options open?”

o   “Are you open to the idea of earning extra money part time?”

o   “Are you open to earning a couple of thousand dollars a month part time?”

o   “Are you open to traveling more for less?”

o   “If I found a way to [fill in the blank], would you be open to find out more about it?”

• Dreams – “What if you had a magic wand?”

o   “What if you had a magic wand, and you could conjure up the perfect opportunity, the perfect job, the perfect life with all the money in the world at your fingertips, what would that life look like?” “What would it feel like, be like?”

Let’s say you have asked the formula questions of FORMD, and you’ve derived the millennial prospect desires companionship and love. How would you design your products to meet his desires?

Again, using what’s new in pop-culture media from the help of our magazines at the check-out stand of the local grocery store, let’s explore. Through FORMD, I’ve discovered he needs something to boost his immunity because of summer and fall colds and I also learned he has a desire for companionship and love with friends and family.

I have the magazine “Prevention” in front of me. I turn to it and find an article on energy drinks which boost immunity. It’s fits the niche market of my network marketing company and it has a wealth of material to help me design a “spin” which I can use on my millennial prospect.

“With VERAMAS hot teas, enjoy sharing fall activities with friends and family, such as tailgating at football games, taking scenic drives and carving pumpkins with lower risks of catching a cold or the flu. VERAMAS works to increase the immune cell defenses so you can be with friends and loved ones for companionship or love and avoid the blues, stress or loneliness which comes from colds and the flu. From being happy to staying healthy, it’s easier and a lot more fun with VERAMAS fall-happiness hot tea immunity-boosters.”

(4). Find the Product Which Perfectly Meets Their Desires – 

(This is covered in the previous guideline).

(5). Romanticize the Products – 

When you need to print out something about your product which appeals to millennials, you want to make sure it is delivered on an electronic device such as a smart-phone and tablet.

You also want to use the viral words and phrases which capture what the product is about.

We can approach this part of the guidelines from two different ways. Through first sentences or romanticizing the product.

Again, turning to the pop-culture media of magazines in the health and wellness industry, let me give you a romanticized version of one of my products.

Here is one I did for my company’s product which boosts energy and calms and relaxes you when you need to sleep:

“OFF is the Play and Relax Ice Tea where You Get the Last Laugh”

“You’re the winner either way. With OFF, play by night with energy to spare and then sleep comfortably and wake-up to a good-mood morning. Keep energy soaring as you go out on that romantic date where you make that significant other the center of your attention. Dance the night away and enjoy an evening of energetic entertainment and feel more at ease at your favorite spot. After a night of play and fun, say hello to a relaxing sleep while your mind rejuvenates and gets ready for that on-the-run moment which begins your day.” OFF works to make play of work and sleep fun and leads to a healthy happier lifestyle.”

Let’s recap what we’ve learned:

1. Have a first sentence which sizzles.
2. Brand your products with a story.
3. Find out their needs, desires and wants.
4. Find the product which perfectly matches their needs, desires and wants.
5. Romanticize the products.

With these guidelines, you will reach millennials, speak their language and sell your products.