To succeed as a modern direct seller, you need to keep up with the modern marketplace – which today means social media and internet.

2020 threw everyone for a loop. Direct sellers who did business primarily in-person suddenly lost all their in-person business. They were forced to put together online party strategies or make the hard choice to stop doing what they loved.

And online parties means combining the social apps everyone uses with the desire to recreate an in-person party experience.

6 Online Party Strategies and Tools

One of the biggest draws to joining a direct sales company is the social aspect – gathering with friends and family over shared interests while trying out your favorite products. – fun!

Unfortunately, this is also the part that tends to go missing from many online party strategies – where the consultant flips from a social aspect and hanging out with friends over to focusing on sales.

Not so fun.

The real key to building successful online party strategies is going to come from recreating the in-person experience — the fun — inside a virtual format.

• Facebook Party
  • You've probably come across Facebook parties quite a bit. And the traditional Facebook party is still alive and well. But gone are the days of open-ended multi-day parties where product posts clutter up news feeds for days with dismal engagement (and even worse sales). The best Facebook parties happen in real-time where consultants, hosts, and guests are in the same group or event at the same time and engage real-time in conversation and fun.

• Sqweee Party
  • Sqweee is a 3rd party application designed specifically for direct sales parties and events. Create unique “Sqweeevents” by mixing videos, graphics, polls, and interactive posts. And once you have a great event, save it for reuse over and over. Sqweee is a Suite partner, and we absolutely love how they support direct sellers. To get a 25% discount off the first 6 months of a monthly plan or 10% discount off the first year of an annual plan, join here, then enter SassySuite as who referred you.

• Zoom Party
  • Zoom parties are the closest thing available to recreating an in-person party experience. Gather the group together on Zoom for a fun and social experience, product demonstration, even games. Bonus tip: Send hostess and/or guests something in advance that they can open on camera, such as a product sample. Get started on Zoom for free, and hold a live event for up to 40 minutes for free!

• LIVE Show/Party
  • The LIVE Show or Party is a variation of the Facebook party format above. The primary difference is the consultant is LIVE throughout the party. This may be to show product demonstration, stylings, unboxings, or currently available inventory. When planning a LIVE Show or Party, it can be held in a private space where only the hostess's guests are invited, or a regularly scheduled event in a public space. The focus on this type of party is to create an entertaining show that includes value beyond just the product. This might include humor, entertainment, demonstrations, or other value.

• Instagram Party
  • An Instagram party works much like a Facebook party, and include a good mix of personality, purposeful, and promotional content. The primary difference is that it's held publicly on Instagram and all the party posts are organized around a common hashtag, such as #brendaIGparty so guests can easily find all posts. Consultants may choose to have a separate Instagram profile they use specifically for their parties. Benefits include the ability to also include broader hashtags, which may attract more guests to the party, and DM capabilities to engage directly with guests through Instagram. (And, hey, while you're over on Instagram, give me a follow! I love parties!)

• Messenger Party
  • There are a variety of text or messenger-type apps such as Telegram, Voxer, or even Facebook Messenger. The process would include inviting the hostess and guests to a private group on the messenger application and then organizing all posts to create engagement and social fun. The benefits are that messenger and messenger apps are mobile-friendly and everyone is near their phone. Limitations include difficulty in going back to previous posts as the chat-thread will move forward quickly in real time.

No matter which tool you choose to use as you build out your online party strategies, you're going to rely on strong hostess coaching to ensure that the party is fun, engaging, and that no one gets lost. Remember, you might be ready to pivot online – but your guests might not be as adept at navigating Facebook as you are! And because you aren't going to be in someone's house giving your demonstration, you'll need the hostess's help drawing their guests' attention to you.

How to Thrive Online

If 2020 was all about about adapting and moving online and finding new and creative ways to connect with social communities, and now that we're here, its going to continue to be all about showing up for those social communities.

And the tools to succeed are right at your fingertips. Brands, leaders, and consultants who are brave enough to try new things are going to find new ways to extend their reach through hostesses to new social communities.

What are you going to try first – Zoom? Instagram party? LIVE party? Sqweee?

Your future business will thank you. Because Online Party Strategies for Modern Direct Sellers are here to stay. And if you don't adapt but others around you do? You'll be quickly left behind as modern online selling becomes the norm and other direct sellers' toolkits are permanently expanded.

#EmpowerSocial