How to Make Fancy Work for You

There are no limits today as to what direct sellers can use to market their products. From the tradition of hosting a party or going from house to house selling their wares, nowadays, direct sellers use social media, mobile, and other platforms in order to reach their audience.

Social media is definitely playing a huge part in many direct selling campaigns. Both companies and the direct sellers themselves are taking advantage of the different platforms in order to engage and interact with their consumers.

One of the newest and most popular social media platforms of today that’s making waves all over the world is Pinterest. It currently boasts a reported 11 million users who are enjoying the virtual pinboard. Even direct sellers can take advantage of the platform since it’s a great way to engage with your audience and find products that they love.

But there’s another site that’s starting to create a buzz and is comparable to Pinterest. The site is called Fancy and it started out having similar functions as Pinterest, where you can “Fancy” things and create a catalog of your favorite things around the web. But now it has transformed itself into something unique – it recently launched an ecommerce business that their CEO Joseph Einhorn believes may even rival the giant Amazon.

In the past, Fancy offered coupons and discounts to people who “fancied” certain products. But now, whenever a person “fancies” something, companies, retailers and merchants can now bid on who gets to sell the product or item. It doesn’t even have to be the exact item, but can be something simply similar to that product.

Some people say it’s like groupon in reverse. Instead of companies offering deals to everyone, people who “fancy” an item are instead offered good deals by companies or merchants. You can now easily purchase items from a site you enjoy visiting and get inspiration from. How great is that?

As a direct seller, should you consider Fancy in your marketing campaign?

If you’ve considered Pinterest, then you should definitely consider Fancy as well. With Pinterest, it’s more about connecting, engaging, and finding inspiration from lovely things, yet most of the time, it doesn’t really translate into sales. But with Fancy, you now have the power to bid on a product that someone fancies and sell it to that person right on the site. A user fancying a product can easily translate into direct sales for you.
Also, surprisingly, even though Pinterest has over 11 million users according to reports, the average pins per user are only 3. However with Fancy, which only has around 250,000 registered users, the average number of fancies per user is 66.

So even though there are significantly more users in Pinterest, Fancy users are a lot more active and passionate about what they’re fancying. As a direct seller, you can really take advantage of this knowledge.

Here are some tips on how to make Fancy work for you:

     1. Start fancying

Before you can begin making Fancy work for you, it’s important that you understand the platform, how it works, and how people are using it. Sign up and start fancying what you find as well as the things other people have fancied. Make your own personal catalog and show off your favorite things. You need to learn how the site works so you can make it work for you.

     2. Start connecting

Just like any other social media platform, Fancy is all about connecting with others. In addition to fancying products that you discovered yourself, it’s also a good idea to fancy products from other people’s catalogues. You also have the option of interacting with other users by commenting on their catalogues and items they’ve fancied. This creates a conversation between the two of you and helps you connect.

By following other people, you can hopefully obtain followers as well, and this helps you understand what your audience is interested in and how it translates to the products you’re offering.

     3. Start selling

As a direct seller, of course you want the end result to translate into direct sales, and Fancy can help you with that. Since you have the option of bidding on a particular item, product or service, then something that someone has fancied can result in a sale for you if you win the bid.

It’s important that you keep up with the trends and always be on the lookout for what people are fancying though. You want to be updated whenever someone fancies a product you’re selling or something related to it.

Fancy can definitely work for direct sellers, but it’s essential that you understand the platform first and how to engage with other users so you can really use the site to your advantage. Just wait and see, and Fancy may just be the next big thing in social selling.

Direct Selling Moms - 3 Tips To Focus

In a study conducted by the American Sociology Association (ASA), they found that working moms multitask more than their counterparts. They also found that the experience is more negative for moms.

The study found that moms multitask 10 hours more in a week compared to dads. When parents were asked about how multitasking made them feel, most moms said that the experience was negative for them, while dads saw it as a more positive experience. The study also found the discrepancy in multitasking activities among moms and dads. When moms multitask at home, they engage in childcare or housework activities. Dads, on the other hand, engage in activities like talking to a third person or self-care.

As working moms, we have a responsibility at home and at work. Most of the time work gets sacrificed because of the things we have to do for our family. When we are running our own business, all the more that we need to stay focused on our goals, and at the same time, our family.

Here are 3 tips on how to stay focused on your business, and at the same time, be happy with your life:

Time management – So little time, so much to do. The moment you wake up in the morning, your mind starts thinking about all the things you need to do for the day. In order to be productive, you need to get into the habit of managing your time properly. Use a planner or calendar and list down all the important things you need to do for the week. Then write down the small things, like grocery or laundry, school meeting, etc. Scheduling your time and strictly following it will let you stay on top of things.

With your busy schedule, you cannot rely on your mental notes alone. In fact that “mind clutter”, will often work against you. Get rid of it!  Once you get into the habit of reducing everything into writing and scheduling it for yourself, you will have a more organized week. Time budgeting is just or even more important than financial budgeting. It’s vital for you to know the “real time” it takes you to get tasks done.  Underestimating your time investment in tasks only leads to frustration and failure.

Your own home office – Setting up your own office will help you focus on your business. If you don’t have an extra room that you can use at home, at least find a spot that you can call your own. Once you find your spot, let your household know about it. Let your kids know that they can’t play with your computer or printer. Having your own office will give you freedom to do your work. If you can find the quietest spot in your house and set up your office there, all the better. This way you can concentrate on work when it’s time to do work.

Ask support from your family – having a family is about support and teamwork. The demands of life will always get to you but the battle will be worth it when you know you have your family’s support. Communicate with your husband and ask him if both of you can take turns in taking care of your children. Find ways on how you two can maximize your full potential both at work and at home. If you have teenage kids, communicate with them as well. Tell them about what you do so that they will understand. If you have your family’s support, it will be easier to juggle your time between your family and business.

There are no shortcuts to success. We have to make time for our family and business if we want to be successful in both. We have to stay focused on our business goals and at the same time be here for our family. Adopting time management practices will help us stay on top of things. This will increase our productivity and help us become more efficient. Setting up our own office at home also increases productivity and helps us focus on the things that we need to work on. And lastly, success is easier to achieve and tastes significantly sweeter when your family supports you all the way.