Promoting an MLM business online is a great business strategy in todays technology driven world. The opportunity to connect with people all over the world opens up business building opportunities that not so long ago would have been hard to imagine. With so many avenues of marketing and promotion available via the internet, where does one really need to begin.

In drawing from my own experiences of working with network marketers, I want to give you some practical tips to help you leverage the power of the internet, while at the same time minimizing your level of frustration.

We all know of people who have built an incredibly profitable MLM business online. These individuals are paraded in front of us on nearly every conference call, webinar or live event we attend. They are stories of people who not only made it, but they made it in an incredibly short period of time. With these stories whirling through their mind, their company replicated website and head full of dreams they set out to conquer the online frontier.

Unfortunately many of these individuals are diving into the deep end of the pool, before they have even learned to swim. I get people who sign up for my list on a regular basis to learn advanced techniques of internet marketing, even though their skills end at turning on the computer and checking their email. I recently spent 20 minutes trying to help a man navigate his way to a website. He couldn't figure out how to use the address bar on his internet browser. He was frustrated. I was frustrated. Unfortunately he has hung all of his hopes on internet marketing.

This brings up my first piece of advice for marketing your MLM business online. You need to have a working knowledge of the basics. At a minimum a person should know how to send and receive email. In addition they need to know how to both send and receive attachments, plus they need to know how to find them once they have been downloaded. I can't tell you how many times I have sent a document, logo or some other important file to someone I am working with and they call me to tell me they have received it, but they can't find where they put it.

Network marketing is a relationship based and built business. Any person seeking to build their MLM business online, needs to have some basic relationship building skills offline first. If you are unable to build relationships offline, that will simply carry over into the online world as well. I meet too many people that never talk to another invidivual about their business either offline or online. The same patterns and habits that are making them ineffective offline are simply reinforced online. Before you ever think of how you can use social media, you need to get comfortable with simply being "social." Again your offline patterns and habits are going to carry over into your online activities. Bad habits breed more bad habits.

Once you have a basic working knowledge of the internet, begin building your MLM business online by learning about the major systems of online marketing. You don't need to know how to use them, but you do need to understand what they are and at least have a general idea of how they work. Once you have this basic working knowledge of the major systems, tools and strategies, you can begin looking at which online marketing strategies are best suited to your skill sets and personality. Assess how much training you are going to need to learn and get comfortable with that particular method of online marketing. Before you go off and purchase an armload of training materials, try to figure some of these things out through free avenues. Article directories, blogs and Youtube videos can teach you a great number of online marketing skills without the need for you to spend excessive amounts of money. Even if you don't have the skill set completely mastered, don't delay in implementing it. You need to take action every step of the way, the process of refining your technique will be valuable in your personal growth and the value you provide to others.

Finally find a coach or mentor that speaks your language. It is best that you find someone who is also in the trenches building their MLM business online. You can learn alot from their victories and defeats. Try to figure as much out as you can on your own, but when you get stuck utilize this individual as a resource. As you begin building your team, you will want to work the same way with those you are leading. Continue working on one or two skills at the most at any given time. Once you have mastered that skill then move on to the next skill and begin learning it. At the same time, give back by teaching others the skills you have just learned.

Building your MLM business online is a natural progression in your business building efforts, but make sure you approach it in a way that fosters your long term success.