Spencer Marketing Blog

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I've been trying to "move up the value chain" in my internet marketing business.  It has been a more difficult journey than I expected.  While many people say "build authority and don't appear weak", I kind of feel like that's not the way to go…hence why these honest posts are coming out.

Ever since I started my internet marketing journey in 2004, I have always struggled with having my goals be much larger than they appear on the surface.  Many times the reason I "failed" (defined by not achieving the goal I set out on in the time frame I set for it) is because the goal was too huge and not specific enough.

Maybe this effects you as well.  For example, saying "I want to make $3,000 a month" for a starting goal is a great place to start.  The problem is that it's very open-ended.  You could do that a bunch of different ways.

1. Blogging

2. Product Creation

3. Affiliate Marketing

4. Membership Sites

5. Freelancing

And the list goes on and on.

My current problem is that I have big goals and I haven't broken them down enough.  For example, I want a list of well over 100,000 people but I haven't laid out a traffic strategy to get that yet.  So worrying about that goal and letting it "hang over my head" so to speak is a bad way to go.  It only leads to disappointment.

The lesson here is to break your goals down as low as possible.  Down to "I'll submit 2 articles a day and convert them to video…and in 30 days I'll see what I'm getting."

That's a very achievable goal.  You do something for 30 days and reassess.  This is a long run game and the fast money artists will try to say that it's easy, will take days, etc but it won't.   Almost always it won't.  So be honest with yourself, assess where you currently are, and then build goals that you can blow past. 

Simple Goals=Simple Results= Long Term Success

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted here and I must say I'm a bit disappointed in myself.  I broke a habit.

So here's my mea culpa which also has a silver lining in it.

The last month has been a difficult time for me in adjusting to the new business environment and also balancing my internet marketing business and my deli as well. 

So, yes, that's my excuse…I just wasn't cut out for it all and I needed a break from this blog.

I'm sorry if you're disappointed but I'm back and ready to get back to things.

So, in the spirit of this realization, I want to talk about some things I personally struggle with in my business and what I'm doing about it.

1. Steady Revenue Generation

One of the things that most internet marketers don't talk about is how income can swing BIG time in this business.  Everyone talks about continuity and how beneficial it is because it reduces the swings in income when you depend on one off sales and product launches…

But what they DON'T tell you about is how to do this.

Oh yea it's great creating tons of membership sites and then all your problems will be solved.  This simply isn't the case.  I know this because I don't have a lot of recurring income in my business.  The recurring income I have is extremely vital and I'm working on this currently to build my recurring income up to where it needs to be.

I'm doing this by creating different fixed term membership sites (say a 4 month long series of content related to a topic)…

I'll report back on my progress and what stumbling blocks I come across in my journey.

2. Balancing Work, Play, and Future Planning

I'm not going to lie…I work a LOT…

Many days I get up around 8-8:30am work online, then go into my deli at 10am then leave after 7pm and work til bed time.  It's really exhausting sometimes but I've chosen this life for myself.  I really enjoy working online and in my deli but sometimes it's just too much. 

One of the biggest problems I've always had is that I don't balance things.  I'm very intense and passionate about the few things I involve myself with.  You either "have me" or you don't…there's no middle ground.  I guess it's my obsessive personality

This problem is sort of related to problem #1 listed above.  Steady income means you can afford to take time off.  I'm sure you understand this in your business as well…

For me, I haven't really found a solution to this problem yet but again…I'll report back.

3. Turning all my ideas into cash generating assets

I don't want to brag but it always seems like I have 10 ideas swirling for every one I'm able to implement.  My sort of "A.D.D -like" mind is always coming up with twists and turns to make things happen.  The problem is that ideas are a dime a dozen.

It might seem like "what do I sell" is really a problem…but once you're involved in something for a while…you know what people want.  Once you know what they want…you can really just give it to them.  Make it seem like a value and you're gold. 

What I'm doing with this is that I'm working on creating more content and then monetizing it multiple times over.  For example,

Free video generates leads.

6 Videos is a low end course.

Create coachings or classes with content I've used and add some personal touches.

All this can be done with pretty much the same content…no need to really recreate the wheel.

So that's what I'm going to do.

So hey…this article is a bit of a relief for me to write and I hope you enjoy it.  I'm just being honest with you and sometimes people will say "build authority…be mysterious" but I'd much rather be HONEST and admit my problems (so you and I can both learn from them)

I hope you enjoyed my comeback to my blog

And I won't leave you hanging from now on!

Cheers,

Brad

Hey Readers,

Just wanted to say that I haven't abandoned this blog or anything.  I've got some great content coming REALLY soon I've just been swamped.

Thanks for continuing to read my blog and within the week I'll be back to writing again

Cheers,

Brad

Hey,

One of the most important parts of list building that isn't really discussed that much is relationship building.  Everyone pays it lip service but no one actually spends the time (and money) to do it properly.

Personally, as a massive product creator, I have come to realize that the only way to sell my wares is to constantly be giving back to my list through providing excellent service, creating free items that benefit them, and otherwise being different than all the damn thieves in the marketing world.

I want to share with you 4 of my favorite ways to build a relationship with my list… Enjoy

1. "Just Hit Reply" Method

One of the easiest ways I build a relationship is by emailing my list and asking them a question.  I give them the "command" to hit reply so I can start a conversation with them.  I really do enjoy this part of internet marketing.  It keeps me grounded, provides some of the best market research, and I (hope and think) provides trust that there's someone there on the other end of the email.

This is so damn easy to implement, I'm amazed that more people don't do it.  Just send a broadcast email and ask your list a question and illicit their responses. 

Simple, free, and easy to do

2.  Create Surveys

I use a service called Survey Monkey and my goal for my survey is to get a good idea of the problems, aches and pains, and other issues that my list is having with a given topic.  This is slightly less personal than the "Just Hit Reply" method but it allows me to aggregate data faster and "get to the bottom" of the issue at hand.

I use this especially before creating a product that isn't related to something I've done before.  So if I'm entering a new subset of internet marketing, I'll send a survey out, read over stuff, and create solutions for the problems stated.

This is a great way to create products that people actually want.

3. Answering my emails in a timely fashion

Wow, this is the easiest thing a marketer can do which is probably why people don't do it.  I'm amazed at my colleagues in the internet business space who don't answer their own emails.  I mean there are some emails I don't dignify with a response.  These emails are mean, crude, poorly written, and otherwise don't put good karma in the world.

One of my favorite things is getting an email from someone with "Thanks for the timely response!" and when people write me mean emails because they're obviously angry (because they expect i won't give a crap) and are shocked when I fix things that I didn't even do.  I've had this in more than one occasion where in a series of emails I have turned someone around from hating me into a repeat customer.

Answering emails is an easy way to prove you're different.  Don't underestimate this.

4. Sell Simple Products

I think a lot of people just want a simple solution to whatever problem they're having.  Most people fail to get started because things are complex, expensive, and they're just afraid of doing them.

If you can distill something down to a point that people can actually follow along, I think you'll do better and you'll get a reputation as someone who provides the goods.  Plain and simple.

This is my business model.  I simply just create solutions that people can use.

Well I hope you start using those methods.  They might be simple but the best stuff usually is

Sounds like a movie title doesn't it?

But how many marketers (yes that's you) struggle with burnout on an (often) daily basis?

My first 4 years online (when I made $0.00 and was pissed off) were a constant story of burnout. My biggest struggle was simply not doing anything with the huge amount of knowledge I had.  I never even set up a site.  I can only imagine where I'd be.

But that's loser talk…living in the past is the 1 true way to guarantee that you have NO future.

I think one of the biggest reasons most people get burned out is a lack of strategy and a lack of perspective.  In no other industry have I noticed so many people seeking quick money because they're broke.  Usually, people start a business to make money (a positive) but also realize that the payoff will be much later. 

In internet marketing, many people struggle with this unconcious desire for a quick buck and thus lose out to all the "sharks" who pry them of their money.

The saying goes "a fool and his money will soon be parted"…and this business is probably the best example of that.

So how do you avoid burnout?  Here's my suggestions

1.  Stick to a simple plan with realistic goals

My plan is to create tons of information products that people are happy to buy.  Simple strategy right?  A lot goes into it but it all distills down to this simple little idea.

My goal for 2010 is to have a customer list of 500 people.  These 500 very appreciated "VIPs" are the lifeblood of my future business ventures.  I can only imagine what will happen when some of these people become my future JV partners

So, what are your goals.  What income do you want to make?  What time do you want to invest learning and building your business? These are 2 important questions that will lead you down the right path. 

No Desire To Have Customers? Probably should be an affiliate or service provider to others

No Desire To Write? Create video courses

Insert Negative? Output The Alternative.  Go through each of the things you dislike and design a plan around them.  You will have to do things you dislike from time to time…but there's ways to automate/outsource almost anything with the power of technology.

2. Stop Looking For the Magic Bullet

I can't emphasize this enough.  No single thing is going to make you 1 million (or insert income goal) dollars.  It's not the way the world works.  You constantly tweak what you know, make it better, and that's it. 

Magic bullets are 99.999999999% for suckers.  Don't be a sucker.

3. Build your business by batting singles

Singles add up to homeruns in the long run.  Maybe this is a butchered baseball analogy but it's true.  You hate creating products? Well, one product isn't going to make you a millionaire.  But 100 might.

If you are getting 1000 visitors a month to your site, or even a much smaller amount, split test your pages with Google Website Optimizer. It's free and you'll get way more bang for the buck!

Those are 3 of my simple ways for getting more out of my business while avoiding burnout.  There are many but these 3 ideals will really take you far in improving your mental attitude toward growth and development of all your goals and dreams.