Spencer Marketing Blog

Happy Day After Christmas

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:41:56 +0000

What Did I Say In The Video

Happy Day After Christmas. Weird right? Well I'm probably the only one online who

did it which brings me into the lesson in this video.

Lesson: DON'T DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING

Everyone sent out notices yesterday for Christmas and while many are true and heartfelt, I can't help but wonder how many of them are really just the thing "you're supposed to do" for the holiday. Now it's nice either way but not many people really think about why they're doing what they're doing.

Sounds crazy right? Marketing lore tells you to mail people either a sale on your product or just a "thanks for being on my list this year" type email on major holidays. I think these are nice but I only read about 2-3 of the emails I got from marketers I knew were sending them via autoresponder.

I might be a bit contrary but I think that doing different stuff than other marketers is what sets you apart in your business. Want to make more money? Stand out more…(in a positive way of course). Bottom line, you need to really do things different.

In 2011, I'm going to be doing a lot more things with my business that are totally new. I am going to shoot 200 talking head style videos for products, blogs, emails, and for my own entertainment. By the end of the year 2011, I want to be so smooth that looking back at the ones today I'll just laugh …

You need to do different stuff for your business as well…that's the key to long term success and branding. Separate yourself from the pack…or you'll just blend in (which is basically worthless).

Please leave a comment below on what you think of this video. I'd really love to hear from you!

Cheers,

Brad

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Do You Ever Want to Talk to Me?

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 04:06:01 +0000

Hey,

No real order here on this blog post…it's sort of a combination rant/question.

I've noticed recently a lot of people have "no-reply@theirdomain.com" type email addresses that they send out on their autoresponders. It got me thinking about how uncool it is to send people email but not give them the chance to respond back to you.

What gives? Why don't people want to talk to each other?

I really feel like this is something that's missing online and I plan to rectify that in my business in the future. Just so you know…you can always hit reply to my email messages that come from my autoresponder. You know…the ones with the unsubscribe link at the bottom…

I would ALWAYS love to hear from you and find out more about you and where you're at on your journey in YOUR business. I'm here to help…even if that means you don't buy my products or do any business with me I'll do my best to point you to valuable resources no matter what.

You can count on that.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers,

Brad

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Why You Should Buy Traffic Dashboard

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:03:59 +0000

Hey Guys!

It's been a long time since I added any video to my blog and I wanted to just shoot something and try a new video format. Me talking to you! It's the very first time I've done "talking head" style video so I was pretty nervous but I got through it alright. It really proves the point that if you get out there and try something new, you'll achieve something. While the following video isn't the greatest (still working out the tweaks with my webcam, right settings, etc) I talk about why I think you should get Traffic Dashboard. It's a really great product that I'm excited to go through now that I own it. You will like it too. Best part is that it's $39 bucks

Watch my VERY FIRST talking head style video and strongly consider getting Traffic Dashboard!

Cheers,

Brad

GET TRAFFIC DASHBOARD

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Happy Day After Christmas

Simple Goals=Simple Results=Long Term Success

Wed, 19 May 2010 12:33:41 +0000

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

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Where I Go For Market Research

Sat, 15 May 2010 02:01:47 +0000

Hey everyone,

I'm getting back into the swing of things writing on this blog…I know it's been sporadic the last couple months but I'm back and in charge.

I wanted to share with you some of the places I go for market research.

So here goes…

1. Amazon Best Sellers

I love using this source of data. Best of all it's free. Here's the link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers

This information is updated every hour so you can know what people are buying in any niche you're researching.

This data is worth a ton.

2. Dummies.com

This is the website for the Dummies series of books. If they have a book on it…it's a niche worth considering.

3. Google Forum Search

Type "Niche+ Forum" into Google and start finding forums in your niche. The threads that are "hot" (some programs make a flame right next to the thread after 20 posts) are good little ways to find out what people are struggling with.

4. Popular Blog Posts

One of the easiest ways to legally and ethically hijack ideas are to scan the "most popular" posts sections of the blogs in your niche. There are plugins which make a list on the toolbars of blogs that show the most commented, most read, or "author's favorites" type of things.

Read these posts and read between the lines. This takes a bit of inferring but it's well worth the minor amount of brain work

These are 4 of the main research methods I use. There are many more but they're usually just modified versions of these. Basically, look for what's popular and then look at market data in Amazon. The little parts that are both popular and are selling are the things that you should be creating products on.

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Why “Just Hit Reply?”

Wed, 05 May 2010 12:48:52 +0000

When Brad asked me to write a guest post for his blog, I felt honored to be given such an opportunity. Why? Because

this blog is Brad's stage, his "central messaging platform" on the Internet. This blog is the avenue from which Brad

delivers the information you're seeking. He owns it, he runs it and he alone controls the type and quality of information

you receive here…and I am certain Brad wants nothing more than to provide the best, highest quality information to

you – his readers.

This is why I felt distinctly honored to be given the chance to write for you. See…I'm pretty quiet online. I don't have a

huge network of fans. I do not have hoardes of followers, and I don't make millions of dollars by marketing on the

Internet. The question rises, then, of why? Why would Brad ask "me" to write a post for him to share with his loyal

followers?

What is it Brad believes I can deliver to you through a post on his blog?

Insight. Reasons why. A closer look, a deeper explanation of the smaller, more intricate, but no less important pieces of

the puzzle many tend to overlook and then leave entirely out of the Marketing equation. I believe Brad feels a post from

me would benefit you because my goal would be to help you understand things a bit more clearly, and so it is.

For an example, let's take a look at Brad's recent post here titled: My 4 Favorite Ways to Build a Relationship With My

List. Now, while I don't have a list of any substantial size at the moment, as a wife and mother of six, I'm no stranger to

relationships and relationship building. I'm a watcher, an observer of people and a student of learning why people do the

things they do. Knowing this, I feel qualified to speak on the "why's" of Brad's post.

Let's start with why Brad employs the "Just Hit Reply" method with his list.

By not only "inviting" his readers but actually "giving them permission" to "just hit reply" and respond to emails he

sends out to his list of followers, Brad clearly and cleverly deferentiates himself from other marketers. How so?

Essentially, by asking readers to "just hit reply," Brad implies he is a marketer who is "here" for you.

With three tiny little words, Brad sends a message to his readers that he is both available to and reachable by them on a

personal, one-on-one level — something many marketers today do not offer their followers. But Brad doesn't stop

there…

In #4 of his post, Brad admits that he personally answers emails from his readers- and does so in a timely fashion.

He also warns against underestimating the power of answering your readers' emails yourself, mentioning how by doing

so he has turned many a disgruntled person into a loyal buyer — using nothing more than personal communication.

So the question is: why should YOU do it?

If you aren't inviting your readers to communicate with you via email and then answering your own email, Brad's

pretty much saying you're missing out on opportunities, whether it be the opportunity to form deeper relationships

with your prospective customers, make more sales, or simply to acknowledge alternate viewpoints and opinions (which

also has the power to raise you up in some people's point of view).

You do not have to agree with another's point of view, but disagreeing with a person's words doesn't have to stop you

from acknowledging the speaker. "I hear you" is not the same as "I agree with what you're saying."

Before I close, let me address your concern about the constraints of having a large list and limited available time with a

tip: Most people love seeing their name in print, or being specifically mentioned by someone they trust and/or admire.

In short, people love to be acknowledged.

If your list has grown to a size that makes individual personal communication a full-time job and leaves you with no

time for marketing, remember this and use it as a motivation to personalize your more "informal" communications.

Such as with an FAQ or even what will come to be a "canned" email response in your business.

Go ahead and answer the questions one-by-one as you normally would, but underneath each answer, specifically

acknowledge each person that asked, by name (or by nickname, however they sent you their questions or concerns)

and thank them for their perspectives and contribution.

Doing so will give your readers the acknowledgement they desire. You will convey the message that you have not only

acknowledged each concern but, while you've addressed those concerns informally, you formally appreciate every

contributor as an individual.

Others' opinions of you will rise, right along with the esteem of your readers because they will see you're not "all about

you," and you value (or at least acknowledge) the opinions and perspectives of others.

Relationship Marketing Insights by Tina Adams
www.Tina-Adams.com/blog

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My 4 Favorite Ways To Build A Relationship With My List

The Things I Struggle With And What I Do About It

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:14:15 +0000

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

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Earning Your Customers One At A Time

Update on Where I’ve Been

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:40:43 +0000

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

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My 4 Favorite Ways To Build A Relationship With My List

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:27:17 +0000

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

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Increase Conversions On Products- How to Run an A/B Split Test With Google Website Optimizer

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:21:05 +0000

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