Spencer Marketing Blog
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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