Free Marketing: 101 Low and No-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business, Online and Off

PART 14

WHO'S DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS?

Some of the best advice I received early on in my Internet business career was to frequently survey my followers to help set the course going forward. It's just not necessary to continually have to make guesses about what your customers and followers want and expect from you. I'm not saying you should move away from your core purpose or business, but it sure helps to know what your customers and followers are thinking.

Respected marketing expert Marlon Sanders taught me early on in my online career about his simple success formula for information marketers that goes something like this:

Step 1. Grow your audience

Step 2. Ask them what they want

Step 3. Give them what they want

Step 4. Repeat

I am consistently surprised by the responses I get when I survey my audience about what they think I should be working on next. The greatest source of inspiration, creativity, content, and direction for my business has come from my newsletter and blog followers.