It’s amazing the power of viral marketing. Virgin Digital has an absolutely brilliant campaign holding a contest for people to spot the 72 bands… but then it became 74 bands or 75 bands in an image.

Can you find them all?

Click here for a web version.

Here is Virgin’s Interactive version.

Double Viking has lists from visitors who seem to have found all of the bands.

I could find about 3, but then I don’t have the patience for this sort of thing. Anyway, this image is posted all over the web driving traffic to Virgin’s site and their ranking up. You can find it at about 72 million sites…or is it 74 or 75 million?

And just so I’m on the viral bandwagon, add Kinetic Ideas to the long list.

Happy New Year!

Hugs and Success, Wendy Maynard

Your friendly marketing maven

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Not much time left in 2005. It’s a great time to reflect and to set goals for the next year.

I’m not a big fan of resolutions because I think they set you up for failure.

So, what I like to do is set goals for success. These can be personal and business oriented. The first step is to generate a list of all of the things that you would like to accomplish. Here are some of mine:

Business

- Complete my Remarkable Marketing System manual.

- Offer at least 2 offline workshops based on this system.

- Begin offering group marketing coaching in addition to one-on-one sessions.

- Promote the Remarkable Marketing System and the group marketing online.

- Attend at least one Internet Marketing Seminar.

- Continue to grow my ezine list and build website traffic.

- Write an entry in my blog 2 - 3 times each week. Write more about online marketing.

- Continue to send out the Remarkable Marketing ezine each week.

- Write an article twice a week and place on Submit Your Article to be distributed online (by the way, this is a great service that distributes my articles to over 40 different content providers. It saves me hours of time each week. Learn more.)

Personal

- Nurture my relationship with Nathan (my sweetie) and appreciate its beauty.

- Continue to go to the gym, do yoga, and hike on a regular basis.

- Drink lots of water and eat healthy foods most of the time.

- Always eat dessert first because life is too short to wait for chocolate!

- Spend regular time with my friends and tell them they are fantastic, because they are.

Next, I take time in the beginning of January to get very specific about my business goals. I set realistic time frames and I quantify them. On a large flipchart page, I create 12 blocks for all of the month and plug in all of the activities.

For instance, I send out my Remarkable Marketing ezine each week on Tuesday so I would list this each month. Then I set dates for other goals. For example, the Remarkable Marketing System manual completion date might be Feb. 5th, with the first workshop in the second week of April and the next one for the third week of October. (I haven’t done this yet, so don’t hold me to these dates!)

I post this flip chart page in an obvious location where I can see it every day. The nice thing about doing it this way is that you can view your goals and objectives for the entire year. Then you can plan for them weeks and months in advance with specific action steps. You can add to it as needed, and check off items as they are completed. Don’t you just love crossing things off your list?

What are your goals for 2006? Sit down and brainstorm all of the things you would like to achieve. Then spend the time to create a calendar for accomplishing them. Make the items specific, measurable, with a timeframe associated with each item.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Hugs and Success,

Wendy Maynard, Your friendly marketing maven

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On Kinetic Ideas, I’ve been posting a lot of strategies about how to market yourself offline, and sometimes I post information about how to market yourself online.

In 2006, I am going to refocus my entries a bit. I am going to really ramp up the information that I am posting to help you learn about all of the things you can do to get an online business up and running.

Sound good? Good.

If you have any specific questions about online marketing, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me.

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard, Your friendly {online} marketing maven

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Many clients I speak with do not have a routine of networking. If you are not reaching out on a regular basis, how will people know about you? One thing that is important for you to realize is that everyone is very busy. People probably aren’t waking up in the middle of the night thinking I need a {fill in your profession here}.

Instead, they are thinking about their problem: I don’t have enough money, I’m in pain, I need to lose weight, I need to get out of debt, I need to save for my kids’ education, and so on. So your services provide them with a solution. But, services are generally an investment that people want to consider for a while. And so, part of your role as a remarkable marketer is to make sure you stay in front of them to remind them of the value you offer.

Here are a few ideas to help you stay in front of your customers and prospects:

-Give speeches about your area of expertise at the events your clients and prospects attend.

-Give free educational seminars.

-Write articles that give tips and advice to help your clients. Post these on your website in a resource area, send them in a print newsletter, or slip them in a handwritten note to your client.

-Provide free teleseminars online and send out an e-mail invitation.

-Provide a free ezine or newsletter with helpful advice (see my recent entry: Why Write an Ezine?)

-Create a blog that provides valuable information.

-Attend networking events consistently.

-Ask clients, prospects, and referrers for “coffee dates.”

Remember, you aren’t going to stay in business if you keep yourself a secret - so get out there and make sure people know about what you offer when they are ready to buy!

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard, Your friendly marketing maven

Sign up for REMARKABLE MARKETING: a free ezine featuring more maven tips and strategies for business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers. Click here to subscribe and get your free report: The Five Biggest Marketing Mistakes!

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Wishing you and yours the very merriest Christmas!

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven (and her sidekick, Piper in her holiday finest)

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Yesterday I posted a recommendation for Alexandria (Ali) Brown’s “Boost Business With Your Own Ezine.” I realized that some of you may not have considered an ezine as a tool for YOUR business.

So I am going to let Ali explain, in her own words, 6 powerful reasons why your business should have an ezine:

1. An e-zine is the perfect way to STAY IN TOUCH with your clients and prospects on a regular basis.

Unless you continually follow up with clients and prospects, they’ll soon forget about you. But imagine calling or writing each and every one of your clients and prospects every week! That would be nearly impossible to pull off.

Well, an e-zine achieves the same goal — keeping you on their “radar screens,” but in an unobtrusive way. This constant contact makes these folks more likely to think of YOU — not someone they heard about yesterday — when they need to hire a coach.

2. An e-zine allows you to effortlessly SPREAD THE WORD about you and your business.

If you write a decent e-zine, your readers will be very likely to pass it on to friends and colleagues. Remember that old shampoo commercial that went, “And I told two friends, and she told two friends, and so on, and so on…”? That principle — clients passing on the word about your product or service — is called “viral marketing” these days.

Most publishers begin with only a few dozen subscribers who are their clients and associates. But after several months, you can have thousands of readers on your list — thanks to viral marketing mixed with some promotional legwork.

3. An e-zine is a CREDIBLE and SUBTLE way to promote your services or products.

Instead of simply *saying* how great your business is, an e-zine lets you *show* how great you are by sharing your expertise through tips or client stories. (As my old journalism professor used to say, “Show me, don’t just tell me!”) You’re avoiding simple bragging, and are instead offering useful information that demonstrates your knowledge. Bravo!

4. Publishing an e-zine positions you as an EXPERT in your field.

By showcasing your knowledge and skills, you’re likely to attract more and better clients. And by sharing what you know well, you’re saying, “Hey, I know my stuff! I’m an expert.” If you make a living by providing a service, you’re an expert in your own right. If you’re still uncomfortable with that term, try on the word resource.” (Okay, feel better?)

5. An e-zine is the ideal way to CAPTURE the e-mail addresses of your WEB VISITORS.

If I visit your site today but aren’t ready to buy from you today, you’ve likely lost me forever when I click away. BUT if you invite me to sign up for your free newsletter that features helpful information on the topic at hand, I’ll be happy to sign up.

NOW you’ve got me to market to, over and over, as long as you continue to give me the practical content you promised. This is especially powerful because statistics show that consumers don’t usually purchase a product or service until after they’ve seen multiple messages about it.

6. An e-zine is CHEAP and EASY to publish — especially compared with a print newsletter.

If you were to produce and mail a snazzy-looking *printed* newsletter, you could easily spend thousands of dollars each year. But an e-zine is essentially FREE to put together and publish — it just takes a bit of your time.

And you can make it as long or short as you’d like. (Some of the best e-zines I get feature only one tip per issue and are less than one computer screen long.) For best results, keep it simple!

Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is author of the award-winning manual, “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.” To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site.

Thanks Ali!

I have found my ezine to be a great tool for developing and nurturing relationships with people. Make it a New Year’s goal to start an ezine for your business.

Have a Remarkable Holiday!

Hugs and Success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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In looking back at this year, it has been quite the whirlwind of learning. While not new to marketing offline, the world of Internet marketing was new for me. I have spent most of 2005 studying, reading, and listening to everything I can find about online marketing. I started this Kinetic Ideas blog, began 2 ezines, revamped the Kinesis website (along with my team of amazing designers), and began the Marketing Maven website.

Ouch… my brain hurts!

One of the things I realized last night is that my research has given me a LOT of information about what online marketers are offering. There is a lot of crap out there sold by shysters, but there is also a lot of amazing online resources, tools and software. So, I am going to share what I’ve learned with you. I also share additional information and marketing tips in my ezine - Remarkable Marketing - so be sure to subscribe!

The first thing I would like to review is Alexandria (Ali) Brown’s Boost Business with Your Ezine. I had no idea where to start when it came to an ezine. I co-own Kinesis, a graphic design and marketing firm and many of our clients wanted to learn more about marketing. We send out a print newsletter, but it’s a small mailing and only goes out three times a year.

So, I started the Kinesis Quickies ezine. To learn about how to go about creating and managing an ezine, I purchased Ali’s manual. Wow! That was a great decision.

Ali has created a comprehensive tutorial (and when I say comprehensive, I mean it! That thing is thick with content.) In it, she teaches exactly how to build a subscriber list, she includes templates, discusses e-mail marketing techniques, and so much more. She gives a long list of everything the program includes on her site.

I’ll be honest, her manual isn’t cheap - it costs $247, but it is the BEST resource I found on the topic. To learn everything she packs into this program, you would have to spend weeks of your own time researching. But, she also shows you how you can make money with your ezine. An ezine is an amazing way to keep in touch with your customers (read my article on the Lifetime Value of Your Customers) as well as building relationships with prospects.

Best of all, Ali also includes her report, 101 Ways to Build Your Subscriber List (she sells it separately for $99) and gives you access to her library of resources which has hundreds of links to places to list your ezine, build your HTML template, and manage your database. She adds a lot of value to your investment. Click here to go to Ali’s site.

If you want to get to know Ali before you purchase her product you can sign up for her free report on that page and start receiving her ezine on ezine publishing.

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

Sign up for REMARKABLE MARKETING: a free ezine featuring more maven tips and strategies for business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers. Click here to subscribe and get your free report: The Five Biggest Marketing Mistakes!

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Some businesses make the mistake of trying to design their own logo, business card, or website. Or they have an amateur “throw together” something for them. This is actually a VERY costly mistake. Having a logo, stationery, brochures, and other marketing materials that look unprofessional and poorly designed creates a less-than-favorable impression in the minds of new prospects and can lose you potential business.

Hire a professional, reputable design firm to develop your logo and marketing materials. Do it right from the beginning. Here are some specific reasons why having professionals design your marketing materials is an investment in the future of your business:

1. First Impressions Count: Your logo and marketing materials are the first impression people get of your company. People often make decisions about where they make purchases based on imagery. Your appearance helps sell your company and draw in new prospects!

2. Your Branding Sets You Apart: A well-designed identity will help to differentiate your business. Without a solid brand, your core-marketing message isn’t being reinforced, you aren’t memorable, and you also have a problem distinguishing your company from your competitors.

3. Your Materials Sell You: Anything your company puts out in front of prospects and customers must be of the highest quality. If your logo, website, business cards, and brochure aren’t professional, why would prospects think your services are any better?

4. Professional Design Enhances Credibility: People want to purchase services or products from a company that appears established, secure, and reliable. Your business needs to look sound and trustworthy. Professional materials show that you care about quality and have attention to detail.

Well-designed, strategic marketing materials will reward you again and again by driving more customers to your company and helping you to make a great first impression. Professional, high-quality marketing tools will move your prospects closer to making a purchase.

And after all, you wouldn’t show up to a professional networking event in pajamas – so, why would you dress your business in sloppy clothes?

Hugs and Success,

Wendy Maynard, Your friendly marketing maven

Sign up for REMARKABLE MARKETING: a free ezine featuring more maven tips and strategies for business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers. Click here to subscribe and get your free report: The Five Biggest Marketing Mistakes!

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