Sometimes my brain gets chugging along a strange track of thoughts. When it does this, I certainly can’t stop it. Today this happened as I was driving and a horrid song came on from the 80s. It was “C’mon Feel the Noise” by Quiet Riot.

I KNOW you can hear it inside your head. Awful, isn’t it?

So, my brain starts doing its thing. And I start wondering…

How is it that glam rock (aka hair bands) caught on as a way to market rock and roll bands? You remember the big permed and feathered hair, make up, pouty lips, and pretty-boy singers. There were dozens of these bands that were popular.

Let’s take a disturbing little walk down memory lane, shall we?

{Warning: Clicking on these links is NOT for the faint of heart.}

Motley Crue Poison Quiet Riot Twisted Sister Ratt Guns N’ Roses

Cinderella White Snake Bon Jovi Warrant Van Halen

And just in case you haven’t had enough, here’s an autographed picture of Diamond David Lee Roth.

But why? Why was this such a widespread trend among bands? And why did people like them so much? These made-up boys with the poofy hair, scarves tied around their heads, and the little fingerless gloves. And, if you’ll recall they all had slow, tortuous love ballads that ran regularly on MTV.

It must have started with pioneers such as Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and Kiss. Certainly, they all had big hair and make up. Apparently this approach to marketing worked for them. And so the trend grew, And people liked it. And so it was.

The mysterious history of rock marketing that worked for no reason anyone can explain…

Hugs, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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Would You Like to Know How Alexandria Brown, the Ezine Queen, Turned Her Energy- Draining Consulting Business into a Full-Time Information Marketing Business That Now Makes Her an Average of 50,000 Dollars a MONTH?

Alexandria Brown is an amazing online entrepreneur and she makes a LOT of money online. Her BRAND NEW 2006 “Online Success Blueprint-in-a-Box” shows exactly how she did it, and how YOU can do the same for YOUR business - all with her EASY 7-STEP PLAN.

Ali designed her system especially for coaches, consultants, authors, speakers, and other solo-preneurs, because she continually sees them working too hard for too little money.

This is the very same system that I used to learn the ins and outs of online marketing and I highly recommend it!

Ali shared ALL her marketing and business-building secrets at her LIVE March workshop, which SOLD OUT weeks ahead of time, but 97 copies of the home version are now available!

You’ll learn how to use your website, email, and information products to skyrocket your profits - all while working MUCH LESS.

But don’t take my word for it… or even Ali’s. You see, her program is transforming people’s lives - you can see all the wild success stories now at her website.

Oh, and you’ll want to jump on this FAST because HALF of her inventory is already gone, and she’s offering FREE SHIPPING through Sunday, April 30!

Click here to go to Ali’s website. (And turn up your speakers first so you can hear Ali’s message.)

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly Marketing Maven

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Today, I received a package of Chick Chocolates in the mail - the Extreme Chick dark chocolate. Yum! A big Maven hug to Erin for the scrumptious treats. All the “Chicks” in the office approve. In fact, I am now a big advocate of Chick Chocolates and will recommend buying them for all the Chicks you know! They are deliciously decadent.

Hugs, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly Marketing Maven

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Do you want to grow your subscriber list to your ezine or newsletter? Then it makes sense to invest some time to make sure your website effectively promotes it. There are a number of ways you can make it easier for your site visitors to sign up.

First, take a look at your website right now. When visitors arrive at your site, would they be able to sign up for your newsletter immediately? Or do they have to go through several layers of pages and content in order to subscribe? Your goal is to make it as simple and straightforward as possible to become a subscriber.

Here are six strategies to implement on your website that will help you build up your list by making it easy for people to subscribe:

1. A Prominent Subscriber Box: Ideally, you should have your sign-up box on your home page in the top third of your website. Make sure it will catch people’s attention immediately. Consider using a bright color and bold text. If you are really committed to building your list, then you might want to have a sign-up box on every page. At the very least, include a link on every page that takes them to a sign-up page. Only ask for a person’s first name and e-mail address so it takes them almost no time to sign up.

2. Entice With Compelling Copy: There are so many options on the Internet for information, why should someone choose to receive your ezine? “Sign up for our newsletter” is not enough. Tempt your visitors with inviting copy. Here is what I include on my site under my ezine sign-up box “Sign up now to get instant access to proven, effective small business marketing ideas and tips. Learn the best small business marketing tactics to boost sales and skyrocket your profits!”

3. Include More Information: Some people want to learn more about you and what you are offering BEFORE they sign up. Write a website page that lists the benefits of signing up for your ezine. I include items such as “Fill your pipeline with dream clients, become known as the expert in your field, and generate new streams of income.”

4. Create a Compelling Name: Does your publication have a name? If not, then create a catchy name that mentions your key business focus. Use the name in your sign-up box, on your promotion page, and at top of your masthead.

5. Offer a Freebie: Your prospects are giving you something valuable – their information. Offer them something of value in return. Once they sign up, create an autoresponder to send them a welcome e-mail and free report, white paper, or e-course featuring information that will help your target audience solve a challenge. Feature this in your sign up box and on your promotion page.

6. Try Pop-Up or Pop-Under Ads: Studies have found that these are very effective at increasing your conversion rates from visitors to subscribers. There are new versions of pop-up and pop-under ads that are fun to look at and non-annoying to site visitors. For an example of this type of program, visit: http://tinyurl.com/gru78

By incorporating these steps into your website marketing strategy, you will find your weekly numbers of subscribers will increase. Work on driving more traffic to your site, and it will continue to grow. Over time, these strategies will lead to a sizable list. And a bigger list means more sales for you!

ACTION ITEM: Analyze your website. Is it easy for subscribers to sign up? Is your sign-up box obvious? Does it have compelling copy? Do you offer a freebie? Begin by making a list of things to improve; then make an appointment with your webmaster to start implementing these items.
Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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Recently, two of my fabulous and fun online friends - Yvonne DiVita of Lipsticking and Toby BloomBerg of Diva Marketing - blogged about chocolate. Yummmmm

Toby’s post was part of her Friday Fun. The entry features Chocolate ears, tail and bling. Did you know you can order jewelry made from chocolate? You can also have an entire room custom designed from chocolate (My God - it’s a dream come true!)

Yvonne’s post was a critique on Lindt chocolate. One of the points she brought up got me to thinking. Yvonne wrote:

“This site offers something women love! More than we love lingerie or make-up or buying stuff for our kids. So - where are the women? Nary a woman on site. Sad. I doubt Lindt worries about this, but…the presence of members of my sex might convince me to make an impulse purchase - whereas, the presence of those cute chefs just doesn’t do it. Even the chocolate doesn’t do it. Not on impulse.”

The Maven loves dark chocolate. No, really. I LOVE DARK CHOCOLATE. And most of the women I know live for some kind of chocolate. So, from a marketing perspective I began to wonder if other chocolate companies are marketing directly to women. I mean, it makes sense, right?

Here’s what I found:

Lindt - Nope.

Godiva - Nope. Can you believe it? Where is the icon of the brave and beautiful Lady Godiva who rode clad in nothing but her long hair through the streets of Coventry?

Hershey’s - Not really except for one place. Apparently Hershey’s is marketing their 1 gram sugar carb bars to women. Grrrr. That’s slightly annoying.

Cadbury - Nope.

Scharffenberger - Nope

Chocolove - Nope

Am I missing something here? The men I know like chocolate. But the women I know - well…let’s just say that the world as we know it might cease to exist if we didn’t get our chocolate. We crave it. We need our fix and we need it NOW!

So, that said, I would imagine that many of the chocolate companies would have pictures of women enjoying chocolate. They might even choose beautiful queens draped over chaise lounge chairs or glamorous movie stars. Or even athletes - I mean chocolate is good for you, right?

And then…just before I came to the conclusion that chocolate companies just DIDN’T get it, Jared Degnan of 20-Something Marketing introduced me to Chick Chocolates. Not exactly the dreamy images I had envisioned, but I really like the site.

Their tagline is “Like you, fabulous.” And the founder, Jean Thompson writes:

“For women, chocolate is more than just something to eat. We love, crave, enjoy, inhale and obsess about chocolate. Consuming chocolate can make women feel happy and satisfied, with ingredients, many say, that simulate the chemical reaction experienced when falling in love. We recognize ourselves in chocolate: dark, rich, nutty, creamy, light and fun. We love good quality chocolate, and we don’t like to compromise in taste. We eat chocolate regularly, often daily. For women, chocolate is more than a food choice, it’s a relationship.“

Now, that is exactly what I’ve been talking about. Go Jean!!!

Unfortunately, the Maven has not yet gotten her hands on any Chick Chocolates. What a sad, sad situation.

If any of you would like to fulfill my desire to try the Extreme Chick Chocolate (dark chocolate, yummmm), please feel free to send me a sample (I’m not opposed to sampling other varieties of Dark Chocolate as well, so don’t be shy):

The Maven
PO Box 683
Ashland, Oregon 97520

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly Marketing Maven

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One of the best ways to build your Internet presence is through submitting content-rich articles to various websites and ezines. Many, website owners and ezine publishers are looking for content. They NEED your articles. Whether you are a horse trainer, an auto mechanic, a fortune 500 consultant, or the owner of a nursery, there are websites looking for your expertise!

For online articles, I have found between 400 – 800 words to be the most popular, although longer can be appropriate in some cases depending on the content. Avoid going any shorter. Once you have written your article, submit it to an article directory site. Publishers gather content from these sites for free.

Helpful, well-written articles are snapped up by thousands of publishers all around the world. In exchange for your content, publishers agree to include a resource box linking back to your site. If 175 publishers use your article on their websites, you get 175 links to your website. This helps with your search engine ranking and also creates many avenues for people to find your website.

Submitting articles builds your credibility - when your target audience begins reading multiple articles you have authored, they will eventually trust you enough to buy from you. Try to write and submit a new article once a week. Ezine publishers and websites will publish them. You may also get requests from people who want to publish your article in their industry publication. People can forward your articles to their business associates.

Remember, your resource box at the bottom of your article should be compelling. This is what brings new traffic to your website. Here is the resource box I use with my articles:

Wendy Maynard, your friendly Marketing Maven, publishes REMARKABLE MARKETING, a free weekly ezine for entrepreneurs, business owners, and freelancers. If you’re ready to skyrocket your sales, easily attract customers, and make more money, sign up for her FREE ezine and marketing report now at http://www.gomarketingmaven.com

This strategy has worked remarkably well for me — I have written more than 35 articles and am on over 15,000 pages on the Internet!

The downside of this strategy is that it can take hours to submit your articles every week to the content providers. Since, your time is very valuable, I highly recommend a service called Submit Your Article. I have had great success and am very happy with this company. They allow you to submit up to 8 articles a month for just $37/month. They distribute each article to over 40 different article directory sites including Ezine Articles, IdeaMarketers, and GoArticles (some of the more popular sites).

Click here to sign up for Submit Your Article.

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your Friendly Marketing Maven

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Studies show that over 80% of sales take place after seven contacts. To be absolutely effective in your marketing message, you need to plan on having at least seven contacts with your prospects. Develop a system you use to follow up with every prospect, every time. Keep in touch. Be respectful that the time may not be right, but remember, you offer a quality product your prospect may eventually need to solve his or her problem.

Remember the Dr. Seuss book, “Green Eggs and Ham”? Super salesman Sam-I-Am works on persuading his friend to try the not-so-appetizing meal of green eggs and ham. He is relentless regardless of his friend’s objections. He asks questions about various scenarios. Would you try them with a fox? Wearing socks? In a moat or a boat? Finally, the friend decides to taste the stuff only to discover he LOVES it! A prospect converted into a raving fan.

Sam-I-Am would have made a LOT of money as a sales training consultant.

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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