Just like you, I hate being marketed to. Every day we’re bombarded with over 3,500 marketing messages. (That’s an old stat from about 3 years ago…no doubt it’s at least tripled by now.) And frankly I’m sick of it! But blogs are different. Blogs are a two-way conversation between blogger and bloggee (plus all the readers in between). Through commenting and cross-linking, you can share feedback. You can build your network. You can become, dare I say it, an Internet celebrity!

See blogs add humanity and instantaneous expression to the web. Like ezines, blogs are a way for your customer to get to know you.

However, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. Did you hear me? I said, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. That’s a big one.

Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week, even the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) all believe blogs are here to stay. Recently Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, started one. His initial post drew over 30,000 readers. And filmmakers are using blogs too. Michael Moore built a blog to promote his controversial movie, Fahrenheit 9/11. As did makers of the hit movie, The Dark Knight.

But who has time to read a blog anyway? Exactly! The job of a blog is to cut through the information overload and deliver searchable, relevant and current content. BlogAds.com recently conducted a survey of over 17,000 blog readers. Here’s what they report:

readers appear united in their dissatisfaction with conventional media and their rabid love of blogs.

Don’t you want to be a blogger too? How about looking at some samples of the good, the bad and the bizarre?

Model citizen blogs: http://vivavisibilityblog.com – Nancy Marmolejo is a genius at using social networking for maximum visibility.

http://www.income.com/blog - John Reese’s blog. Hey, the guy just made $1,080,496.37 online in a single day. Here’s a good rule of thumb. If Reese is doing it, you should be too.

http://www.michaelport.com/blog - Michael Port’s blog does a great job of cross-promoting his products while providing useful content.

http://www.theroadtofabulous.com – Sandy Grason’s ‘Road to Fabulous’ uses photos and video to bring her stuff to life and make us envy her.

Bizarro Blog: Jeff Bridges’ site is considered a “blog.” It’s hand-written! (Yes, really). http://www.jeffbridges.com

I just survived a loooong 3-day weekend of 10 hour lectures (with no Internet, texting, or cross-talk allowed) in meat locker-like temperatures with no food or drink allowed in the room alongside 200 other people. And it was probably the best time I’ve invested in years.

My fabulous gal pal Sandy Grason convinced me last week to join her for a seminar on STORY by the screenwriting master coach, Robert McKee. I’ve been following Bob for over 20 years and have wanted to take his course for that long. But since I’ve been out of acting, it wasn’t on my radar until last Tuesday when Sandy asked, “Guess what I’m doing for my birthday? I’m going to Robert McKee’s Story seminar.” My jaw dropped. She couldn’t have known what perfect timing it was. There are no accidents.

After literally crying and ruminating over all the writing I have on my desk now, I realized I really needed to go. So I did. It was great, just as I knew it would be. The coolest part was I got NEW fodder to teach at my upcoming event, “The She Factor” Workshop on November 10-12 in LA. I had already had a clinic planned just on storytelling.

Now it’s going to be even MORE amazing! Attendees won’t have to sit through the 12 hour days (including lunch and four 15 minute breaks…it was brutal, trust me) because I’m going to synopsize and share his techniques, along with many others in November.

Sandy and I also did a video interview with Bob you’ll see soon on YouTube. I’ll let you know when it’s up. Gotta go get this new stuff integrated into the workshop.

Love,
Lo

Pretty interesting marketing idea R&B hottie singer Usher has. He’s doing small venue concerts but ONLY for women. Hmmm. It’s called “One Night Stand.” When asked why he chose to have an all-chick crowd he replied he always had a connection with his audience. No doubt. Have you seen those abs?

He is married to a gorgeous woman and has a beautiful baby boy, but Usher knows where his money is coming from. He certainly doesn’t seem to have any baby fat either. ;o)

I usually bite my tongue when it comes to politics. I recognize the prez in the US really only has limited power for change. I’m over the Iraq war. I understand why it happened and it needed to but it’s just not useful now.

But here’s my big beef…and I have to tell you that I feel small that THIS is what gets my goat but I have to be honest with you.

I am disgusted by John McCain’s choice of VP. It’s such a blatant political maneuver. ‘Let’s see if we can scoop up the unhappy Hilary votes by bringing a woman onboard.’ It’s such an obvious attempt at manipulation. What are we? Three year olds who don’t know what he’s trying to pull???

Here’s the deal…I love that he’s bringing a woman on board but who the hell is she? She governed a population the size of Memphis! Her own parents learned about her nomination on the NEWS.

NEWS FLASH JOHN MCCAIN…Women are not idiots. We do a lot of research before we make a decision. The chances of us bonding with a complete stranger in the 8 weeks we have before election day is simply not going to happen. It’s insulting to think that YOU think you’re grabbing the female vote by simply attaching yourself to a female on the ticket. Sad thing is I believe you probably could have done a decent job. (I’m registered Independent by the way.) But the old ways of politics have gone the way of the do do bird. Please try to just be authentic.

Psst! To hear the audio version of this article CLICK HERE.

Last week I talked about the *After Factor* - the fourth step to take in keeping your share of the female market. Today, we’re going to talk about the *Rave Factor.*

FACTOR NUMBER FIVE IS KEEPING THEM – THE RAVE FACTOR

Women are high value customers because once they join your brand (and are pleased) they are likely to keep spending their money with you. What’s more is women talk a lot to their friends. They talk about what they like and they talk about what they don’t like. Women are actually wired to talk. It’s a way of bonding in our communities.

In fact, women speak about 20,000 words per day, whereas men only speak 7000. In Dr. Louann Brizendine’s book, “The Female Brain” she mentions when women hear their own voices, a chemical is released in the brain similar to a heroin rush!

And check this out. Tom Peters writes in his book, Re-Imagine…

“A major stockbroker told me he has oriented his practice toward female clients – with great success. A research nut, he reports that his average male client recommends him to 2.6 others. On the other hand, his women clients recommend him to an average of 21 other people. Yes, that’s two-point-six versus twenty-one.”

Women are extremely loyal in who they do business with. Not only that they tell EVERYONE about their experiences. Good or bad. If they’re happy, they tell. If they’re unhappy, they tell even more! So you definitely want to keep your female customers smiling.

For example, I drive completely out of my way plus pay top dollar to have my dog Shadow groomed at Sam’s Grooming. (He’s a sweet Border Collie/Chow mix). Before Shadow, I took my Springer Spaniel, Riley, to the same place. So we’ve been going to Sam’s since 1991. Why? Because I have a relationship with him. He knows me. He knows my family. He knows my dog. So he gets our business, hands down.

So how can you invoke the Rave Factor in your customers? One way is to ask them if they have a friend who would enjoy what you offer. Or better yet, give her a discount for bringing you business. Heck, give her friend a discount too.

Try sending her a free gift or a card unexpectedly. One of my subscribers sent me a card with a picture of my horse on it. (He downloaded it from Facebook.) I was so impressed. Now I always watch what he’s doing in his business.

You can also make her famous by highlighting something about her in your blog or ezine. We all like acknowledgment.

And be sure to collect those testimonials while they’re hot! Nothing says how good you are like someone else doing the bragging!

There are so many ways to keep the Rave Factor alive…you just have to work it into your marketing system effortlessly.

So again the FIVE FACTORs are:

The FLIRT Factor + The TRUST Factor + The CLOSE Factor + The AFTER Factor + The RAVE Factor = The SHE Factor

Remember the Five Factors of *The She Factor* Marketing System not only get HER attention, but they also ENHANCE your relationship to your male prospects. Learning and using these five qualities will make your marketing much stronger without having to invest more money in what you already have.

I hope you enjoyed this series of articles. They are just the tip of the iceberg. From August 28 through October 2, you can be part of a very special educational teleseminar series for F*R*E*E. Just register now at www.TheSheFactorCalls.com and we’ll hold a spot for you. (All calls are being recorded just in case you can’t make it or the lines are full.)

If you’re already convinced to join me November 10, 11, and 12 in Los Angeles for *The She Factor* Workshop, I encourage you to register while space is still available. We’ve turned this into a much smaller group so I’m able to really get in there and help you personally. Space really is going fast so please don’t wait.

Visit www.TheSheFactor.com. to claim yours now.

Thought so. So do I. My computer isn’t something I lose sleep over BUT if I know how to use it better I know I’m so much more productive.

Well now my friend and web wizard Toolie(r) is having a Free Preview Webinar THIS Wednesday night at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern for her PC Power Tips: Create Your Own Web Site course. The Free Preview is called “Fix My Website, Please!” It gives you a chance to have a professional web designer look at your site and offer suggestions ON THE SPOT. She’ll also tell you a bit about the full course that starts Thursday September 4th.

Every time I am on the phone with Toolie, she whips out these simple ways to use my computer more easily. You really should drop in on her free Preview Webinar tomorrow. Just visit www.pcpowertips.com/webclass/webclasspreview.html.

If you’re in a hurry and want all the details for the course, visit http://www.pcpowertips.com/webclass. That isn’t an affiliate link either! I just really believe she can help you out. I’ll listen for you on Wednesday!

This speech continues to bring me hope. It really reminds me of what’s important in the world and not waste my energy on the smaller issues. Be re-inspired! Listen again, my friend!

Psst! To hear the audio version of this article CLICK HERE.

Last week I talked about the *Close Factor* - the third step to take in catching your share of the female market. Today, we’re going to talk about what to do after the close - what I call the *After Factor.*

FACTOR NUMBER 4:
THE AFTER FACTOR

What happens AFTER a sale is extremely important. Women want to know you didn’t just ‘use’ them for a quickie. They want to feel they mean something to you. It’s easy to take people granted. And it’s the fastest way to lose the female market.

Put autoresponders in place to follow up long after she has purchased something from you. Refer her back to hot tips in your product she should be using. The last thing you want to do is sell something to someone and not have them ever look at it again, right? So make it easy with follow up.

And by the way, don’t use every Autoresponder as an excuse for the upsell. You can upsell as you build the relationship, but don’t do it too soon with a woman.

If you’ve messed up, the best thing you can do to get her loyalty is great customer service. Customer service is very underrated these days because we’re all so busy. But it’s never been more important. Offer a discount to give us another try, write a long letter of apology and let them know you want their business back, make them feel cared about and special and you’ve got ‘em.

This is the fourth of a five-part series on how to market to women. Next week we’ll talk about the final factor in the process of marketing to women - THE RAVE FACTOR.

If you’re ready to ignite the power of the feminine in your marketing (and reach many more people without spending a ton more on marketing), I expect to see you on our NEW DATES (!!) in Los Angeles November 10, 11, and 12 for the first ever hands-on workshop, *The She Factor.*

I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step and show you just how to apply each of these Five Factors to your business on-site with my proprietary *She Factor Marketing System.* www.TheSheFactor.com

You’ll leave this workshop with an action plan of exactly what you need to blend the old marketing with the new marketing for MAXIMUM PROFIT.

Read the details at www.TheSheFactor.com.

If you don’t build the Trust Factor, women will NOT buy from you…even if she likes what you have!

http://www.TheSheFactor.com

Psst! To hear the audio version of this article CLICK HERE.

Last week I talked about the *Trust Factor* - the second step to take in catching your share of the female market. Today, we’re going to talk about getting paid, the *Close Factor.*

FACTOR NUMBER 3:
THE CLOSE FACTOR

You may have heard the phrase, “The more you tell, the more you sell.” Well with women, the more you SHARE the more you sell. In order to close her and get her to want to buy from you, a lot of triggers have to be included in your copy and marketing. Here are some devices you can use in your marketing right now to increase your close rate with women.

• Remember, women are primarily interested in community, people, relationships - there is no winner…only a village

o Women base their opinions on personality whereas men base it on specifics. It makes sense when you go back to our instincts of what is important to a caveman versus cavewoman. Caveman is single-focused in order to procreate his DNA. Cavewoman is multifocused in order to preserve her children & the security of the village.

o This makes storytelling very powerful to women. Storytelling works with women AND men. While it’s been a nice marketing device for awhile, women seem to NEED it more than men. It deepens the connection because they can relate to you.

o Numbers, facts, and figures aren’t as important to women as they are to men. Women would much rather hear how someone’s life was improved by a product or service than by what percentage. Think back to making your copy more story-oriented.

o Women just don’t care about the mechanical details so spending a lot of time on the features of a product ain’t gonna get our attention. YALE STUDY: Tested college students’ ability to program a VCR from written instructions. 68% of the men did it on the first try. Only 16% of the women did it. My husband thinks I’m joking when I can’t remember how to use one of 5 remotes to work the TV versus the DVD versus the radio versus the Tivo. It’s enough to make my head spin.

o Women love to weigh in and give our opinions…quizzes, contests, surveys, essays…we love it! So using interactive media works great to hook women in.

o Give her tips she can use with no strings attached. So infuse your copy with useful statistics or fascinating facts she can tell her friends. You want to build a relationship over time. Just like dating. You don’t just want to jump into bed…well maybe the guy does. But women want to be romanced and trust needs to be built.

o Know what her values are. Making a difference in the world is a stronger position than looking younger/better (for a male…get it?) Women’s aspirations according to the Grey Advertising Study. Make the world a better place: 85%; See kids successful 83%; More time for me 82%; Travel 72%: Wealth 62%; Attractive 53%; Career 48%.

Also women like to know your business is out to make a difference. Like to know you’re involved in outreach programs beyond making money. So if you donate to a cause by all means let her know.

This is the third of a five-part series on how to market to women. Next week we’ll talk about the fourth factor in the process of marketing to women – THE AFTER FACTOR.

If you’re ready to ignite the power of the feminine in your marketing (and reach many more people without spending a ton more on marketing), I expect to see you in Los Angeles October 2-4 for the first ever hands on workshop, *The She Factor.*

I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step and show you just how to apply each of these Five Factors to your business on-site with my proprietary *She Factor Marketing System.* www.TheSheFactor.com You’ll leave this workshop with an action plan of exactly what you need to blend the old marketing with the new marketing for MAXIMUM PROFIT.