The What, Why and Wow of Marketing to Women
Heinrich Marketing
In case you’ve been living under a rock — and so far, there’s no app for that — you’re probably aware that women are still America’s taskmasters of choice. According to She-conomy.com, they influence 85% of all purchasing decisions. That means they run the household financials, make the doctor appointments and decide if it’s Myers or Method that pumps out the soap at their kitchen sinks, among so much else. Yet the numbers from She-conomy.com — which touts itself as a guy’s guide to marketing to women — speak loud and clear: 66% feel misunderstood by health care marketers, 84% feel misunderstood by investment marketers and 59% feel misunderstood by food marketers.
Women are not shy about shouting out their opinions either. Through blogs, feedback forums, Facebook and physical meet-ups, women’s voices are louder than ever before. Sites like JaneNation.com and She-conomy.com are collecting opinions and oodles of enthusiasm from women who have found a mouthpiece for their messages.
Now that we know women are the decision-makers, what’s stopping marketers from crafting the right messages?
Mary Lou Quinlan's book What She's Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It gives some insight into the mysterious female mind.
"The Half Truth is what women are willing to admit," says Quinlan, who is founder and CEO of Just Ask a Woman, a strategic marketing consultancy aimed at marketing to women. "But you have to get at the Whole Truth - what they really believe, do, and buy."
How to Reach Them and Wow Them
Choose the Right Channel. As brands continue to push out their messages, blogs have become women’s credible forum for fast answers and reliable solutions. According to a 2009 study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, 23 million women read, write or comment on blogs weekly. In addition, women are nearly twice as likely to use blogs than social networking sites as a source of information and advice. Bottom line: Are you listening? Are you reading? Are you going where the women are?
Speak Softly and Stay Abstract. Keep your target market’s beliefs, values and life stage (not age) in mind. Align your brand’s essence with the social causes she cares about and focus on ideas rather than using a product-centric approach. Bottom Line: How can your brand help a woman feel like she did the right thing today?
Find a Fit. Blogs have been phenomenally successful, particularly among the underappreciated and overworked mommy set, because they fulfill multiple needs, feel warm and fuzzy and fit seamlessly into a mom’s life. Bottom line: What problems must women solve? How can your product make that process easier? How can your service make it less stressful?