Looking to market your organization to women? Don’t know what to write in that blog? Can’t create content that speaks directly to these women effectively?
If you’re like most male marketers or male business owners, chances are you’ve been caught with your foot in mouth. Here are 6 mistakes to avoid when marketing to women, courtesy of Dawn Billings, founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network, who surveyed women small business professionals from three countries. 1. Do NOT fail to market directly to women. 2. Realize that women think differently than men. 3. Do not attempt to pigeon-hole women by age. 4. Do not underestimate the power of the more mature boomer woman. 5. Do not ignore the time women spend online connecting with, and influencing their networks. 6. Do not forget the FUN. Seems fairly simple, right guys? No? Keep these stats in mind in case you think about ignoring this supremely influential demographic purely out of an abundance of caution. Hey, at the very least you may stir up a very engaging online conversation with women small business professionals. You may even learn a thing or two to take home to impress the Miss or Mrs. Women over 50 make up 20% of the US adult population Over the next 15 years, the 50+ female population will grow by 70% Women make up the majority of the 80 million Boomers. They often exert the greatest purchasing power Disposable incomes are highest among women aged 45-54 Women will control two-thirds of the consumer wealth in the US in the next decade Women over 55, growing at 175% over the past six months, are fastest growing demographic on Facebook The 6.7 million companies owned by women account for 30% of all privately-owned US small business, skewing heavily towards women 35-55 If that’s not enough to entice marketers to court women purchasers I don’t know what is. All I know is that I’ll be redoubling my effort towards this booming demographic, which looks about—I don’t know—27 or 28 years young. Hey, Sir, are you still reading? I’m talking to you… As for some quotes from Dawn Billings: “Along with human beings having different personalities, women and men brains work differently. A woman’s brain has four times as many connections between the left and right hemispheres as a man’s. A woman’s heart is in her brain – tell her a story that is filled with emotion, and explain why your brand is relevant to her, or those she loves, and the information will race through her right brain, the home of emotional memory, intuition and experience.” “Coast to coast, marketers are waking to the sheer numbers the boomer-women market segment, and the purchasing power they hold in the wallets. These women think, live and behave in a manner different than the generation before them, and they are reinventing and rediscovering life on their own terms,” states Billings. “Boomer women, like me, want style, adventure, connection, security and respect. They are seasoned, mature, knowledgeable and do not want to be underestimated.” “Women work very hard. They wear many hats. Often they are so busy being responsible and reliable they forget to have fun,” Billings says, “Anything that you can offer women to help them add fun back into their lives can be a very valuable offering.” And if these insights into the women’s brain don’t help you produce content aimed at this rich demographic…For God’s sake…Ask a lady!
