Marketing to Women Online

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes Part 3

I was talking with Jean at All Moms Go To Heaven, our guinea pig site, er....our test subject, and she has seen a definite increase in activity on her site.   By fixing her home page, and and making the suggested changes to her nomination form, she's seen an increase in sales, nominations, and overall positive comments on her site.

But there's still a lot of room for improvement.

So - let's take a look at another common mistake when creating websites for women - category pages.

I've written about category pages before and how important they are, especially if you are targeting women. 

So let's take a look at All Moms Go To Heaven and see what improvements we can make on their shopping page.

Fewer Women in Web Design?

There's still a big gap between women and men in the IT field.   Would it be a good thing to have more women in IT, and specifically, in web design?  I think so.   But if you're designing a website for women, does the gender of the designer matter?   

check out the debate on Grokdotcom.

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes - Part 1

So, you've finally done it.   You've started your own business.   You've found something you're really passionate about.  You know it's a good product/service.

So now that you have a business, you know an important first step is to create a website.  You contact good people, throw down some cash, and voila - you've got a good lookin' website. 

There's just one problem.   You're not getting any results from it.

I know.  I've heard from all sorts of women (and men) who are just as frustrated as you are.   So in a series of posts, I'm going to look at some of the most common problems when creating a website targeting women (since most of you ARE targeting women), and how to fix those problems.

Jean Johnson at All Moms Go To Heaven has bravely volunteered to be our case study.  Her site has many of the most common problems I see, so it's the perfect example to work with.

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes - Part 1 - The Home page

All Mom's Go To Heaven suffers from an ineffective home page.  Visitors see nothing but images and very little copy.  (see example to left as the actual page may have changed by the time you view this) Your home page must do two things....... 

Do Your Customers Feel Stalked?

I was at a concert last weekend, shaking my booty and singing badly.    I try to make up for talent with enthusiasm. 

Several sponsors were there doing their best to promote their brands and gather email addresses.    The Finlandia Vodka girls were working the crowd passing out cards to fill out with your information.   In return for your email address, zip code and age, you were rewarded with.....a straw.   I passed.

Lots of other groups came around with various giveaways.   All were trying to collect email addresses.  The only one who got my info was, actually, the Finlandia girls on round two when they had really cool beach towels.  And then, they got a fake age and my throw-away aol address.

You want my real email address?  One I actually check?   You have to build a relationship with me first.   My email is sacred space.   I actively comb it for unwanted messages and report spam diligently.

If we've actually started a relationship, and I agree to let you send me email, you have to respect that relationship.   Too many companies take advantage of my permission.  They bombard me with emails day after day after day.   I feel smothered.  I feel taken advantage of.  Especially since the vast majority of these emails are pushing me to take an action I don't want to take.   What part of "no" do you not understand?

Are you stalking your customers? 

 

Do You Comment on Blogs?

Do you comment on blogs?  If so, why?  if not, why?   That's the question Bryan Eisenberg asked.   The responses are fascinating.   

I've written before about why women do and don't comment on blogs.   I was curious to see if women and men had different responses and if there were any patterns.  Now, I didn't use any scientific processes, but did notice a few things....

It seems the female respondents were more likely to add positive "great post" supportive comments.  Some of the guys felt that was a waste of time.   

Some of the guys felt comments as a whole were a waste of time and didn't bother reading them.

This one response from a woman struck me as especially representative of female communication style

Why don't I add comments more often?
a) when a blog hits a hot button, an issue that I'm passionate about and I feel that I should stand up for it or stand against it I will comment.
b) I generally do not add comments because it isn't that important for me to look really smart or really dumb.
c) I responded to this because it asked specific questions and asked for my opinion.

I think that may be on of the best insights from this post - if you want someone to comment, if you want them to share their opinion - just ask.   It certainly worked for Bryan.

Women and Gift Giving

Some of the best gifts I've ever gotten in my life were from men.   I'll never forget my boyfriend in college who showed up for our first date with a lovely bottle of champagne...in a garbage can.   He didn't have any other way to chill it, so he emptied out his waste paper basket, filled it with ice and bubbly, and walked across campus ignoring the jeers... "Did you have to get so dressed up just to empty your garbage?"  But when he arrived at my doorstep, the champagne was cold.  Romantic and resourceful - you gotta love it.

But while men can be wonderful gift givers, even in our modern world, it appears women are responsible for the majority of gift giving.   A good friend once commented that she has the Rolodex of all her husband's family and regularly sends out the birthday and holiday gifts.   She simply puts the card in front of him and tells him to sign it.   "Who is this for?" he may inquire. 

"Angela Denny"

"Who's that?"

"That's your aunt, honey."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes - she got remarried last year, remember?  Denny is her new last name."

Women know the gift is important, but so is the presentation.  One of the best reasons to shop online is the ease of shipping gifts.    No post office visits.  No extra steps.

But why do so many online retailers fail to let you know what your gift options are until you're in the check out process?   The gift options might even influence the sale.  In other words, if she knows you offer gift wrapping and a customized card, that might influence her to buy from you instead of another retailer offering the same product.

Here's an example - magazines.com clearly points out that they have gift options on the product page - BEFORE you add to cart.    I wanted to order Gourmet magazine as a gift.  Right on the product page, they have a gift box icon with two links - "Print a Gift Announcement" and "View all Gift Announcement Options".  And they have lots of options, including the ability to choose when you want your gift card delivered. 

When To Create Discussion Forums

One of the best ways to generate word of mouth and create brand evangelists is to create a discussion forum.   What could be better than giving hundreds, thousands, or even millions of your customers or potential customers a forum where they can talk about your products day night?  They can swap stories and passions and ideas.   

Many companies think creating a discussion forum is a great idea.  They think, "of course - people love us and our products - they'd like nothing better than to have a place where they can meet and talk about us for hours".

I wonder what would happen if I, Holly Buchanan, created my own discussion forum.  All my fans could congregate and talk about me and all the things I'm passionate about, from marketing to women, to addictions to Swedish Fish , to what to do about your Boston Terrier's snoring problem.

There's just one problem - no one cares about Holly Buchanan.   (Ok, my mom does, but.....)   

Do people share some of my same passions?  Sure they do.    I know I have more than one reader, so someone other than my mother is reading the blog.   But is my brand strong enough that people really want to talk about me?   No, it's not.

Yet many companies think their customers are so passionate about the company and what it sells that, of course, they need a discussion forum.    Apple needs a discussion forum - you probably don't.......unless......

Women and Word of Mouth - Good and Bad

I attended the Women's Internet Marketing Summit this weekend put on by the Women's ECommerce Association International.    There was lots of great stuff, but by far the highlight was the heated discussion about ethics in blogging.   The "Harnessing the Blogosphere" panel featured several top women bloggers. 

The key question was - is it ok to get paid to blog and what do you need to disclose. 

the overwhelming response was - keep it authentic and true.  If you absolutely must do a blog that is paid for by an advertiser - you must be incredible explicit and offer full disclosure.

One of the panelists writes a blog that is sponsored by an advertiser.  She gets paid to write the blog.  But she is very specific and up front about her relationship with the advertiser.   

I still sensed some squirming.    This is a subject these women are really really passionate about.   Authenticity and transparency in blogging is something many bloggers, including myself, hold sacred.   I'll just say, from the panel discussion, it's a really really sensitive subject.

Women and Word of Mouth - Bad

payperpost.com is a website that pays people to blog.   More specifically - they pay you to write about their advertisers' products.   

Here's what they say on their site:

Get Paid for Blogging. You've been writing about Web sites, products, services and companies you love for years and you have yet to benefit from all the sales and traffic you have helped generate. That's about to change. With PayPerPost advertisers are willing to pay you for your opinion on various topics.

But what if you have a negative opinion?    Will they pay you for that?  In an Ad Age article about payperpost.com - they say this:

a "Postie" (PayPerPost's term for its 6,000 bloggers) can't criticize the product, in this case. The tone required by the opp is neutral.

Payperpost.com is working on "disclosure" issues - but - I don't know about you, but this whole thing creeps me out. 

       

How Women Buy Shoes Online

It’s not something very many people know about me.   I have a twin sister.   Reactions to this news range from “How cool” to “There are two of you?  Please God tell me you’re kidding.”

Not to worry – though we look alike on the outside, we are polar opposites in many ways.  When discussing wish lists last Christmas my sister said she was hoping for a holiday in a villa in

Tuscany

.   I asked for dental floss.   At first she thought I was kidding, but I was serious.   I travel all the time and I am forever running out of dental floss at the most inopportune times.   

At this point she gave me a pained look and announced there was no way we could be related.

We are also very different in our approach to buying shoes.  She likes flashy, fancy, and the higher the heel, the better.    I like a medium to low heel.   Don’t get me wrong, I want style, too.   But a typical work day for me could include being on my feet 20 hours straight teaching seminars, showing clients the sights in NYC or running through airports.

Heels are crucial criteria that factor into both of our shoe buying decision processes. But what’s interesting is……how many shoe websites let you sort by heel height?   

That’s one of the reasons I really like DesignerShoes.com.   The website is designed for “women who leave a larger footprint” – in other words – sizes that are harder to find whether bigger, wider, or more narrow.

What’s so great about DesignerShoes.com is they have obviously taken the time to understand how their customers buy.   You’ll find all sorts of ways to search – by size, color, brand and other categories you might expect.  But you can also sort by heel size, and choose from categories like bridal/dyeable, comfort, and vegan.    

Word of Mouth and the Web

If she hadn't been my sister, I would have wanted to kill her. 

"It was just so amazing" she continued "Here we are in the Time Warner building with 4 stories of glass looking out over the lights of New York city - that's the back drop.  There are just a select few cocktail tables in semi-circle.  We're being served everything from lobster spring rolls to mini cheeseburgers, sipping on a Cosmo. And out she walks - it's just me, a select group of people and Sarah McLachlan, barefoot, with a grand piano." 

Yup - it was a private performance by Sarah McLachlan.  A select number of "press" people were invited to the event.  It was the kick off of the CitiR/AAdvatageR cardmembers Private Pass concert series promotion.   My sister, who works for several NY publications, was invited as a guest. 

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for her because she's an even bigger Sarah M. fan than I am.   I was considering letting her live, then she dropped the kicker.

"Oh - and the goodie bags?  you open them up and guess what's inside"   At this point she gleefully produces said goodie bag and pulls out a brand spanking new....Nano.

That hurt. 

But while my face was greener than the witch in Wicked,  I had to give credit to Citigroup.   Their Private Pass cardmember concert program is nothing short of brilliant - private concerts with everyone from Mary J. Blige (not Mary K. Blige as my sister put it.  I patiently explained Mary K. is a cosmetics company, Mary J. is an R&B singer) Dave Matthews, Tony Bennett and Aerosmith.   

Only cardmembers can attend these concerts.  This is a brilliant example of word of mouth advertising.   Create something that is worthy of being talked about - tie it in with the brand (exclusivity, VIP status, hip musical acts)  and provide a trigger for that word of mouth (private concert for Press people and online PR campaign).

Well, it worked.   I heard about the event, I want to go see these private performances - but I have to get the credit card first.  As luck would have it, I am not happy with my current credit card provider and am a prime candidate for the picking.

In the press releases online (Search engines love online press releases - you are using PRweb aren't you?)  they have a url you can click to to learn more about the concert series -here it is

Here's where the brilliant strategy breaks down....