Marketing to Women Online

Can Companies Win Back Women Customers?

What happens when a woman has a bad experience with your company or your product?  Is she gone for good?  Or can you win her back?

It all depends on how you handle her problem.

This is especially important since women remember bad experiences more vividly than men. 

Learn more in Will Women Come Back After a Bad Experience?

Why You Need Women On Your B2B Sales Team

 Why do you need women on your B2B sales team?  There are two big reasons:

One- Women bring natural advantages to the table when it comes to the B2B sales process. We'll talk about those in just a minute.

Two -More and more women are on the B2B buying team.   You're going to see more and more female purchase officers, compliance officers ,office managers, and in risk-assessment.  If you're selling to business owners, you're definitely going to be selling to more women.

Let's break it down.

Women bring natural advantages to the B2B sales process

1 - Women are experts at reading a room.  Research has shown that women are better at reading facial expressions and emotion, and at reading body language.

When you're presenting to a team, women can pick up clues as to who is with you and who isn't. 

B2B Buyers and Women Have Similar Buying Processes

 
When you think of the B2B buying process, you think of a logical, linear, factual buying process.  In a nutshell, more of a typical male buying process.

But there are actually more similarities between the B2B buying process and a typical woman's buying process.

I see you shaking your head and going, "No way."

OK.   Take a quick quiz:

A couple is planning a family cruise.  Is it the man or the woman who is:

1. Worried about what health facilities are on board in case someone gets sick?
2. Pushing to get travel insurance, so in case something happens and you can't go, you won't lose all your money.
3. Thinking most about what the kids would like to do, what their spouse would enjoy, and how to plan a trip that can accommodate your mother with the bad hip?
4. Willing to make a decision based almost entirely on what their best friend recommended?
5. Doing research online every night comparing cruise lines, itineraries, reviews, cabin amenities, flights, and required documentation?
6. Would prefer to talk to a cruise representative face to face before committing?

How many of you answered "the woman" to at least 4 questions? 5? All 6?  The above "decision factors"  are also the decision factors that are key to B2B buying decisions.  

Enquiro - The BuyerSphere Project

Don't take my word for it.  Take it from the experts at Enquiro.   They conducted an in-depth B2B buying process study with survey responses from over 3,000 participants.   You'll find The research and their conclusions at b2bexpertseries.com.   Enquiro and their partners in this study have a series of webinars, white papers, and even a book by Gord Hotchkiss- The BuyerSphere Project - How Business Buys from Business in a Digital Marketplace.   If you're in B2B space and you haven't seen these insights yet, run, don't walk to b2bexpertseries.com.  Seriously.

How B2B Buyers and Women Have Similar Buying Processes

Kotex Reveals the Absurdity of Feminine Product Ads

Can I get a giant shout-out for Kimberly-Clark?   With their new U by Kotex campaign, they take on the absurdity of feminine product ads.  

Women have long made fun of these ads, including this infamous happy period complaint letter by Wendi Aarons.  

Kimberly-Clark has created a series of ads for their product U by Kotex poking fun at the absurdity of feminine product ads.  What makes it even better is - they're poking fun at their own ads. 

Here's their ad titled "Reality Check"

It's time to change how we talk about these issues

I spoke with Aida Flick, Director, Feminine Care Marketing at Kimberly-Clark.  The campaign started with a research project surveying over 1600 women in North America.  The research report states:

Infertility Site Leaves Me Almost Speechless

I'm at a loss for words. 

Increaseyourchances.org is a website targeting couples with infertility issues.  It features a man dressed up as a bee and a woman dressed up as a bird  facing infertility issues.

No, I am not making this up. 

At best, they are trying to lighten up a heart-breaking issue.  

At worst, they are using a stupid joke to try to connect with couples devastated by their inability to conceive a child.

I haven't faced this issue myself, but I've talked with many of the infertility bloggers as well as close personal friends struggling with infertility.   It is a long, awful, expensive, gut-wrenching experience.  

If a group wanted to create a viral, important, educational website, there are SO many amazing things they could do.  There is so much emotion and passion connected with this issue. 

Currencies That Buy Credibility Book Review

 
What is the most important, yet increasingly the most scarce commodity companies and brands are fighting for?

Trust.

The 2008 Edelman Trust Barometer found that only 22% of young Americans (ages 25-34) say product and corporate advertising is a credible source of information.

That dilemma is what Tom Wanek tackles head-on with his new book, Currencies That Buy Credibility.

I consumed the whole book in one sitting.  It's an enjoyable read, the examples are specific and memorable, and the recommendations actionable.  Who doesn't love that in a marketing book?

The book focuses on six currencies that buy credibility:

1. Material Wealth
2. Time & Energy
3. Opportunity
4. Power & Control
5. Reputation & Prestige
6. Safety & Well-Being

Do you walk the walk when it comes to your product or service?

How much do you believe in your company or brand?  What is it that makes you truly better than your competition?  Can you state that core message boldly?  And are you willing to back up what you say?

New Research Shows Women Buy More Movie Tickets Than Men

 
  
How long have we been hearing the same old story from Hollywood?  "Teenage guys drive movie ticket sales," "Female leads can't carry a movie,"  and the famous "Women don't go to movies."

New research from the MPAA should officially put that last statement to rest.

Melissa Silverstein at Women & Hollywood breaks the news, Guess What?  Women Buy More Movie Tickets Than Men. 

This news should rock each and every executive in Hollywood more than the Bigelow Oscar win.  Cause this is something they understand.  This is money and women are delivering the money.  Big time.

So I am officially holding a funeral for the term “women are not a film market.”  I never want to hear it uttered again.  I am going to keep these statistics next to my computer (or maybe make them my screensaver but that would mean removing my picture of Kathryn Bigelow holding two Oscars) because every time someone says that women don’t go to the movies I’m just going to throw the stats in their faces.

2009 was a banner year for the box office.   Part of that success was due to female centric movies like New Moon and The Blindside. 

Academy Awards - Who Were the Ad Winners

  
The Oscars have been dubbed the, "Super Bowl for women" by advertisers. This year's Super Bowl advertisers didn't even try to appeal to women.  But were the Oscars different?

The Kaleidoscope Group rated the ads in their 2010 PURSEuasion Report:
Academy Awards Advertising Effectiveness For Women.  Here's what they had to say:

Over the past few years, women have comprised more than 60 percent of the Academy Awards viewing audience, making the Oscars the second largest annual television event after the Super Bowl to reach women. 
On Sunday, the 82nd Academy Awards, which experienced viewership decline over the past few years, enjoyed a nice rebound with 14 percent more viewers than in 2009.  With 40 percent of American households tuning in, a majority of the viewers were women.   

So which ads did the best job of reaching women?  Here were the results:

Is Marketing to Women a Strategy or a Tactic?

If women are a portion of your target audience, should you create a separate marketing effort directly targeting women only?  Or should you have a company-wide strategy to appeal to women in everything you do?  

Great question.

Visit the Be Branded blog to get my answer to:  Marketing to Women - Tactic or Company-Wide Strategy?

Another Soccer Mom Myth Success Story

The best thing about writing The Soccer Mom Myth, other than the opportunity it gave me to hang out with (and expense) my time with Michele Miller, is hearing from readers who used insight from the book to make a difference in their business.

Here's an example from Jean Whitsell-Sherman and the Gruenewald Historic House.  Jean was trying to figure out a way to raise money to support this beautiful historic home.  (Seriously, if you're ever near Anderson, Indiana you must go visit).  

In the book, we talk about focusing not on what you care about, but on what your customers care about.   If people don't necessarily want a historic home tour, what else could draw them to the house?   The answer - jewelry.   See the press coverage here. 

Would you like a great business idea and free press coverage? Read the full story written by Michele Miller.   (As usual, she wrote it way better than I could)