Mad 4 Blog

Marketing to Women – Fast Facts

For the past few weeks, we have been talking about how to adjust your advertising tactics to specifically target the female market. To provide a lighter, broader overview, here are some fun facts, interesting quotes and extra tips we have collected:

Quick Quotes

-  “When it comes to big purchases, the conversations have been primarily directed toward men. The theory seemed to be that the hunters decided what to get and the gatherers went out and got it.”
-  “Many companies make the mistake of thinking they need to create a separate brand to reach women, one that is softer and more accessible. And let’s be honest, they’re also afraid that feminizing the core brand will alienate the guys.”
-  “Women are great at detecting inconsistencies. If your marketing message doesn’t match up with your product performance and your retail experience, you’ve lost her trust and she’ll go somewhere else.”
-  “Women are suckers for quality and, more importantly, when they find it they’re willing to pay for it.”

www.startupnation.com

Five Fun Facts

-  Women buy 50% of all automobiles sold, and play a role in influencing the purchase of 30% more.
-  61% of women have eaten peanut butter straight from the jar, says Glamour.
-  40% of households with assets of more that $600,000 are headed by women.
-  Teen girls are twice as likely as teen boys to actively follow fashion blogs (34% vs. 19%).
-  69% of women over 18 wear lipstick, reports L’Oreal Paris.

Marketing to Women for Healthcare Services

-  Women prefer campaigns for total wellness with lifestyle messaging, as opposed to ads boasting products, solutions or services.
-  Women may respond to healthcare ads with links to real causes in the community.

Marketing to Women for Travel and Lodging

-  Women make 75% of all travel decisions.
-  Women make the safety of their destination and accommodations a priority.
-  Women are wooed by ads promoting art, ambience, architecture and atmosphere.
-  Women are more likely than men to seek out all-inclusive vacations.

www.allbusiness.com

Women are responsible for 85% of buying power. In fact, American women spend about seven trillion dollars per year. So if you think you do not need to dedicate time and money to address women in particular with your products and services, then you might as well be throwing money out the window.

Mad 4 Marketing can put those dollars to better use by devising advertising tactics specifically geared toward women. As a woman-owned and women-run marketing agency with an eye on the trends of gendered buying, we believe we know a thing or two about marketing to women. Here are just a few helpful tips:

Market to Women in a Modern World

One commonly made mistake is when companies assume that marketing to women means separating them according to attributes that were outdated about a century ago. Obviously, women are not black-and-white cookie-cutters of one another—and they should never be pandered to as stereotypes. Remember, women aren’t all mothers and housewives. Even though they make purchasing decisions for men and children, they have their own unique standards and don’t want to be addressed as conduits to the men and children in their lives. In fact, treating all women like Susie Homemaker can actually dissuade a female audience from working with your business. Women don’t just want kitchen appliances and pink products and handsome male models. When you market to modern women, you have to keep in mind relevant, recent analytics about what women are responding to in advertising and how they think about their purchasing power. Relying on research rather than creating a caricature of your female audience is essential.

Think About How to Market to Women – Not What

There is no need to market different products to men than to women. Assuming that a woman wants a silver minivan while men want a blue sports car means that you are alienating large segments of the population. Instead, marketing must simply speak in a certain way to its intended audience. The fact is that women communicate differently than men. Within creative, women want to see organization; for example, they are more likely to buy from a website that is easy to use than their male counterparts, who may linger longer on a less-organized site. Women also like strong, appealing visual design and are more affected by aesthetics than men, who may zero in on the product specs. Contrarily, women like to know about value rather than attributes. Most importantly, women want to build a relationship with your brand. Creating an ongoing bond—such as through membership or rewards for return business—may encourage the female buyer.

Since its inception in 1992, Mad 4 Marketing has focused on keeping the female perspective in mind, and we consider ourselves experts in marketing to women. The company devotes ongoing energy and resources to understanding how women think about buying and investing. Contact Mad 4 Marketing to learn how our insight about marketing to women can help your business grow like MAD.

Mad 4 Marketing has always emphasized the importance of marketing to women, who are often put in charge of budgeting and spending in a family scenario. In fact, more than 80% of all consumer purchases are made by women. This holiday season, we’re keeping an eye on the shopping trends of female shoppers, to see how the recession is affecting annual gift-buying practices. As guessed, this year may show some changes in trends.

Three marketing analysts recently conducted a study to see how women plan to accomplish their holiday shopping after this rough economic year. Mary Lou Quinlan, Jen Drexler and Tracy Chapman—partners at the consultant agency Just Ask a Woman—surveyed 2,000 females for their thoughts and feelings about shopping for gifts in 2009. Based on those results, here’s what to expect in coming months:

•    Women have started shopping earlier this year. Spending gradually throughout the year means women may have accomplished most of their shopping, and may not be drawn to last-minute sales with the same fervor of previous seasons.

•    Women are eyeing deep discounts. Even those with bigger paychecks may be feeling cautious in this economic climate, and may eschew any full retail pricing. Many say they’ll shop with cash rather than credit, which can also cap spending.

•    Gift cards are a hot item for 2009. They’re convenient to purchase, easy to wrap and less likely to be returned. Items that share such traits may share in popularity; women are looking for an easier, more predictable shopping season this year.

•    Yes, women will be cutting back this year. Spending will not only be more conservative, but the amount of presents bought may be cut back overall. Women may buy single, special gifts with more meaning rather than buying in bulk.

Despite survey results, analysts agree that by the time the holidays come around, women may be sick of perpetual frugality. While spending on others this season, it’s likely female shoppers will look for excuses to treat themselves. Offers which include something extra for the spender may be especially well-received.

Ready to plan your end-of-year marketing strategies, and start out on the right foot with female consumers in 2010? Contact Mad 4 Marketing to learn how women save, spend and shop—and how to advertise to ensure their needs will be satisfied by your business.