5 Things to Remember When Marketing to Women
1. We don’t just cook, clean, and care for children.
I want to roll my eyes here and you probably just did. Of course we do more than cook, clean and mother, but why do so many brands only market those products to us?! Show me the coolest new gadget, a bluetooth headset that will work in the pool while I swim laps (I seriously need this!), or a fun new app that I can enjoy when I am not busy with the aforementioned chores. I don’t want to go to CES and see that the pink area of the floor designated for MommyTech only includes kitchen and cleaning technology (more on that here)! What, DaddyTech can’t cook and clean too? I can’t enjoy the robotics and insanely awesome new TVs because I am a mom and need to hang out in the kitchen of the future?
2. Pink and purple are not my favorite colors and I don’t like flower decorations.
Not only was the pink area of CES stupid and sexist, but I don’t really love pink and it definitely does not make me more excited to buy a product. The short-lived 2009 site Della.com was quickly pulled by Dell and rightfully so. Putting flowers on USB cords and making tech products pink is not the way to market to women. This article from 2009 when the site launched really sums it up- “Dell’s new “Della” Web site is geared to women, but women from another era, it seems.”
3. We love technology and many of us are early adopters too!
I personally love technology. My father has always been an early adopter and I love that it rubbed off on me. We had a CD player when CD’s cost $30 each and my friends were still giving out records as birthday party favors. I had no idea what to do what that record from Molly Rose’s eighth birthday. I have owned every single model of the iPhone because I always want the newest features, and I read tech magazines and blogs so that I can try things first. If I find a technology solution, product or service that makes my life easier, I am a very loyal customer. I will tell my friends, I will buy more, I will give feedback and I will be a reference. I might not care about the detailed specs but I do care about what those specs mean- how many hours will this battery last, how far will the service work, and is it going to be a hassle to use? Tell me how this product works in my life and makes my life better.
4. We love when you make our lives easier.
Which gets us to making my life easier!! I do a whole lot- I run a company, a household, raise two children, mentor a 20 year old, I sit on multiple boards, and I squeeze in as much “me time” as possible (wine drinking, time with friends, and working out). I love my husband dearly, but he juggles sleep and work. My friends and I are always looking for something that makes our lives more enjoyable and let’s us get things accomplished. Sometimes it is a quick and healthy recipe for the family and other times it is the app that helps me create packing lists before a big vacation. This is where I can again sing the praises of Amazon Prime because it only takes me 2 or 3 clicks on my phone to order more toilet paper- I sure as hell don’t want to waste the next hour in line at Costco instead. I love our client Levana‘s tagline of Do More Knowing Your Child is Safe. Their technology can give me peace of mind so I can have a life too!
5. Female insight and feedback on your product development is essential.
Don’t create a product for women that doesn’t have any input from women! Talk to them, find out their pain points, let them help you solve the problem. Women are going to see things differently and their feedback is critical. If they haven’t been pining away for a pink laptop then you probably don’t need to create one for them.
This post was inspired by this month’s article in Inc. Magazine.
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