Marketing to Women: First, Admit Ignorance
As 2007 ended and “top trends” for 2008 were released by every marketing consultant and his/her brother, I reflected a bit. How far have we come? Has marketing to women, as a field of business study, evolved as quickly as its subject has? Are there any big new trends that will change everything?
No. The biggest lesson in reaching women is that, no matter how hard you try, you can never say, “OK. We’ve figured out our female customers.” (Just as you could never reach that point with consumers in general, by the way). But, the first step to facing the issue is a pretty straightforward one:
Admit ignorance. Acknowledge what you don’t know, and that you will need the continual help of your female customers to better serve them.
That space or informational void you admit to having becomes the open invitation for women, who likely have input they’d like to share, to do so.
Women like to be involved and engaged. They appreciate feeling like they have inside information to share with their friends. And, they are delighted to think that their comments may have real traction within the brand. Here’s an example of admitting ignorance and inviting input to really connect in a relevant way with your women’s market:
Say you are on the marketing team for a retail brand that has done very well reaching customers so far, but you are sensing a changing tide in their green/sustainability demands. How do you proceed?
Don’t assume. Invite their input.
While integrating more sustainable practices and policies throughout your corporation might seem a daunting task, it will be worth stepping up. And, it might not need to be as immediately dramatic a project as you’d think. Your customers will likely tell you that even a few “baby” green steps toward the larger goal can reflect your increasing awareness and commitment.
Using feedback and slowly making changes is perhaps less newsworthy (at first), but it still makes a difference with customers.
Why do I bring this up now? Because there are always issues, like the green/sustainability movement, that are perhaps under a woman’s consuming radar for a while, and then - whoosh, become front and center. 2008’s savviest marketers need to be looking beyond the immediate horizon - and be open to getting lots of help from customers - in order to keep up with them.
So, what’s really going on with your customers while the media is focusing on - the presidential election, the car show, or the latest Apple product? Admit you don’t know, start asking, get your customers involved, and take some baby steps in a new direction.
