Marketing for Women: A Race Across the Finish Line
As women get closer to their purchase decision, our marketing strategies for women must change to adapt to this new environment. You are no longer making lists; she is taking out the wallet from her. And we have to keep up our efforts to cross the finish line. During the research and decision phase, a woman checks the brands she has nominated by scanning ads, reading articles, visiting websites, going to the store or showroom, handling merchandise, kicking tires, talking to salespeople… all the minutiae that involves making a final decision and achieving the Perfect Answer. Of course, we know that much of marketing is about helping customers see the value of the products and services we sell. When marketing to women, there are some insights that are especially important.
The perception that you have analyzed all your options:
No matter how good your product is in absolute terms, a woman won’t be ready to make a decision until she has compared several options. Hence the voracious need for her knowledge. Women want all the details, while men only care about “the big stuff.” If she designs her marketing communications with men in mind, women will miss them.
Provide comparisons with your competitors. This may turn some marketers white, but women will shop anyway. If you are present at the comparison, you will be present to address any questions or objections. And it can even speed up your decision-making process, making you feel comfortable buying on the spot.
The perception that price equals or exceeds value:
The price you’re willing to pay depends on whether you feel the item is “worth it.” If she sees more benefits in one option than another, she is willing to pay more for it (up to a point). Here are some tips for communicating value to women:
- Make benefits women friendly. Translate raw product feature information into lifestyle benefits relevant to women. Instead of emphasizing your car’s amazing acceleration abilities, emphasize that it allows the driver to merge safely into freeway traffic.
- Remember what women value. Context, stories, and personal details will draw women into your message and ensure your points register on their radar screens.
- Get the sale faster with incentives. There are more incentives than money. In fact, your marketing incentives can be much more memorable and profitable if you avoid simple discounts. Think of smart services that help women in their daily lives, prizes they can share with friends and family, or contests that feature something women love.
Personal perception:
Sales are not made only by products. Because of her bias toward people and relationships, a woman will be inclined to buy from the salesperson who is most successful at creating a relationship. Women want to feel like they are partnering with a defender, not resisting an adversary. When selling, watch for head lumps and little “mm-hmm” sounds of recognition. Women use these signals to indicate that they are following what you say and understanding. When he stops, it means he wants to say something or has a question.
Women value sensory perceptions:
Women are very receptive in all five sensory channels, so they appreciate nice touches more and repel less nice touches more. Women believe what they see and see more than men. Women appreciate well-designed spaces and colors. A few little things out of place, the retail equivalent of a dirty plate or a sock on the floor, will draw attention and make you wonder if the disorder is systemic.
In general, women also have more sensitive hearing. Making use of music appropriate to the environment is great. But once I visited a store that sold elegant and unique paper products: beautiful textured invitations and beautiful leather-bound journals. The young shop assistant had chosen to play what was evidently her preferred style of disco music. I couldn’t enjoy these lovely products bombarded by the BeeGees.
Let’s not forget smell and taste. If you have a tasty product, give it samples! By all means, make every part of your customer’s experience smell nice (or at least not offensive). This includes machine shops and restrooms, especially. Marketing to women requires attention even to the sense of touch. A study conducted at Sprint retail stores found that men were content to look at phones behind glass, but women wanted to handle them to assess their weight and how they felt in the hand.
It is not easy to beat your competitors and cross the finish line. Women are smart and demanding consumers. But once you’ve earned her respect (and her dollars!), she’ll probably want to stay with you. She has identified your brand as the perfect answer to her needs and you just need to support that belief to maintain her loyalty.
View the Spiral Path Consumer Behavior Model