Putting the Team Together

Every woman is different. That's a maxim anyone would agree with. So why is it that some sites try to be all things to all women? Often marketers think of courting the "women's market" without realizing how different a grandmother is from a thirteen-year-old girl, or how a female teacher is utterly distinct from a woman CEO. Melissa Moss, CEO of the Women's Consumer Network, says it's impossible to reach the women's market. That market is simply too diverse for a single approach. What is possible, however, is targeting a certain segment of the female market and giving that segment what it wants. How is that done? Moss has some advice for anyone seeking to market to women.

Women Are Powerful People

It's no surprise marketers would want to target the women's market - women are extremely powerful in the marketplace. Moss says that women are working AND taking care of their families. That's why her service, the Women's Consumer Network, is focused simply on helping busy women save time and money on buying products and services. "We're not trying to be all things to all women," Moss says. "We're not trying to compete across the board in all the women's space in trying to give you advice on breaking up with your boyfriend and what to do about diaper rash. I'm going to leave those things to other sites to conquer. That's not what we're trying to do." The Women's Consumer Network doesn't try to give all kinds of advice or be overly friendly with customers. The segment of the market it's trying to reach is too busy to want that. "Women are working more, they're taking care of their families, they're building their own companies and if an elderly parent gets ill, something like 75% of the caregiving is done by women. We're doing it all and I will tell you one of the true facts right now of working women's lives - we're increasingly out of time," Moss says. Companies that service that time squeeze can go far with almost any member of the female market.

What Do Women Want?

Freud's age old question has been repeated in frustration by many a marketer, but it doesn't have to be that way. Moss says that the women's market has often been approached in ridiculous ways. For instance, take old car ads. "It was assumed that if they had some kind of bodacious babe lying across the hood of a car that somehow that was going to appeal to women as well as men. If the car were pink, somehow it would appeal to women," she says. "But women are not concerned about whether the car is pink or whether it looks hot on the street. Women are often concerned about how safe it is, is it a size that fits me, does the seatbelt work well for my kids and me." The automobile industry has shaped up ads after taking a look at what women auto buyers want. Women have such strong influence on purchasing decisions - marketers would be wise to look at how they actually make their purchasing decisions before sending a message.

Listen to Women Customers

It's important for any business to listen to its customers. Don't assume their needs. Ask them and then listen. "There are some things that we're not offering yet that we will be offering because of what we hear from our members. There are things that they need. We're going to be focusing more and more on services and less and less on products because services are more difficult to find," Moss says. "We learn from our customers all the time." Women are now neck and neck with men in net usage - don't assume the approaches that worked with your male customers will also work with the females. A little time spent investigating the female side of your market may pay off big at the bottom line.