Are your customers women?
Well, research also shows us that, regardless of product, over 80% of ALL consumer purchase decisions are being made by women.
This not only tells us that women are a hugely important market, it also tells us that they are buying on behalf of others, & so by understanding how to market your products to women you are also capturing men & children, by focusing on the decision maker. So, with these figures in mind, I think it’d probably be wise to learn a little about what makes women buy.
As marketing is not an exact science the best we can do in identifying their needs is to look at their buying patterns & what they respond to in their buying behaviour.
Here are some very interesting things to consider:
1.) Women want to be engaged in a dialogue when they are buying something & price will not always be their top priority - a woman will base a lot of her decision on WHO she is buying from. She wants to build up a relationship with that person & trust is an important factor.
2.) Research also tells us that men & women are visually stimulated by different images.
Men engage better with shapes & structures whereas women engage better with human faces & emotive images that have a narrative appeal.
Often, when a woman purchases something, she is not so much buying the product but rather the image of herself using that product & the story of how it will benefit her. How a product or service will be of benefit to her will be the main reason a woman will make a purchase, importantly she also wants to feel that she has made this decision herself, without feeling pressured in to it.
3.) Obviously to simply say ‘women’ is very broad.
We know every woman is different & we also know that a woman’s priorities & motivations will change according to where she is in her life. Emerging trends show us that women are getting married later & have children later & that, women aged 25-40 are being identified as the fastest growing wealth demographic.
4.) Another very interesting theme throughout a woman’s life is that she seeks a sense of community. It has been said that if you connect women to each other then you strengthen the connection they have to your brand. Often a woman will have an important ‘inner circle’ of 2 or 3 friends who will have a strong influence over what she buys.
In recognizing this sense of community or ‘sisterhood’ in your marketing activities you will be making a strong & emotive connection with your audience.
5.) A woman is 5-10 times more likely to refer you onto someone than a man?
This gives you a much greater opportunity to have your business recommended on, but equally it can work just as much against you if your service does not meet their expectation. Therefore it is crucially important to understand that your customers will be looking at ‘what is in it for them’ & by focusing your marketing message to meet that expectation then you will be on the way to making a meaningful connection.
‘What’s in for you’ comes as a by-product of this, as with a solid connection made with your customer & the people in her life, it will ultimately become about you as it will benefit your business, your results & propel your level of success.