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The Infinite Wisdom of Feedback Vol I, Issue II By Andrea Learned |
| I’ve written a fair amount about
how "pinkifying" is not the best approach to reaching women
consumers. Yet, I can certainly see how companies might choose to
attempt that quick band-aid solution when first faced with developing
a "women’s initiative." Truly mapping out how to make
a connection with women might just sound too overwhelming and scary. Well, I’m here today to tell you that you have, and have always had, every resource you need to discover what resonates with your preferred slice of the women’s market (because we all know that women are not a "niche."). It's simple: feedback. Whether online or off, repeat after me: feedback is your friend. Collect Feedback Before It’s Too Late Why would you go through the entire process of a new product launch, for example, from concept to development to marketing and sales, without asking women what they thought? Before you even build your site, or introduce your new product, you can easily poll groups of women similar to your target through surveys on third party sites. Believe me, there is significant power in asking even a small sample of women consumers how they would feel about a concept before bringing the finished product to market. For example, maybe you’ve developed an online "time saving tool" concept because you know how many women with "multiple lives" (that means those who work, have kids, take care of the house, serve on committees, and train for marathons, among other things) there are online. The market for such tools is ripe, indeed. But, before you go too far beyond concept stage, why don’t you survey your market with a few questions, like: •Are you really meeting a legitimate need in a woman's life or just finding a use for some "cool" technology?In order to generate feedback, you might conduct an online survey through a free survey tool like Zoomerang.com and offer a free sample of something incredible to the first 100 who reply. Or, you could gather a few women from your business community for lunch so you can pose a few questions. Or, you might ask your wife or sister for the emails/phone numbers of 15 friends (and come up with a good way to thank them for participation). Formally or not, the idea is to use the ideas, suggestions, and reactions of women along the way. Lisa Johnson, my ReachWomen colleague, recently interviewed Mary Lou Quinlan of Just Ask A Woman for the book we are writing for MarketingSherpa.com - Special Report on Best Practices of Marketing to Online Women. Even though the online realm is not Mary Lou’s expertise, her general comments emphasized the "opportunity for involving women earlier, and more fully, in the marketing process." Mary Lou further advised, "Don’t wait until you have spent all the money and the project is complete" to tap into what is relevant to women. From the online perspective, it is even easier to interact early on and frequently with the women you want to reach. Getting feedback from the masses along the way can actually save you time and money, as you can spot and solve developmental problems before they get too large. If only you’d asked! Back to our fictional online "time saving tool." We women might have advised you, for example, that your fancy design was too much for us, or that the tool didn’t work well with our PDAs. And we’d probably have told you that we would like to hear that "Sally from San Jose," who had been using the beta for a year, had really found it helpful. A study conducted by Harris Interactive and PERT Survey Research earlier this year (2001) gives us some non-gender specific findings that support the feedback theory just the same. For instance, 74 percent of consumers surveyed would be willing to provide product satisfaction feedback at a Web site, and 50 percent said they’d be agreeable to answering questions about their product needs and preferences. Only 38 percent and 31 percent, respectively, are asking for such information. For many women, having children – a continual process, with a distinct beginning but no real end, is one of the most rewarding things they do in life. And for women in business, connecting with other women and building those networks of colleagues/friends is more powerful than rising in the ranks and being put on a corporate pedestal. Women are all about process and gathering. I believe it is safe to assume (tell me if I’m wrong) that we women also appreciate those companies that think like we do and are taking the time to involve us in the product development or marketing process. The biggest rewards come to those who ask. So, as we head into the "school year" schedule with renewed energy for our marketing tasks, why don't you make a vow to incorporate a bit of feedback evaluation into your mix. I bet you'll be surprised at what turns up, and how some small changes could generate big results. Enjoy the cooling nights, and we'll be back in your inbox in a few weeks. Andrea  P.S. Feel free to write me with your ideas, comments, or questions at: andrea@reachwomen.com |
| Yes, please do! Forward this newsletter, in its entirety, to a friend or colleague. |
| "The pleasure of talking is the inextinguishable
passion of a woman." --French dramatist, Alain-René Lesage. |
|
How To Encourage Interaction •Sampling (startsampling.com
and freesamples.com are
worth checking out) |
| info@reachwomen.com Oregon office: 541.685.9400 Washington office: 360.715.0681 |