From a recent glance at the subscriber list for this newsletter, I see that more than a handful of you represent companies that are likely interested in women’s health and self-care.  Now that we (ReachWomen) are in the midst of some very exciting work in that industry as well, I’m learning a ton and thought I’d share a bit of that newfound knowledge with you.

For those of you who also read my ClickZ articles, you may remember my November 2001 article on the single-woman consumer.  One of the maybe not-so-surprising research findings I discussed was how focused that segment of women is on self-development.  Well, let’s carry that over to self-care and women overall, and see what we find.

The Self-care Market…

According to an information-packed article by Dr. Elizabeth Sloan in the October 2001 issue of Natural Foods Merchandiser, “women follow more preventive health measures than men and are the primary drivers of the wellness and self-care movements.”  She further cited a Hartman Group study that found that America’s 93 million women supplements users spent $14.3 billion during the previous year.  A few more interesting facts from Dr. Sloan’s article:

• Women dominate the ranks of America’s 74 million self-care shoppers, New Age health supporters and natural, organic and fortified foods buyers.
• Women exercise more often than men and are the primary drivers of alternative medicine and green pharmaceutical movements.
• Women frequent alternative health practitioners and visit traditional physicians more often.

…Is Only Growing

Young girls seem to start fretting early on about their weight, hair and skin (mostly because of peer pressure, I would guess).  When they get beyond high school and develop into adults, we hope that they get wiser about how those issues can be best resolved through attention to nutrition and exercise.  Yet, the additional health concerns pile up for the aging population at a rate greater than our collective wisdom can manage.  At a certain point those creeping concerns become an all out realization of mortality, and, one by one, we join the anxious queue at the local drugstore or co-op to buy supplements and nutritional magazines.  Sigh.

Still, once we do start to pay attention, people, and especially women, really do feel empowered through nutrition, supplements and exercise.  (Whether or not we’ve affected the speed of our bodily deterioration is another topic altogether.)  And, when one woman starts to feel or look better, she’ll likely share the reason why with a friend, or two, or three.  We all want our products to be an inspiration for those conversations, right?

Help me (Help Myself), Rhonda

How can self- and health care product companies meet the needs of all these evolving women in their varying degrees of health and aging?  Dr. Sloan notes in her article that a “staggering majority of women are claiming they are not only self-treating but also diagnosing their own ailments – and very confident in doing so.”  And, Noreen Young, Director of Marketing and Advertising for BlueCrossBlueShield of Massachusetts said in a recent Marketing to Women article that “when it comes to healthcare, women are very ‘cutting edge,’ expressing a great deal of interest in alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage, and generally being proactive about their own health and that of family members.”

So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s equip her in her drive to take care of herself!

Depending on the particular health issue, and the background and knowledge of the woman in question, some problems will be immediately self-treated, some will demand a visit to a physician, and some will simply be ignored.  

If the self-care product you are marketing is something "entry level" (along the lines of cold/flu), you will likely catch the attention of a lot of women in the “self-treating” mode (meaning “over the counter” or natural supplements would be their first choices).  However, if you are marketing a menopausal product or calcium supplement, you might do well to influence the physicians whose advice women will seek on those and other more advanced health issues.

According to a recent Food Marketing Institute/Prevention magazine series, books, magazines, healthcare professionals, friends/family and newspapers are still the most frequently used sources.  Interestingly, television dropped out of the top five within just the last year, while the Internet is gaining significance as a resource for those with web access.  (Great news for those of us who focus on this efficient delivery medium to reach women consumers!)  

To influence the self-treating woman consumer, it might be worth trying to place your product or information (in store and online) in close relation to the most sought-after health information sources.  For instance, you may want to put your advertisement next to the "Ask the Expert" column on a women's health web site.  

Just Ask

How can we possibly keep up with these self-propelled women and their health concerns and treatment decisions?  Supply them with great information, make sure their physicians know about your remedy when appropriate, and keep the most-visited women’s health resources, online and off, informed about your products.  You might start by asking your women consumers-of-interest questions like:

• Would this sort of product be useful for this particular concern?
• Is there something you could use for your health issue that we haven’t yet produced?
• Where would you look for this sort of product? Grocery store, health-food store or doctor’s office?  On what shelf, or in what section of the store/web site?
• How do you make your health and self-care decisions? 
• What expert advice do you seek, and where do you go for it?

Woman, Heal Thyself

In 1998, the U.S. Surgeon General predicted that gender would be the most important factor affecting people’s health in the 21^st century.  Marketers responsible for reaching women self-care enthusiasts need to keep this thought in mind: Empowerment is addictive.  If “self” or health care are your business, now’s the time to provide products or solutions that truly help “her” heal herself.

Links:

My November 2001 article on the Solo-Woman Consumer: http://www.reachwomen.com/archive/clickz11.28.01.htm

“Women's Health Market, Potential And Direction” by Dr. Elizabeth Sloan (you'll need to cut/paste this URL into your browser):

http://www.healthwellexchange.com/nfm-online/nfm_backs/Oct_01/women.cfm

"Women are the Key Market for Healthcare as Direct Consumers and Family Influencers," November 2001 issue of Marketing to Women (to back order this issue, contact EPM Communications at: www.epmcom.com)

Just as I suspected, 2002 is shaping up to be a great year for women consumers!  If the amount of media coverage is any indication, the marketing to women subject is definitely on the world’s radar and more companies are getting much better at providing women what they need in the ways they want it.  Congratulations to all of you!

A further ’02 trend I’ve experienced is that women in business are networking in much grander ways – thanks to the Internet.  This past week, I “met” (via email/phone) a few more incredible women, including Lisa Kent, the CEO of Netgrocer.com (who I was interviewing for an upcoming e-commerceguide.com article), and another trailblazing woman developing a coaching consortium for executive level women across the country.

It's great to get to know these women I may never meet in person, and I'm having a lot of fun referring them all to one another.  Feel free to use me as a resource in the same way!

 
Take care until next time,

Andrea


P.S. Yes!  Write me with your ideas, comments, or questions at: andrea@reachwomen.com