There is no easy way to describe what ReachWomen does. No 30-second “elevator speech.” You see, though we can say we are marketing to women experts, it’s really that we help clients market “with” women. Sometimes, explaining that takes a bit more than a half minute, but it really is simple.  

The "with" distinction refers to the fact that we listen to women when they come right out and tell us how they like to learn about products and brands.  By paying attention in this way, we can avoid forming strategies based on vague assumptions, or marketing "to" women as a homogenous group. 

Part 2 of my look at Fresh Thinking explores the concept of listening to -- and really hearing -- your women customers. This may sound like Marketing 101, but time and again we at ReachWomen have found it needs to be re-addressed in a plan development process. 

So, this article will serve as your refresher course.  Onward.

No More Guessing

Wouldn’t it feel great to stop guessing and begin making your product development, customer service and marketing plan decisions based on exactly what your women consumers say they want, and in the ways they want it? Of course!

Women are complex at every age and life stage. Their needs and views are constantly evolving, so marketers really must observe a woman’s buying behavior and then ask her straight out: “What’s important to you?” 

Then, it’s time to start listening.  In preparation, there are a few critical things you should do.

First, begin with a list of what you think you know and a list of what you need to learn. Then, examine the unique realities (like financial concerns, time limitations, or body shape etc.) that affect your female customers. Finally, take a look at their values and examine their buying behaviors.

Some great questions to consider would be: How do women in your target segment make decisions? What type of information supports their buying process?

By studying up and building a firm foundation of knowledge, you’ve “opened your ears” for the next step.

Evolved Listening

The fastest and most accurate way to learn what your female customers want is to ask them outright, and listen carefully. 

Now, I know that a few 10-member focus groups conducted in various regions across the country does not a full-blown study make. However, marketers certainly haven’t covered everything in their plan development unless they have put their fingers on the pulse. Reality checks from women customers along the way can help enormously.

Depending on your budget, there are several ways to listen to your market. The ReachWomen hands-down favorite is the listening event gathering, so I’ll focus in on that and then mention a few others briefly.  

To begin, listening events are structured to draw out feedback and feelings like you’ve never heard in a traditional focus group.

ReachWomen works with small gatherings of women (8-10 participants) in intimate settings like day spas or bookstores to inform our client research.   On a larger scale, the Just Ask A Woman agency is known for their "LIVE" events - where they listen to 30 or more women on behalf of Fortune 500 companies using a  television talk-show style format. 

Whatever the environment, and whatever the size of the company seeking insight, a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere generates the most authentic discussions among women. Whether with friends or strangers, this open, all-female group is designed to honor the women involved and encourage them to delve into a deeper level of sharing. And, there’s always a lot of laughter!

Furthermore, what a random, 43 year-old, Middle American woman, sitting in a comfortable environment with others, can bring to light about a product is rather astounding. 

Other great ways to listen responsively are in more intimate gatherings still, where you can zero in on specific brand challenges.  Or, you can avoid some of the set up hassle and join in with a pre-existing women’s gathering (book or investment clubs, for example) to discuss your brand or product concept.

Note: Don’t forget the incentive, in all cases. Even a $30 day spa gift certificate can be enough of a thank you for participation in one of these non-focus group conversations. 

Finally, you need to beef up your use of the feedback loop -a form of listening that doesn’t directly involve ears! Be sure to take customer suggestions and complaints very seriously, and ask the more active customers to join an informal online advisory board. To close that loop, report on what you change because of it. Any woman who comes to your site will take note.  

Sit back, Listen and Learn

It may not seem like work. It may feel too easy to simply talk with women.  Besides, consumer behavior research should be more difficult. Right?

My advice: Relax and enjoy the process.  You all have years of experience doing this. You know the basics of online marketing and have seen your successes (and learned tons from your mistakes). Marketing with women is all of that, taken a teeny bit further.

The information you can gather by listening responsively to women may just be the extra secret nugget of knowledge that helps you succeed where others have failed.

Links:

http://www.justaskawoman.com

While attendance that day wasn't rocking, Jennifer Openshaw, Aliza Sherman, Fran Maier and I had fun during our panel discussion at I-World last week.  The attendees who showed up got a lot of great, useful, information to ponder.  And, I discovered the technology of the Blackberry (thanks to Allen Weiss of MarketingProfs.com), which may be the most important thing.  Ha.

You readers will benefit from my recent trip to the "big city."  By meeting people I've been emailing for a year, and touching base with those on the front lines in the industry, I've gathered a whole bunch of great ideas for future newsletters.  

In the meantime, I was interviewed for an article on marketing to women in the memorial/monument industry this past week.  Stone in America Associate Editor Jacqueline Kimball posed some great questions and is likely to deliver a powerful piece to her readers.  

That business may need a little help getting out of the dark ages, to say the least.  Wouldn't you think that women were a significant percentage of the influencers in that market? (Consider a woman's life span and think about how daughters often help their aging parents make such decisions.)  I'll see if I can pull some interesting stuff from Jacque's piece and share it with you in a future RWO.

One last thing: Sonya Reyes did a great article entitled, "Tapping Girl Power," in the April 22, 2002, issue of BrandWeek.  I am quoted, in my typically blunt way, saying, "Are they kidding?" Check out the article (not available online) to see what I was talking about.

 
Take care until next time,

Andrea


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