Finding the Key to Marketing to Women
Women and men respond to marketing communication in different ways because they communicate in different ways. They have different patterns and rituals of expression. Successfully marketing to women requires you to understand women’s communication keys. Luckily, I have a chart for that:
Women’s Communication Keys |
Men’s Communication Keys |
Full Context“Complete article” – Women stress the importance of context and richness of detail. Her stories start with background and build to the main point. |
Key Points“Headlines” – Men believe in starting with the main point and only supplying detail if asked. They strip away extraneous detail. |
Rapport TalkBuild connections – To win over women, you need to have conversations with them that creates a connection with her and her circle. |
Report TalkEstablish status – Men, on the other hand, use conversation as a way to establish or defend individual status. They don’t focus on the personal. |
Connect Through AffinityWomen connect through affinity with others and establish links that highlight similarities. They focus on empathy- so your marketing should as well. |
Connect Through Competition (Rank)Men connect through competition- the friendlier the group of men, the more good-natured taunting and challenging you will find. |
Stories and Personal DetailsWomen’s social currency consists of stories and personal details. They trade them, save them and value them. (Surely, this gives you marketers some ideas!) |
Facts and FeaturesMen’s social currency relies on facts and features. I believe this is why sports scores and statistics are so popular with men, eh? They are becoming rich in social currency. |
These four communication strategies should give you plenty of ideas for marketing to women. How will you plan to share stories, build rapport and build links with these valuable customers?