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Brands have long recognized that women are an important consumer target. Women account for half of the population, and they make or influence over 85% of the purchase decisions in American households, which translates to $6.4 trillion in spending.*
Additionally, women surpass men in social media usage, with 78% reporting they use social media in comparison to 65% of men. For many brands, building a loyal consumer base of women is imperative to their success. After creating SheSpeaks Inc., a successful community of hundreds of thousands of women, and running thousands of social media campaigns targeted at female consumers, here are the three key elements for successfully engaging women.
1. Tell a Story That Focuses on Product Benefits, Not Features
Brands that have captured the attention of women on social channels across platforms focus on strong storytelling. How do you tell a good story about your product? Focus on the benefits. If you want your content to ring true and appeal to women, show them how your product is going to make their lives better, easier and more interesting.
Marketers tend to fall into the trap of focusing on product features, not benefits. Touting your product’s cool features may work in the short term, but all the little details that make it wonderful won’t necessarily send it flying off the shelves.
If you want to see that approach in action, just pick a handful of products and look at the difference between how a company describes its product vs. how consumer reviewers describe the product. Consumers focus on product benefits—listing how the product helps them, saves them time, makes their lives easier, or creates an experience.
Smart companies should lead with benefits, using the rich photo and video tools in social channels to create better, more engaging content.
2. Women Want to Have a Relationship With Your Brand
Studies have shown that women have a more social brain than men. In practical terms, this means that if a woman feels let down in an interaction with a brand, she may not do business with them again. And even worse, she may tell her friends about it.
If a competing brand makes her feel valued and appreciated, she will choose them over you, even if your product has better features or price points. In fact, 76% of women say that they are loyal to brands that treat them like they know them rather than just a number.
So, how can you be more relationship-driven with women?
Online, being relationship-driven means being more socially engaging, such as responding to comments or spotlighting a post from one of your customers. If someone talks positively about your brand and you don’t highlight or feature it, then you’ve lost a big opportunity to unlock value.
Simply put, the attitude is: Make me feel like I am special to you and that you value my business.
3. Ask Women for Feedback
Women want to know that there is an open line of communication with you as a brand. If you take the time to ask women for feedback, they will tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly. But don’t worry, by virtue of asking for feedback, you are building an immediate affinity with your female consumer. It shows her that you care to hear her thoughts.
And if there is something that she doesn’t like? The good news is that we’ve found women are generally forgiving and understand that companies make mistakes and sometimes face circumstances beyond their control. That is another reason why relationship-building is essential. Accountability and transparency must go hand in hand.
It is also important to close the loop with her. If you ask for feedback, and your female customer takes the time to give it to you, be sure to follow up and let her know that she has been heard. This will reinforce that you value the relationship and feedback.
Ultimately, engaging female consumers comes down to basic relationship-building principles. Great benefit-driven content, building dialogue, and asking for feedback are critical elements for success.
Aliza Freud
Founder & CEO, SheSpeaks
*Catalyst Research Buying Power: catalyst.org/research/buying-power
SheSpeaks launched in 2008 as a platform to amplify women’s voices. SheSpeaks is now the largest, most diverse community of female consumers and influencers in America. Known best for creating original and collaborative branded content, our influencer marketing campaigns are powered by active, engaged members and rich consumer insights. With a reach of more than 300 million consumers a month, SheSpeaks is an award-winning marketing and media powerhouse that provides unparalleled amplification of community and brand voices.
SheSpeaks is entirely women-owned and operated.
