Hey! Big Spender

An interesting thing happened the other day while my husband and I had a few uninterrupted moments to chat.  He said, “I realized…I don’t spend any money.  Ever.  Other than putting gas into the car or an occasional cup of coffee on the way to the office, I never, ever spend money.”  I sat, jaw gaping, knowing he was right and thinking this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

Though in the minority, I have chosen (and enjoy) the role of a traditional homemaker.  Though I don’t greet my husband in an apron with his slippers and a martini each evening, I’m responsible for the cleaning, cooking, bill paying, shopping and make most of the financial decisions for our family of five.  My husband on the other hand, is the one that generates the majority of the cash flow for our family.  So at the close of our conversation, which ended rather pleasantly I might add, I began to think about who does the majority of the spending in most families.

Here’s what I found.  A recent Nielsen Study showed that women “control the majority of purchasing decisions in a household and their influence is growing.”  So the “business” of my family was being conducted similarly to most American families.  That being said, should every marketer and advertiser have the goal of connecting with women, the products they buy and the media they use to buy it?

42 million American women use social networking every single day.  That’s nearly 53% of the 79 million adult women in the United States that use the Internet.  Marketers and advertisers should note that the more time women are spending on social media sites; they are spending less time with traditional media like newspapers, magazines and even TV.

Across all media, new and traditional, there are a few guidelines that have a proven success rate when it comes to driving women to make a purchase. So what are the most effective ways to market to women and in turn sell your product?

• If you’re marketing to a woman…talk like one.  Articles, product reviews, summaries, blogs and the like should be written by women if they are “for” women.  If you’re marketing to soccer moms and have copywriters just out of college, chances are good that your marketing won’t be successful.
• Social media isn’t just for socializing.  Though most women engage in social media like Facebook to maintain relationships; product reviews, testimonials and advice from friends prove to be a resource before making a purchase.
• Utilize blogs, women do. Women consult blogs on a variety of topics like beauty, technology, car care and politics.  Creating a blog communicates news, positions you as an industry authority helps your search engine ranking and encourages return visits to your site.

So if you’re ever questioned by your spouse about the amount of spending you do for your family, just blame it on effective marketing.  Advertisers are enticing you, and it is working.

From → marketing, Social Media Marketing