Women don’t necessarily know how to market to women…
In my travels and correspondences, I talk a lot about *The She Factor* and how women are wearing the pants as far as purchasing power in EVERY MARKET. What I’ve found kind of interesting since I’ve taken the helm of this topic is that a lot of WOMEN believe they already know how to reach their own kind…and they are often the WORST culprits for making serious marketing mistakes. I’m not saying that to be mean. It’s simply a fact.
The truth is we as women don’t necessarily know a lot about marketing to other women UNLESS we take the time to learn what truly works. Just because we have the same equipment doesn’t mean we’re going to have a group hug, sing ‘Kumbaya,’ and empty our pocketbooks for one another.
Here are three of the most common mistakes I see from women over and over again.
1) Wishy washy language – Even though there are thousands of words to choose from to communicate, your marketing must cut through the other voices bombarding your target market. You HAVE to use emotional language that causes a visceral response to get noticed over all the noise. You may not use words like ‘skyrocket,’ ‘power-packed,’ or ‘amazing’ in your everyday conversations but that is the energy required to get attention in marketing.2) Devoid of personality – One of the cardinal sins in marketing and in copy is to be BORING. You can avoid that by not worrying so much about what people think, amp up that sparkling personality and let it SHINE, girl! Like they say, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”3) Afraid to take a stand – Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘all publicity is good publicity?’ You may have a controversial view that polarizes some of your target market. That’s okay. You’ll get the attention of those who agree with you and the scorn of those who don’t. But they will all be reading and they will remember you. (How you handle the follow up of people who become non-fans is a systematic art we cover at *The She Factor* by the way.)
Listen, I didn’t realize there was such a difference in reaching the female market until I started doing my own testing and research. Because I was trained by gruff (and successful) men’s men, I literally had to learn what speaks to women. I’m sure I’ve lost tons of sales over the years because I didn’t listen. I wish I had put the puzzle together years ago. As they say, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
The good news is, the puzzle is complete and I’m handing it off to the attendees at *The She Factor* workshop. Sure hope to see you there!
