How to Avoid Big Mistakes in Marketing to Women Online

By startupprincess | Published March 12, 2008

Today’s magical wisdom provided by Fairy Godmother Holly Buchanan, co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth, newly released this week. Congrats to you and Michele Miller for making it to the finish line (or shall we say scoring your goal?) A full review of the book will come soon… reading it while I’m on my treadmill! (not kidding) ;) Anyhow, the following article will give you a glimpse of Holly’s work and research. Enjoy! (BTW, Holly, I need a bigger photo of you…sorry it’s so small here).

Women are shopping online in record numbers. The Internet is the perfect fit for women’s increasingly busy lives.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking women shop the same way online as they do offline. Offline, she is much more likely to browse, look around, see what’s new, even socialize with friends.

Online she is task oriented. She does not want to browse for hours. You must make it easy for her to accomplish her goals quickly and easily.

There are specific things you can do to create a better online shopping experience for your female customers. In my e-book, The 7 Biggest Mistakes in Marketing to Women Online, I look at the top mistakes online marketers make and how to fix them. Here are a few of the top mistakes:

#1 – Believing the Lowest Price Always Wins. Some things actually matter more than price. Providing what she feels is a good value is always important. But she may pay more to find something that is just right.

What can you offer to her that perhaps an online store can not? More selection? More product information? A chance to get to know who you are? (You do have an About Us page that tells your story, don’t you?) A chance to gather information and ask questions without feeling pressured? There are many advantages to shopping online. Make sure you take advantage of those advantages.

#2 – Failing to Establish a Relationship with Her. Have you noticed that most websites leave you feeling cold? You don’t feel like you really know who the company is?

Speak her language. Most websites have copy that is formal and full of clichés – “We’ve been in business since 1987 providing turnkey solutions to take your business to the next level.” Try using a more conversational tone, lose the clichés, and get rid of the techno-jargon. Be clear. This does NOT mean be condescending. It simply means if you have a benefit that sounds technical (think product specs) explain how that feature is a real benefit to her.

Every website visit is a conversation. Every click is a question she is asking. How are you answering her questions? What does your end of the conversation sound like? Make it sound more human, and you’re going to create a stronger relationship.

#3 – Poorly Categorizing Your Products. Women want a quick easy way to find what they’re looking for. Allow them to sort by the criteria that matters most to them.

One example I feature in the e-book is designershoes.com. They have the usual categories, but also very helpful categories like bridal/dyeable, vegan, and they let you sort by heel size. How cool is that? You can’t do that in an offline store.

What matters most to you when buying a cell phone? For me it was battery life and the ability to download ringtones. Almost no website categorized, or allowed me to sort phones using those two criteria. (You can read about my funny yet sad online search for a cell phone in the e-book)

#4 – Thinking Pink. Are your design efforts actually turning her off? Don’t automatically default to the color pink. Choose colors that accurately reflect your company brand. Are you a professional company trying to build trust? Try blues. Are you an eco-friendly down to earth company? Look at earth tones, browns, or greens. Choose colors that reflect who you are.

And beware of fancy backgrounds. They may be great for wallpaper, but not for websites. If you look at the designs of some of the most successful websites, you’ll see they are very simple and clean. Think Feng Shui. Don’t make it fancy. Make it functional.

One extra tip: Don’t try to do everything on your home page. The job of your home page is not to sell your products. The job of your home page is to be a funnel point – to make it easy for your visitors to find a clear starting point. Don’t cram too much onto your home page. It will not only leave a bad first impression, it will make it difficult for her to know where to click next.

For more in-depth answers and real-life examples, you can order The 7 Biggest Mistakes in Marketing to Women Online at Future Now, Inc.

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One Response to “How to Avoid Big Mistakes in Marketing to Women Online”

  1. Lisa Otto on May 26th, 2008 9:47 am

    Thank you for this very useful advice! Working almost exclusively with women has really proven that what you’ve written is true! Too often, I see website front pages that either have no content or functional design, or are too over-run with information! And yes, too much pink is a big turn off! lol

    Thanks!

    Lisa

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