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How to Avoid Big Mistakes in Marketing to Women Online

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.

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Written by startupprincess · Filed Under Feature, Uncategorized 

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