Dear Readers, is there a better day of the week than Tuesday? Monday creeps upon us steathily-- always pouncing before we are quite ready for it. Wednesday scatters false promises at our feet-- rose petals in yellow, red, and pink, reminding us the weekend is not far away. Thursday trembles with the excitement of tomorrow--of the advent of Friday, a day of delight, fraught with worry--that it will never end, heralding the much desired weekend. Saturday and Sunday-- those are special, private days, of relaxation, shopping (did Jane say shopping?) and family gatherings.
But, Tuesday, yes, Tuesday, is full of expectation. Full of assurance. Full of probability. Let us talk about the probabilities of Tuesday. Let us be phantasmagoric five times over.
Phantasmagoric Fact #1 about marketing to women online: Women like pictures. Studies that purport to show how women are better readers and more verbal than men abound, but...Jane wants you to understand that when we're shopping, we're very visual.
We like colors, we like designs, we like originality. Women who come to your website want to be entertained while they shop. Do not throw flash movies at them, or elaborate animated gifs. A little movement here and there is nice, but your best bet at grabbing their attention is to provide images of your products and services-- images with REAL people (not clip art, not stock photos, not models). Imagine your website is a store aisle-- Jane is strolling down the aisle looking for that perfect -- something-- in the background there is hip-hop music playing, or an old Beach Boys song.
As Jane moves about through the store, down aisle after aisle, the music is helping her relax. It's evoking a mood. She is looking for that special something, while you, dear reader, are helping her find it using not only audio sensations but visual clues---Jane suggests you invite a few women you know visit your website, and that YOU, dear reader, do an eye-tracking study to see where their eyes go and what they find most intriguing.
Phantasmagoric Fact #2 about marketing to women online: Invitations. Notice how Jane suggested that you INVITE women to your site to do an eye-tracking study. Women enjoy being invited to do something; to attend a special luncheon in honor of a local celebrity or non-profit agency; to have a sneak preview of next month's latest and greatest; to be given the chance to offer input into how you're doing. There are endless opportunities to this idea. Remember, your website is your online location and we all know that location, location, location, is everything.
Invite more women to your location...with a promise of something in return (a small offering, a gift, a surprise?) and you will build traffic.
Phantasmagoric Fact #3 about marketing to women online: When you're 
considering an invite-- consider this-- today's woman is so busy, her life is full of too much family, too much work, too much shopping (how can that be?), and too much cooking and cleaning-- and not enough time for herself. Reward your best women shoppers with a pampering session-- a half-day visit to a local spa. A pedicure. A massage. Be creative...have a contest where the gift is a weekend away with her most special significant other. This, Jane assures you, will also attract men. Men, we have it on good authority, enjoy a weekend away as much as women do. And, when someone else is planning it for them, all the better.
Phantasmagoric Fact #4 about marketing to women online: Don't just innovate. Reinvent. For more about this, visit Rosa Say's blog, where Yvonne DiVita waxes eloquent on the power of reinvention today. The new millennium is giving women the chance to achieve marvelous things in business -- they are literally reinventing the business landscape. If you want to profit from their participation, join them in the process. They will reward you with loyalty and sales.
Phantasmagoric Fact #5 about marketing to women online: Friendship and support. Once again, we cite Rosa Say and her continued reaching out to the women and men she has met through her blog. We encourage you to check out each guest post this week, written by friends who offer insight into business reinvention. The rest of the week is listed below:
Wednesday: Anita Campell of Small Business Trends
Thursday: Christopher Bailey of The Alchemy of Soulful Work
Friday: Todd Storch of Business Thoughts
Saturday: Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World
Color, design, special invitations, the power of reinvention, and friendship--
What's not to like about that?
Comments