Hey, You...Listen Up -- Jane Here

Jane is going to gripe for a moment. Bear with us, dear readers.

Transparency. We're tired of reading about this concept, this so-called new-age (think 21st century)marketing focus. What does it mean? Various folks tout it -- bloggers love it -- but, we have decided it's just another buzz word and we will only use it in reference to its overuse. When you read that marketing to women means being "transparent" think: invisible? Gosh, how is that going to make you attractive to anyone?

Yes, we know that other people are talking about being honest. We understand honesty. In fact, that's what Lip-sticking is all about -- making promises you plan to keep. Being honest with your lips. The other word that creeps into the marketing messages, especially when refering to the sought after market labelled 'women' is: authentic.

Once again, we are tired of being told to be authentic. And telling YOU to be authentic. We prefer to replace authentic with respectful. Forget transparent -- that's marketing speak for honest. Throw out authentic and be respectful. If you do that, you will endear Jane, and her family and friends, and you will be on your way to more sales.

Vent completed.

Now we would like to move on the the most powerful tool in your bag of marketing tricks: Word of mouth marketing. This is not a new tool. But, it has been updated. If you consider the fact that eons ago, yes, eons and eons ago, way back in...Roman times -- probably further than that, but let's not get fussy -- word of mouth was the ONLY way to sell beyond your local community, maybe beyond your neighborhood, you can see that this particular form of marketing knocks everything else off the table.

Think hard about it: when Jane buys your product or contracts with you for services, and we go away HAPPY...you can bet we're going to tell someone about it. More than ONE someone -- we're going to have coffee with the girls, and we're going to rave about you. We're going to call our Mom and our sisters and our Grandmother and our brother's wife, and...rave about you. We might not do it right away. We might not even do it top of mind (as soon as we leave you), but...when the topic comes up in coversation -- we're going to put in our two cents. If we leave with a product or service that we've been dying for, that has been just out of reach for oh! so long -- we're going to BRING IT UP IN A CONVERSATION...because when we like you, we really, really like you!

One reason word of mouth marketing is so powerful, besides the fact that it operates on the principle that one person tells another who tells another who tells another, is because it's so cost-effective. It doesn't require an expensive direct mail piece, though that can be useful, if you've the $$. It doesn't require radio or TV. And, it doesn't require a full or half-page NY Times ad.

It requires creativity and innovation. If you don't have those -- well, you need to get them. Here are two ideas to get you started:

1. Join with a local bakery and Invite all the women within a specific geographical locale (neighborhood or community) to a coffee hour at your place -- don't forget tea for the non-coffee drinkers. Make this an after-hours gathering, or an early morning event. Send out the invitations as if you were inviting these women to a wedding. Highlight the baked goods --have the bakery introduce a new low-cal dessert.

Then, let the women have a free hour of browsing -- with a discount. It wouldn't hurt to have qualified baby sitters available to entertain the kids, either.

(Jane did not say word of mouth marketing was free; we said it was cost-effective.)

2. Build a blog for a cause -- be sincere and honest. Don't try this with a non-profit. If you have a charitable cause you're committed to, help them build a blog and work on it, and that in and of itself will generate word of mouth -- because YOU will talk about it to assure it gets traffic, and donations.

For yourself, sponsor your kid's high school swim team's blog. Sponsor a blog that offers something substantial to the community -- a directory of all the pediatricians, with input from those who delight in writing. Perhaps something from the Humane Society -- a blog for folks who have missing pets. Get involved. You won't and shouldn't advertise this -- allow true word of mouth marketing to do its job. In other words: get involved and people (Jane, especially, as women are into being a part of the big picture) will come to know you. And appreciate you. And trust you.

Here's one way Jane goes about using word of mouth marketing: we enter a blog post in the Carnival of the Capitalists every (well, almost every) Monday. It's better than having a booth at a trade show. Visit this week's COTC at Weekend Pundit and see why. Every other blogger featured there is someone you need to acquaint yourself with.

Jane is sure you've heard it from others -- especially WOMMA, but you'll be hearing more about it from us. Cause, we're tired of transparency and so-called authenticity. Blah, blah, blah. We prefer honesty, courtesy and respect. Here's an excellent article on the subject, where we found this neat pic... gee, how come they depicted WOMEN to reflect the power of word of mouth?? Cause they're smart -- and word of mouth is smart, smart marketing to women, for women, by women.

Hey, what's not to like about that?

Comments

[Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C.]

I think this is a perfectly on point. Women want honesty and respect, eternal qualities every business must have. Transperancy is just a fad, in a few months, something else will be the 'IT' thing to do or be to your customers.

[Holly Buchanan]

Right there with you on the "transparency" thing. I've always hated that word. I think you're dead on with the fact that women are really looking for "respect." I do believe authenticity is also important. too many companies try to be something they're not when presenting their "image" to women. Women are like bloodhounds, they can sniff inauthenticity a mile away.