Our Smart Woman Online interview today is with a young woman who knows where it’s at! Andrea Learned is one-half of a co-authored book, Don’t Think Pink, a popular and well-reviewed business marketing book on “What Really Makes Women Buy—And How To Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market.” Lip-sticking is excited to have a fellow women’s marketer on board. Let’s hear some of Andrea’s inner thoughts on the best way to approach women, but even better, her inner thoughts on Andrea (from her blog, Learned on Women) – because the more you learn about us, the women who buy from you, the better chance you will have to sell to us. Lip-sticking is happy to welcome Andrea Learned to our interview spot:

Lip-sticking: We first met you through the book you co-authored with Lisa Johnson. What gave you the idea to write Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy -- and How to Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market">Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy - And How To Increase Your Share Of This Crucial Market?

Andrea: I think it helped that neither Lisa nor I came from an extended corporate or agency background, so we realized that what we had learned over our years focusing on women would offer a fairly fresh perspective to the marketing industry. Because of my several year writing history and because Lisa had recently developed book-like content for a training seminar, we were able to find a publisher quickly. We definitely felt guided toward writing it for each of our individual creative growth, I think, but not driven to write it for any hard-driving business reasons.

Lip-sticking: As we’ve come to know you better, through emails and reading your blog, Learned On Women, we are impressed with your ability not only to speak to the women’s market, but to uncover stories relevant to consumer behavior across the board. Is your work shifting away from its female focus a bit?

Andrea: Yes. I’m glad you asked. The process of writing the book made me realize that the marketing to women industry itself had taken on a pink-ish tinge. Why call the art of getting to know your customers and their buying minds well “marketing to women” any longer, when that is actually just the definition for all good marketing everywhere? I’m interested in how product A or service B is effectively connecting with and serving its market, and I think the tactics any company uses to do this can be categorized within the transparent marketing guidelines outlined in the book – whether that is a vacuum (highly likely that women are the most frequent purchasers) or a Mercedes Benz (more likely that this is a passionate purchasing group of both men and women), both of which I’ve covered in my blog.

Lip-sticking: We like your attention to outdoor sports and fitness, as well. Which activities are your biggest passions these days? Are there any gender differences or noticeable trends in participation in outdoor sports?

Andrea: Oh yes – I’m not excellent at any one thing, but I love dabbling in them all. My latest favorites are Nordic walking (use poles, similar to cross country skiing) and snowboarding. I’m seriously considering taking up horseback riding as well. Fortunately, I am also a Pilates fanatic, and that keeps me strong and ready to handle any other new sport.

Recent statistics from the Outdoor Industry Foundation found that human powered outdoor activities span age and gender, with an approximately even split across age and gender. It is interesting to note, and comes as no surprise to me, that parent/family/friends (a.k.a. word-of-mouth) were the biggest influence in getting current outdoor activity participants started. Transparent marketing is an important concept for the outdoor and fitness industries to grasp, so I am excited to be sharing my knowledge in that realm.

Lip-sticking: The Internet is slowly gaining acceptance as a true marketing vehicle for small business. Tell us how it’s helped market you and your book. As an aside, do you think blogs will continue to grow and influence consumer spending online?

Andrea: The Internet has been the single most important thing in developing my writing career. Certainly, getting published in online marketing publications early on was hugely significant in landing the book contract. Now, having the blog not only is a great outlet for marketing the book, but it keeps me writing and generating new ideas for future books – and the most interesting people contact me because of that work – as you experience yourself, Yvonne.

I do think that blogs will continue to grow and influence consumer spending online. I also think that consumers will start to look for respected organizations to filter out the blogs that aren’t worth reading, or, worse, spreading misinformation. In the old days, everyone knew to read Consumer Reports to compare products, and now there needs to be an unbiased group helping consumers filter out the content overload online.

Lip-sticking: If you could do anything in the world (in a professional capacity) what’s the first thing you would choose to do? What’s the second thing? How about personally? What’s your dream vacation?

Andrea: All my random interests in houses, furniture, lighting and graphic design, lead me to dream I’d make a good architect. Second to that, but related, would be landscape and industrial art photography. A dream vacation would be to do a month-long bike tour with a group of six or so friends through Spain and Italy. We’d go about 60 – 75 miles a day, and then eat 4 star meals and stay in incredible pensions in the countryside (so I would always get a hot shower).
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There you have it, dear readers. A strong, sports-minded woman who isn't selective in her thinking. We know from previous discussions that she espouses "transparent" marketing, a term we're hearing more and more -- on the net and off. Can't you just see Andrea biking around Spain and Italy...with the wind cool on her face, with her legs moving in time to her thoughts, her eyes hidden behind sporty sunglasses, watching the beauty of the countryside slip by? And, don't we all wish we could be there with her?

What's not to like about that?