Behavioral marketing; peer-to-peer connections; citizen journalism; myspace - these buzz words or phrases are among the top searches on the net today.

Marketing professionals are deep into the benefits of practicing behavioral marketing - finding out how your market shops, the better to serve them your goods. Peer-to-peer connections involve using the resources of the net to connect to likeminded individuals - the better to serve them your products. Citizen journalism, the pet name mainstream media has for blogs, wikis and the like, is being touted as the voice of the customer, a voice we should all be listening to - the better to serve them our goods. And, myspace - that darling of the news, where millions of bloggers (mostly Gen Ys and tweens) meet and connect to share pictures, gossip, and invitations, is a veritable playground of possiblity to - you guessed it, serve a target market the goods they want. (or, the goods we perceive that they want)

What does it all mean? Can small, local companies actually use this new kind of marketing?

The answer is YES. Without a doubt. But first, let's understand one thing - that within ALL of the aforementioned methods of marketing, the gender in the majority is female. This isn't Yvonne making outrageous claims. It's a fact of life. There are just more women in the world than men.

Women, as a whole, should be part of your target market. But, within that target, you need to reach what I call your 'core' market. Your core market consists of eager, hungry buyers. Women who are on the prowl - searching for what you're selling.

To that end, using behavorial marketing could help - this involves understanding HOW these women approach your products and services. Taking advantage of peer-to-peer marketing can't hurt, either. There's valuable word-of-mouth in peer-to-peer, where women talk to each other about their day, their shopping experiences, and more.

Citizen journalism is, perhaps, the most powerful tool you have to date. Whether or not you participate by penning your own blog, or whether you merely follow the blogs of a select number of women in your core market, this new tool gives you a way to embrace both behavorial marketing and peer-to-peer - via the conversations going on all across the net.

Which leads us to myspace - the new playground of the more venturesome ladies - mostly in the under 40 crowd, though not exclusively. Watch for the myspace space to begin embracing advertising, perhaps at levels small businesses can actually participate in. Regardless, small local companies should be utilizing the overwhelming popularity of myspace to learn more about their target market - which can only help them discover their core market.

In closing, I would like to say one thing: marketing isn't easy. Marketing to women is even harder. Keep reading...I hope to share insight straight from the ladies you want to reach, in upcoming posts.

Tomorrow, 5 Questions You Should Be Asking - if you really want to get women to your website to buy.