Become Your Industry’s Marketing to Women Resource

Posted on | August 10, 2008 |

by Andrea Learned

Share the wealth - we’ve all heard that phrase. But, for traditional industries slowly starting to understand and commit to serving women, therein lies an especially great opportunity: Becoming your industry’s marketing to women resource.

Why? Because, the first in your industry to step out, proclaim a women’s market commitment, DO something with what is learned (i.e. make noticeable changes to how you do business) and then… wait for it, share as much as possible of what you’ve learned with others (gasp), will win B-I-G. Counterintuitive, I know.

If you can stand to operate in this risky manner, the benefit is in, a) being first to stake your claim within the women’s market (thereby becoming extra vulnerable if you don’t follow through, of course), and b) inviting the perception that you are so comfortable in what you’ve learned, that you trust the right customers to come your way despite what your competitors might do with the same information.

I wish a few examples from specific industries would spring to mind, but they don’t. What I can point to are broader-based examples in both the M2W Conference’s relatively new “Essentials” resource site and the recently announced Lucid Marketing expert knowledge base on marketing to moms. These two resources are compiled from information and research that each organization was gathering anyway, and both are free and accessible to all who have an interest (even competitors). As the Lucid press release put it, the intent of their particular resource was straightforward - to do three things very well:

1. Aggregate in a usable format all the information available on marketing to mothers,

2. Keep it relevant and up-to-date, and

3. Offer marketers easy ways to stay informed.

Those three things sound suspiciously like an editorial job description, not something with which a brand would normally bother. Well,…yes.

Given the bulk of great general marketing to women information out there, all it would take is a commitment to sorting, compiling and packaging the files your marketing department may well already have on hand. The content exists, and with a little industry filter, the why and how of applying the latest knowledge becomes that much easier - and sharing that creates powerful community goodwill.

Could such an effort be the ultimate win-win? I think so.

Others may make the same products or sell the same services, but the brand that takes the steps to lay out all that they’ve compiled on marketing to women will be noticed and praised by competitors and other interested parties (future customers) alike. A willingness to risk competitive vulnerability to this extent will go a long way toward making that brand the most trusted and turned-to expert on marketing to women.

Let’s face it. The women’s market “cause” that has been driven by many an eBrandmarketing contributor, and others, over the years has been a tough sell. We are finally seeing the light - with many more brands responding and doing right by women.

In my mind, the future will show that those who committed to female consumers early on and fully will reap benefits that go beyond sales figures. Take it a bit further, build a comprehensive marketing to women resource from a generous spirit, and you’ll shine a glorious light on it all: your brand’s industry expertise, consumer understanding and community goodwill.