Connecting is what matters

Yvonne over at Lip-Sticking said something so true in her blog, I'm sorry I didn't think to say it myself first...She says: "I'm tired of that old phrase 'reaching female consumers'. It doesn't work anymore. You can "reach" us in a myriad of ways - it's connecting with us that counts."

Oh man, does Yvonne nail the nail on the head there. What she says is so simple, it's almost not worth mentioning, and on the other hand what she said is also so profoundly true, it should be written in ALL CAPS for everyone to notice.

It's not about 'reaching out'..that's exactly where companies go wrong. They do reach out - ok, some in totally inappropriate ways that don't appeal to us, and others in relatively appropriate ways but without being really 'real' about it or 'walking the walk', so to speak (see my post "Dove - a not so ethical brand").

Which brings me to the most difficult part about consulting companies on how to connect with female consumers. We can help brands design really appropriate campaigns with an appropriate positioning, the right messaging and all the rest, but if this campaign is an isolated effort and not part of an entire company philosophy, then really, it's just 'reaching out'. Connecting only happens when you live your 'marketing to women' ethos in (here come the all caps) EVERY SINGLE FACET OF YOUR BRAND ETHOS - from the way in which you treat your employees to the service your sales staff gives customers at the point of sale. Easier said than done, I know. But I have just three words for those who think this to be an almost impossible task: The Body Shop.

But in the spirit of looking forward, not back, here are my very humble recommendations to help you connect with your female consumers:

1. BE REAL.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: all those great creative campaigns and awards mean nothing if we catch you out to be lying to us, ignoring our requests or minimizing our demands. Again, think Dove. Very 'female-friendly'communication. Pity they torture and kill animals to give us all those sumptuous little creams and soaps.

2. MAKE US A PART OF YOUR BRAND.
If we buy your brand, it's because we believe in it. Hey, we're women, we like connecting with like-minded souls...we'll talk about your product and recommend it to our friends - all you have to do is bring us together and ask us to promote you!

3. SHOW US YOU CARE - ABOUT EVERYTHING
Don't just show us you care about us and our dollars. Show us you also care about your employees, the community we live in, the future of our children, the well-being of our planet. Give something back -it matters to us.

4. MAKE SURE YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE HAPPY
This statement may sound totally irrelevant in this list of tips to connect with your female consumers, but believe me, it's not. Your front-line staff (sales & service people) are often the only 'human link' to your brand. One bad experience with a grumpy sales person can ruin a relationship with a brand forever. Your staff are your first brand ambassadors. If they don't believe in your brand, how do you expect them to convey anything positive about it to us? Oh, and train them. Your car salesman talking to my husband while looking at my butt when I'm the one shopping for a new car means someone else will get the business - guaranteed.

5. DON'T PATRONISE US
See the car salesman incident above. Ditto goes for the computer sales guy and the bank director who phones me up asking to speak to my husband about what to do about optimizing our joing savings account. Think I don't have a huge impact on that decision? Think again.

6. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF (OR US) TOO SERIOUSLY
Don't get me wrong: be respectful, but golly gosh, let's all laugh a little more often, shall we? Life's serious enough as it is. How about adding some light-hearted fun to it? Research has shown that women prefer laughing at situations pertaining to themselves, while men prefer laughing about stories about others. We don't take ourselves too seriously so why not make us laugh once in a while?

7. UNDER PROMISE, OVER DELIVER
There's nothing that puts a smile on any cynical consumer's face (male or female!) as getting more than what you bargained for. The thing with women is, they'll talk (and talk and talk and talk) about it to all who will listen!