In Her Shoes: Effective Strategies for Marketing to Women

Beyoncé was right: girls run the world.

Today, women not only have primary purchasing responsibility for everyday household items, but they also influence or control 85% of consumer spending. According to Catalyst.org, women control over $31.8 trillion in worldwide spending, and the number will continue to grow. The purchasing power of women is no joke.

Women wield substantial economic influence, yet their preferences, values, and buying behaviors are often misunderstood or overlooked in traditional marketing approaches. To truly connect with this diverse and influential demographic, one must have a nuanced understanding of their motivations, challenges, and aspirations.

As a female founder and branding expert dedicated to empowering women-led businesses, I've witnessed the power of genuine connections firsthand. In this article, I offer practical strategies to help marketers build meaningful connections with women consumers, fostering loyalty and driving growth.

Tip #1: Tell Women’s Stories

Each woman has her own unique preferences, challenges, and aspirations. Their stories matter. Brands can help elevate these voices by integrating them into their messaging and marketing strategies.

One of my favorite Mother’s Day brand campaigns is “Motherhood Works” by Upwork in 2022. It speaks to women's empowerment in balancing careers and families, which is a journey I can personally relate to as a founder navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship and family.

As a proud Indonesian-American founder, I encouraged you to tell stories about women of color, imperfect women, senior women, disabled women, trans women, lesbians, and more. When women see themselves and their stories represented in your campaigns, it not only builds trust but also loyalty. This inclusivity can lead to a broader customer base and increased brand awareness.

Tip #2: Avoid Stereotypes

Stereotypes in marketing are those oversimplified and often inaccurate beliefs about specific groups that marketers sometimes use in their ads and promotions. Let's look at an example to illustrate this point.

Working Women with Children

• Stereotype: They are often depicted as being less dedicated to their careers because they are assumed to prioritize family over work.

• Perception: They are constantly juggling and struggling to balance work and family responsibilities.

• Assumption: Believed to frequently need time off for childcare and to have reduced productivity.

• Image: Often shown in media as frazzled, tired, and constantly multitasking.

Working Women Without Children

• Stereotype: They are assumed to be more career-focused and available, sometimes to the point of being considered workaholics.

• Perception: They are perceived as having more time and energy to dedicate to their jobs.

• Assumption: Expected to always be available for overtime, travel, and demanding projects.

• Image: Often portrayed as having an abundance of free time and fewer personal responsibilities.

Why these stereotypes are harmful?

Both stereotypes unfairly judge women's commitment and capabilities based on their parental status rather than their individual performance and dedication. Working mothers may feel guilty for not fitting the "superwoman" mold, while women without children may feel pressured to take on more work to prove their dedication. These stereotypes ignore the diverse ways women manage their careers and personal lives, leading to a lack of representation of their true experiences.

Moving beyond these stereotypes

To create more inclusive and accurate portrayals of working women, marketing should:

1. Showcase Diverse Experiences: Highlight the stories of working women, both with and without children, showcasing their unique challenges and successes.

2. Promote Work-Life Balance: Emphasize the importance of work-life balance for all employees, regardless of their parental status.

3. Acknowledge Individuality: Recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each woman's career path and personal choices.

4. Break Down Assumptions: Challenge the assumption that career dedication is linked to parental status by highlighting women excelling in their careers, regardless of whether they have children.

Humans are multilayered beings. You really want to narrow down your marketing demographic to be as specific and targeted as possible. Understanding your demographic on a deeper level allows you to craft campaigns that speak directly to their hearts and minds.

Tip #3: Understand what women (really, really) want

What really drives women to hit that "buy" button? The answer is the foundation of any positive relationship: trust.

Brands that prioritize authenticity, representation, consistency, emotional connection, social responsibility, and active engagement are more likely to earn and maintain the trust of women. However, building trust in a skeptical online world is not easy.

How do you build trust with the skeptics?

1. Update your website: 46.1% of people identify a website's design as the primary factor in assessing a company's credibility, yet many businesses have neglected to update their websites.

2. User-generated content (UGC): Women are more likely to purchase from brands ‘liked’ by other women. Creating UGC content helps validate your brand's authenticity and resonate more deeply with consumers.

3. Build long-term relationships: For example, a small bakery may partner with community organizations to provide mentorship opportunities aimed at fostering women's empowerment and entrepreneurship locally.

Tip #4: Hire Diverse Female Talent

If you want to have an impact on women's marketing, it's not enough to just hire more women; you must hire women from various backgrounds and at all levels of your organization. Because they are created by individuals who understand the intricacies of various women's lives, advertisements that have a diverse staff inevitably resonate better with the target demographic.

Recruiting women from varied backgrounds also aids in establishing credibility and trust with your target demographic. Customers are smart; they can discern when a company is sincere about its appreciation for them and when it is merely lip service. You show that you value and appreciate all women, not just a select few when your brand's aesthetic mirrors that of your target demographic.

Here are five ways companies can implement them to attract more diverse female talent to their businesses:

1. Implement equal pay practices.

2. Put women in leadership roles.

3. Make job ads more inclusive.

4. Include generous maternity leave.

5. Revisit people's policies.

The "She"-conomy is Booming and Expanding

It's time to embrace the power women consumers hold over the consumer goods market.

Marketing to women successfully requires more than just knowing how much money they can spend. It also requires understanding, empathy, and a desire to connect with them on a real level.

When brands truly connect with women by hearing them, valuing their differences, and meeting their needs, they not only gain loyal customers but also help make the future more welcoming for everyone.

By following these guidelines, brands can build lasting relationships with female customers, which will help them grow and have a good effect on society.