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Today’s consumers are a completely different world than the one from 20 years ago. Modern women are influential or highly influenced 85% of world purchasing decisionswith ever-increasing skepticism towards marketing.
What does this mean for today’s brands?
Forward-thinking firms are beginning to learn that building a women-centric brand is one of the smartest business moves you can make. However, many people still struggle to attach with the female demographic.
As the founder and CEO of the company Creative Nogginan all-female promoting agency that works with organizations that wish to connect with women, I have experienced first-hand the power of women-centric marketing.
Not only are women deeply loyal to the brands they support, but additionally they pass this on to family and friends. Additionally, with 58% of reviews left by womenthey are brand supporters to the core. Companies should court women consumers if they wish to improve their profits. After all, gaining recent perspectives is there (*3*)much costlier than retaining and keeping current customers completely satisfied.
Read on to learn more about women-centric branding trends that business owners should concentrate to.
1. Inclusive marketing campaigns
Most women have had the opportunity to walk into a room and think, “I don’t belong here.” Exclusion is not a good feeling, and I bet it’s a big reason why women are becoming more and more adamant about aligning themselves with brands that reflect them and their values.
Above 6 out of 10 Americans consider that diversity in promoting is key. That said, not all inclusion efforts are equally effective. Here are some do’s and don’ts of inclusive marketing:
Down:
- Know all points of your goal market, not only race, age, culture, education level, socioeconomic status, etc. Knowing the values, mindset and challenges of this company will allow you to realize much more.
- Use original photos and videos to represent your market as much as possible (or be very selective in using stock images and videos that may feel familiar and real to your audience).
- Use language that authentically reflects your brand and connects with your target market.
NO:
- A shoehorn in an inauthentically “diverse” image.
- Rely on stereotypes about your audience (example: women love the color pink).
- Let unintentional biases get in the way by making assumptions about a market you don’t really know.
- Try to be someone you are not to draw a recent market.
An example of a company that has done an incredible job of inclusive marketing is Lola Getts, a women’s sportswear brand. They saw the frustration of many plus-size women who, as their manifesto stated, “have been completely ignored – or reluctantly accommodated by brands scaling up patterns for products designed with a size 4 in mind.” In turn, they have designed products specifically with a plus-size audience in mind and offer models in a number of sizes, delivering a message with authentic personality that speaks to the audience’s pain points.
Result? An extremely loyal group of girls who now not feel underrepresented in the fitness industry.
2. Sustainable brand initiatives
Today 91% women conduct online research before making a purchase. We wish to be conscious consumers who make informed purchasing decisions that look like a smart alternative. Therefore, it is no surprise that the demand for sustainable brands and initiatives is growing.
Many women care about the impact our purchases have on others and the planet. As a consumer, I’m at all times looking for ways to influence my kid’s future. This includes buying from brands that strive to reduce waste by using reusable containers, organic packaging materials, or eliminating paper altogether. Renewable energy practices and products that have little or no impact on wildlife are also essential to me.
As a business owner, I would like to work with clients using sustainable practices, which brings many advantages. For example, Creative Noggin collaborated with the San Antonio Zoo on the project No more straws initiative. We created an educational campaign about why the zoo stopped using plastic straws and the environmental explanation why others should too.
It was incredibly successful from each a business and environmental impact standpoint, and is still one of my favorite projects to this point!
3. User-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is one other marketing trend that has a strong impact on female consumers. Women are interested in this way of content marketing because it is trustworthy and relatable. Brands like this because it is less time-consuming and expensive for customers to advertise them than traditional promoting campaigns.
An excellent example of an effective UGC campaign is LEGO ideas. This initiative, launched in 2014, encourages fans to create original designs and gain public support by submitting them to the LEGO Ideas website. Designs that gain 10,000 supporters can be produced and sold around the world as LEGO products. The campaign, which continues to today, is a good strategy to increase brand reach and awareness by engaging loyal customers to advertise the products themselves.
Another advantage of UGC is that it has created a whole recent profession field for young content creators. More or less 84% of social media influencers there are women.
After over 15 years of running a women-owned business with a strong emphasis on authentic and women-centric branding, I’ve seen how adapting to trends like these can directly increase revenue and brand loyalty. Nurturing a brand’s connection with consumers, who influence most purchasing decisions, is smart business, and I firmly consider that the domino effect will result in a higher future for all of us.
Remember that building a brand is greater than just sales – it is about building lasting relationships. Imagine a world where women only see authentic, inclusive marketing that does not stereotype, paint unattainable beauty standards, and doesn’t alienate them. I think you’ll agree that this is a world we must always all wish to live in.