A reversal of roles? Perhaps. While some marketers and brands hem and haw about consumer privacy online, in a sign of the times, women are overwhelming telling brands not to waste their ad dollars. Women understand and appreciate targeted ads that pertain to their busy lifestyle, and they seek smart brands and smart ads that can personalize, target, and tailor to make their life easier, their trip to Target cheaper, and their visit to the grocery store smoother.
Stay informed. For more tips on sharpening your brand's marketing initiatives, attend the iMedia Brand Summit, Sept. 11-15.
Request your invitation today.
As women overtake men online and on Facebook (women comprise 56 percent of Facebook's audience), mass approaches and stale assumptions have become flimsy and obvious. Below are seven game-changing insights about what women want online, garnered from a proprietary study of more than 1,800 women.
1. Women are receptive to targeted ads online
- When a perfectly targeted coupon comes into her inbox or an "I-can-use-that-today" banner appears while surfing, 65 percent of women first think, "Cool!"
- This stat alone debunks a lot of assumptions about how consumers, particularly women, feel when a brand or marketer understands her world and delivers a relevant piece of communication, be it an offer, email, newsletter, or recipe online.
INSIGHT: Give her what she wants. Women crave targeted ads as long as they provide something of value and pertain to her individual lifestyle.
2. Women want more from brands they trust
- If you have her trust, you have a lot of leeway. Nearly 90 percent of women studied "wish" they were sent more tailored offers from trusted brands.
- Analytics should be a marketer's best friend at this point. Most brands have no trouble collecting consumer information, but they lack the tools and talent to put that data into play and incorporate it into their programs.
- The proper use of data gives you the power to make smart decisions on how you build a relationship with a consumer -- number one, who is your target really? Where can you find more of them? How, when, what, etc. do you use to keep that relationship evolving?
INSIGHT: If she has a relationship with you, get to know her more, give her more. Women are comfortable with being targeted, and even "wish" it happened to them more with brands they trust.
3. Women want you to know them better
- 19 percent of women "want" brands to get to know them better. Find out what they like and need, how they shop, etc.
- The door is open: Most women (58 percent) feel technology has come "pretty far" when it comes to what online advertisers know about them. But there is room to grow -- even an expectation, too.
INSIGHT: It's constant. Don't let your guard down, commit to growing, evolving, and learning about your consumer.
Next page >>
