August 15, 2008

Book Review: 2nd Truth of Marketing to Women

EVEolution: Eight Truths of Marketing to Women

By Faith Popcorn

Truth #2: If You’re Marketing to One of Her Lives, You’re Missing All the Others

Without stopping, women manage to think, take care of and listen to each and everything that’s going on around her… all at one time.

This innate ability to multi-task and see the connections between things is one of the many female gender gifts.

As a wellness professional, if you’re promoting your services to women by building a case for wellness, you’re creating a disconnection by neglecting to connect wellness to all the other areas of her life. Women don’t think of health and well-being as a stand alone issue. The point is that women don’t think of anything as a stand alone issue.

Health and wellness professionals often tell me they’re uncomfortable talking about other “non-health oriented” parts of life with their clients or bringing it up in their marketing. But if you’re working with women, you have to go there. It’s all connected. And without this connection, you haven’t inspired her to whip out her credit card.

To get a woman to buck up for your services, you have to connect your services to what’s truly, profoundly important to her. And it isn’t always what she’s eating and how she’s exercising. She’ll change those habits if you can shine a light on how this affects her kids, family, business, work performance, etc…

Marketing to mom’s? Show her how your services help her family, children, and makes her a better mom, and lastly, makes her life easier.

Marketing to women entrepreneurs? Show her how your wellness services affect her ability to do well in her business and make more money so she can get back to “other lives” such as taking care of her kids, travel, or whatever might be important to her.

Help your female clients integrate all her “lives” or “roles” she plays and she’ll love you for it. Why? Because women don’t abandon one role when they’re at the office from 9-5. Women may not like this fact, but we can’t help ourselves.

For example, “just because a woman runs a business doesn’t mean she’s not head of the household. Just because she’s a stay-at-home mom doesn’t mean she’s not a feminist. And just because she’s a compassionate volunteer doesn’t mean she’s not committed to her corporate job.”

The author says that “this multi-dimensionality in female lives” goes deep and beyond all the different labels we give ourselves. Popcorn calls it “the ultimate blurring of the personal and professional.” This blurring creates an emotional tug that we as wellness professionals, can’t be afraid of addressing in our sessions, web copy and newsletters.

Acknowledge the many lives of your female clients in your marketing, let her know your services can help her successfully blend her multiple lives and you’ve got yourself a client.

Next week, Truth #3: If She Has to Ask, It’s Too Late

To your success,

Karin

Filed under Blog, Business Inspiration, Materials that Work by Karin