Reaching Women the Old Fashioned Way

We're heading into the holidays at a rapid pace now. Holidays make one think of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but there are many other holiday celebrations in the mix that marketers need to be aware of. We especially need to understand that the women in the family are most generally the ones who shop for and arrange the family gatherings for these holidays. Think beyond the typical Christian celebrations; they get their fair share of attention. Look at the Hispanic and Black women's market, remember the Jewish holidays, explore some of the other cultures living and working in your own community. Then ask yourself: where do these women look for bargains and specialty items, relevant to their culture and heritage?

Many of them are looking online. Of course. What a silly thing for Jane to tell you! But, where online are they looking? Why shouldn't your website be one that comes up when Jane types in "halloween costumes for my four year old"? Notice how Jane typed in a specific phrase...a VERY specific phrase. That's how it's done today. Women are keen enough to know they need to give Google, Yahoo! MSN, AOL, or Ask Jeeves more information, clear information, in order to receive good results.

Your site can be one of the top sites that Jane sees on page one of her search results, if you've done a good job of building (words and pictures work together!) and coding your website (what's your meta-description say, and is it above the rest of your meta-tags?). Blogs are great areas to learn more about this. Jane regularly gets hits on the term "basal readers" which she wrote about in an early post many months ago. It's not a term often used, consequently, Lip-sticking is one of the top 10 results for it. (mind you, Jane did not write the basal reader post to get better search engine optimization, but that's how it works. )

So many people are going online to shop that Ecommerce Times reported in August that "Online Sales Top $100 Billion." The story quotes from Forrester and Shop.org -- two reliable places Jane gets some of her research from -- with this bit of inspiration:

"Everyone wonders how long it can keep the growth up, and it continues to meet and exceed all expectations."

Shop.org goes further, saying online sales account for 5.4% of total sales, in some cases, such as

"travel, sporting goods, computers and accessories, and health and beauty items."

Let's hear it for online marketing and sales.

Now, let's leave online marketing and sales for a minute. Jane wants you to relax and let your mind remember...go back...back in time...not all the way back to that old Dick and Jane era...just back to the latter years of the 20th century, before the Internet became the true marketing mall of American, casting a shadow on the vacation spot of the country, out there in Minnesota.

Jane wants you to extend your marketing reach to newspapers. Yes, newspapers! Despite the doom and gloom some industry pundits would have you believe, people still read the newspaper. In fact, many, many women in the baby boomer market look for sales in the newspaper. The Center for Media Research reported in a recent email to Jane that "Newspapers Worldwide Evidence Strong Rebound." The report notes that,

"2004 is off to a good start and 2005 looks to be a strong year for ad spending as well."

A visit to the World Association of Newspapers supports this outlook. Jane is happy to report that the article is upbeat and...perhaps a bit 'so there' in its summation. To quote, "In this evolving media world, newspaper advertising maintains the respect of its audience and continues to supply an optimum environment for successful advertising."

The article goes on to cite the Top Ten Reasons Newspapers are still the best advertising medium. Do read them all, but note numbers 3 and 5: Newspapers target and deliver wealthier consumers, and Newspapers offer flexibility in terms of budgets and formats.

Numbers 9 and 10, are also compelling in their content: Newspapers work very well in partnership with other media. And, the newspaper is the "ultimate browser."

Jane is not suggesting you abandon your website or email marketing. We would never ask you to give up on your banner ads or PPC, or using your blog to announce holiday items and events. The message is to combine your online marketing message with offline media. With that thought in mind, the newspaper is still a viable and successful means of approaching the women's market. Grab them with a great ad or invitation to visit you online for a holiday special, for a color image of your product, as a way to invite their friends along. Entice them with a carefully worded offer in the newspaper, directing them to a special URL on your website, and they will click. It's the best of both worlds. Money well spent.

We're a country of many cultures and heritages. Our women are attracted to the idea of old fashioned holiday celebrations, with lots of lace and grandma's good cooking. Use the newspaper to open that door to nostalgia and bring it home on the web.

What's not to like about that?

Comments

[Wayne Hurlbert]

I agree with you that a successful online business requires both online and offline marketing strategies.

I have long advocated a powerful offline promotional effort, coupled with a strong online marketing effort. The combination of the two marketing techniques, not only reach potential customers missed by the other, but they often overlap the same prospective customers, getting seen and heard more than once. The resulting familiarity develops trust in your company, and your products and services.

By reaching future customers and clients by both promotional methods, the online and offline vehicles reinforce and strengthen the message. It's therefore very important that all marketing and promotional materials send the same message and display the same overall look.

All too often, online and offline marketing appear to be from entirely different companies. That breakdown in communications problem results in mixed messages being heard, and lost customers.

A consistent and coordinated marketing voice, seen and heard online and offline, will multiply your sales and marketing effort.