How to Engage & Market to Women on Social Media

Women outpace men when it comes to using social media. Therefore, companies must have a differentiated strategy to engage them.

Your marketing budget hits a wall if it ignores half the internet. Pew Research Center found women outpace men by at least 8% in social media use. On Twitter, 58% of users are women. Facebook's female contingent is even greater: 64%.

The image-based site Pinterest is a clear example. 82% of its users are women, sharing visuals of their hopes and opinions. This changes how you market. Reaching women on online platforms isn’t just a good idea; it’s essential. You need to understand how they connect, share, and decide.

Here’s how to do it:

1. 1. Follow and Respond

   Women want social interaction. They don't see social media as a one-way street. Your company can't just broadcast.

   Beyond getting women to follow you, follow them back. Answer their questions. Offer advice or insight. Ask for their opinion through polls or weekly questions. Build a real connection.

2. 2. Highlight Family and Friend Interests

   Social media platforms offer tools to see if friends or relatives of your target audience follow your brand. Use these tools. You can pitch products by showing a woman someone she knows, loves, and trusts already buys from you.

   Companies should encourage this “mirror participation.” It’s another way for women to bond and connect with their close circle. Weber & Shandwick found that bonding with family and friends, and hearing their advice, is a key reason women use social media.

3. 3. Incite Emotion

   Women make buying decisions with both reason and emotion. Integrate your marketing with their personal causes. Talk about company efforts that align with female interests, concerns, and social causes. Look at what your followers post; their profiles show you what matters.

4. 4. Show Well-Rounded Images of Women

   Some women appreciate acknowledgement for their domestic or nurturing roles. But many are successful professionals. They want recognition for their achievements, community work, and personal talents.

   Appeal to the whole woman in your online ads and social media posts. Show your company understands the complex lives of modern women. Alternate your imagery and campaigns to reflect this.

5. 5. Add Recommend Buttons to Your Site

   What you do off social media still generates online buzz. A woman with a social media account recommends a product online at least 10 times a month.

   As women browse content about products they use, they often hit “like” and “recommend” buttons on blog posts. This shares their opinions directly with their social media followers. Make it easy for them.

6. 6. Ask for Reviews

   Don't wait for women followers to praise your company. Ask them directly for their thoughts on your goods and services. A woman writes a product review as much as four times a month. Tap into that.

7. 7. Make Content Shareable

   Create social media posts with personality. Make them provocative, amusing, or packed with detailed information you won't find elsewhere. Don't just use boring text.

   Include images—with your company logo or product visible—or short video snippets. If a post amuses, touches, or even enrages her, a woman may re-pin or re-tweet that content. Give her a reason.

8. 8. Advertise Across Multiple Platforms

   Beyond messaging apps or image-posting sites, look at video-sharing platforms. Consider social platforms with streaming music, TV, or podcasts. Women spend seven hours a week listening to online radio, and over six hours watching TV online. They read online newspapers for four hours.

9. 9. Test New Platforms Constantly

   Women shift their online platforms, always looking for new ways to connect. Your company shouldn't get comfortable. Don't expect your female audience to stay in one place.

   In one survey of 2,000 respondents, 16% of women stopped using one or more social media sites in just six months. 38% decreased their use of certain platforms. Stay agile.

10. 10. Pick the Right Site for Your Demographic

    Not all women use the same social media sites. Your company must pick the right platforms for your promotions. Moms and homemakers, especially in the Midwest, favor Pinterest.

    Teens and young adult females gravitate toward Instagram, Google-plus, YouTube, and Twitter. Young girls don’t use Facebook much, but adult women do. Wealthier, more serious audiences use LinkedIn, Blogger, and Instagram.

    For more on boosting your marketing to women, download Insights in Marketing, LLC’s latest eBook, “Getting Women to Buy: Better Insights to Transform Your Marketing.”

Willie Pena writes on marketing to women, marketing research, and social channels. Connect with him on Google+ and LinkedIn.