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Today's consumers are a world apart from those of 20 years ago. Women today make or heavily influence 85% of global purchasing decisions, with skepticism toward marketing steadily on the rise.
So, what does this mean for today's brands?
Forward-thinking businesses are starting to learn that female-focused branding is one of the smartest business moves to make. Yet many are still struggling to connect with the female demographic.
As the founder and CEO of Creative Noggin, an all-women advertising agency that partners with organizations seeking to connect with women, I've witnessed firsthand the power of female-focused marketing.
Women are not only deeply loyal to the brands they support but also spread the word to their family and friends. Additionally, with 58% of reviews left by women, they are brand advocates to the core. Businesses should woo women consumers if they want to improve their bottom lines. After all, winning over new prospects is much more expensive than retaining and keeping current customers happy.
Keep reading to learn more about the female-centric branding trends that business owners should tune in to.
Related: Why Women Are the Key Drivers of Economic Growth
1. Inclusive marketing campaigns
Most women have had the experience of walking into a room and thinking, "I don't belong here." Exclusion is not a good feeling, and I'd wager it's a big reason why women are becoming more adamant about aligning with brands that reflect them and their values.
More than 6 out of 10 Americans believe that diversity in advertising is crucial. That said, not all efforts to be inclusive are equally effective. Here are a few inclusive marketing do's and don'ts:
Do:
- Get to know all aspects of your target market, not just race, age, culture, education level, socioeconomic status, etc. Knowing their values, mindset, and challenges will go much further.
- Leverage original photography and video to represent your market as much as possible (or be very selective about using stock images and video that will feel familiar and real to your audience).
- Use language that authentically reflects your brand and connects with your target audience.
Don't:
- Shoehorn in an inauthentically "diverse" imagery.
- Lean into stereotypes about your audience (example: women love pink).
- Let unintended bias get in the way by making assumptions about a market you don't truly know.
- Try to be something you're not in order to attract a new market.
An example of a company that's done an incredible job at inclusive marketing is Lola Getts, a women's activewear brand. They saw the frustration of many plus-sized women who, as their manifesto stated, "were completely ignored – or grudgingly accommodated by brands scaling up patterns for products designed with a size 4 in mind." In turn, they developed products specifically with a plus-sized audience in mind and feature models of a diverse size range, communicating a message with an authentic persona that speaks to their audience's pain points.
The result? An incredibly loyal following of women who no longer feel underrepresented by the fitness industry.
Related: Successful Women Have These Six Personality Traits
2. Sustainable brand initiatives
Today 91% of women conduct online research prior to making a purchase. We want to be knowledgeable consumers who make informed purchasing decisions that feel like a smart choice. That's why it's no surprise that the demand for sustainable brands and initiatives is on the rise.
Many women care about our purchases' impact on others and the planet. As a female consumer, I'm always looking for ways to make a difference in my children's future. That includes buying from brands that seek to minimize waste through reusable containers, organic packaging materials, or are all-out paperless. Renewable energy practices and products with low to no impact on wildlife are also important to me.
As a business owner, I'm intentional about partnering with clients using sustainable practices, which has been beneficial in numerous ways. For example, Creative Noggin worked with the San Antonio Zoo on the Straws No Más initiative. We created an educational campaign all about why the zoo stopped using plastic straws and the environmental reasons others should too.
It was extremely effective from both a business standpoint and in terms of environmental impact, and it's still one of my favorite projects to date!
3. User-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is yet another marketing trend that resonates heavily with female consumers. Women are attracted to this form of content marketing because it's relatable and trustworthy. Brands like it because, with customers promoting for them, it's less time-consuming and expensive than traditional advertising campaigns.
One great example of an impactful UGC campaign is LEGO Ideas. Launched in 2014, this initiative invites fans to create original designs and gain public support by posting them on the LEGO Ideas website. Designs that receive 10,000 supporters can be produced and sold worldwide as LEGO products. This campaign, which runs to this day, is an ingenious way to expand reach and brand awareness by engaging loyal customers to promote the products themselves.
Another benefit of UGC is that it has created an entirely new career field for young content creators. Roughly 84% of social media influencers are women.
After 15+ years of running a women-operated business with a strong emphasis on authentic and female-focused branding, I've seen how adapting to trends like these can directly increase revenues and brand loyalty. Nurturing your brand's connection with female consumers, who are influential in most purchasing decisions, is smart business, and I firmly believe the ripple effect will lead to a better future for all of us.
Remember, branding is about more than just selling — it's about building lasting relationships. Imagine a world where women see only authentic, inclusive marketing that doesn't stereotype, paint impossible beauty standards or alienate them. I think you'll agree that this is a world we should all want to live in.
