Market Your Brand to Women

Part of any effective marketing strategy is targeting those who make purchasing decisions. Yet many businesses fail to tailor their message to those most likely to buy their products or services. Women are responsible for more than 80 percent of consumer purchasing decisions, says Paul Foresman, director of business development at Design Basics, Inc. in Omaha. His company’s Woman-Centric Matters! division shows home builders how to customize their services for women.

For landscaping businesses that make the effort to connect with women, the rewards are substantial. Women will go out of their way to use a woman-centric business by a ratio of seven to one, he says.

Help her answer two key questions
In general, women tend to be very thoughtful about the decision-making process, says Jen Drexler, co-director of Just Ask a Woman, a New York City-based women’s marketing consultancy. When a woman is trying to decide what company she wants to do business with, she’s often trying to answer these two questions: Who are you and what are you best at? And what have other people’s experiences been with your company?

To help your female client answer the first question, it’s important for you to know what your company specializes in, says Drexler. Whatever the answer, be sure to put your greatest strengths front and center on your Web site and all of your marketing materials.

“Knowing somebody is a specialist in an area is important, especially if you’re going to make a big investment like landscaping,” she says.

Also, consider the nonverbal messages your business sends. Having a clean, well-painted truck or standard uniforms can impact how customers view your level of professionalism and as an extension of that, your business. Volunteering to help clean up or landscape local parks or sponsoring a local baseball team all communicate that your business is a valued part of the community, Drexler says.  

To answer her second question, many women also want to see evidence that other customers have been satisfied with your business’s work. Make this process easier by posting before and after photos of your work in marketing materials. Ask recent clients if you can place a small company sign in their yard for a few weeks, and if you can include their properties on a drive-by viewing list for potential customers, Drexler says.

In many cases, women are happy to tell others about the good experiences they’ve had with a company. Harness this free form of advertising by acknowledging customers who provide referrals with a hand written thank you note, a phone call or dropping off a potted plant, Drexler says.

Educate rather than prescribe
Women tend to refer others to businesses they trust, so creating a good customer experience is truly the best form of advertising. Convey that her ideas are valued by asking for photos of landscaping that catches her eye or addresses of local properties she likes, Drexler says.

Don’t make immediate assumptions about what your client wants. Instead, determine how you can help her by asking open-ended questions, such as “What can I do for you? What are you looking for in landscaping?” says Fara Warner, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based author of The Power of the Purse: How Smart Businesses Are Adapting to the World’s Most Important Consumers — Women.

In general, women respond better when they feel they are being listened to and given options rather than prescribed a solution. For example, Drexler says, imagine a customer wants a bed of red roses in her front yard, but you see the environment is inhospitable for roses. Drexler suggests you validate her choice, explain the level of maintenance roses require and then suggest other red flowers for her consideration.

There are certain strategies men in particular can use to inform themselves about a woman’s perspective, Warner says. “You may use other women in your life as symbols or examples. [Ask yourself] how would you like your mother to feel in this [buying] situation?” Also, talk with women in your life about uncomfortable buying situations they’ve been in, and have them walk you through why it felt uncomfortable.

It may take a bit of thought and planning to reorient your business toward a more woman-centric approach. But, the skills of listening and educating your customers will help you to serve your entire clientele even better, says Warner.