Who runs the world? Girls Women! That’s right. And if your brand markets to women, you need to know how to reach them, speak to them, and understand our unique challenges, wants, and needs. Lucky for you, we happen to have a unique viewpoint into this influential demographic. That’s because we’re a women-owned business ourselves. So, whether you’re a woman start-up or a brand that needs the insight to speak to your female audience, here’s what you need to know.

Stats to Know When Marketing to Women

Women are Loyal

Win a female demographic over and they’ll love you for life. Forbes reports that 85 percent of women stay loyal to companies they like.

Women Shop Online A LOT

About 94 percent of 15- to 35-year-old women spend more than an hour a day online shopping. That provides ample opportunity for you to connect via social media ads, social media marketing, blog content, or other digital marketing tactics.

Ladies Make Most of the Decisions

We know what we want. Women make about 80 percent of purchasing decisions. It’s crucial for brands to make a connection with their female demographic to be one of the chosen ones.

Women Belong in the Home…

The one they bought with their hard-earned 80 cents on the dollar! You heard it. After married couples, single ladies make up nearly 20 percent of homebuyers, nearly double the single male category.

More and More Businesses are Owned by Women

Every year, this number ticks upward. In 2020, women own about 40 percent of U.S. businesses. Keep it coming, ladies!

How To Reach, Market, and Speak to a Female Demographic

Think “Powerfully Feminine” NOT “Girly”

Ditch the pink color palette. It’s outdated and cheesy. News flash: not all women love pink. In fact, some of us really, really hate it. And we’re annoyed that we, as a gender, are type-cast into the girly, flirty, fun, and bubbly persona. When your brand is marketing to women, you should envision a modern, strong female persona. Not cringeworthy messaging or visuals.

Women are the glue that holds a family together. We are powerful, influential boss ladies with lots of important sh*t to do. Women are sensual, sexy, and fierce. We are single moms, and dog moms, stay-at-home moms, working moms—or not moms at all. Some of us are also engineers, mathematicians, coders, or construction workers.

We are NOT Barbie dolls, and we are probably much more likely to buy your product if you don’t make us feel like that’s your expectation. In short: try a captivating color palette that’s free from gender norms.

Explore Pinterest and Influencer Marketing

We mentioned above that women spend at least an hour per day online shopping. Pinterest is one of the best and most popular places to connect online. Why? For starters, Pinterest has 335 million users—72 percent of which are female. And for many female consumers, Pinterest is a place to find inspiration, seek advice, and plan future purchases days, months, or even years in advance. If you’re marketing to women, this powerhouse social media platform cannot be ignored.

Invest in Pinterest advertising and populate the platform with informational, promotional, and entertaining pins to woo your audience. And don’t forget that Pinterest might be more of a long play than some other social media marketing funnels, but the benefits (and payoff amongst women buyers) are undeniable.

Be Influential

Influencer marketing is also very effective when targeting the female demographic. After all, 53 percent of women say they have made a purchase due to an influencer post. Young women might be even more likely to purchase due to an influencer’s product recommendations. In a Google survey, 60 percent of teenage Youtube subscribers said they would follow advice on what to buy from their favorite Youtube star over a famous celebrity.

Influencers come across as authentic, honest, and personable. Therefore, their reviews and endorsements are perceived as more trustworthy. This indirect but straight-up approach really resonates with female consumers. After all, if an influencer shows us ladies how to use your product in a real-life setting and explains why it’s awesome, we might just want it for ourselves! And we might grab one for our friend or relative, too.

Be Honest

Speaking of authenticity and honesty… They’re key when speaking to the female audience. We can smell BS from a mile away. Call it women’s intuition, or call it common sense. However you spin it, young consumers, in general, trend toward authenticity in advertising and marketing. Be real. Remain authentic. Always be your best brand self, and you’re sure to get through to a female audience.

Show Us Inspirational and Aspirational Content

No, this doesn’t mean women with perfectly normal and healthy BMIs eating diet cereal. It means thinking beyond that. If you’re tone-deaf to the modern women (cough, Peloton, cough), this slip-up will bury you. If you need help coming up with better content, try content buckets! Better yet, shop our social media kits.

Shatter Stereotypes and Celebrate Diversity

For the love of all that is holy, stop pairing stick-thin women with overweight men in your commercials. Can’t women have a little extra junk in their trunk and also be married to a healthy, in-shape partner who loves their figure? Or, can’t the whole family be fit OR plump and happy? Sigh. We don’t know where you come up with these bizarre stereotypes of what an American family looks like—or which colors they might like.

Stand for a Worthwhile Cause

According to the Wall Street Journal, women give to charity 89 percent more often than men. Plus, women tend to donate a larger chunk of change when they chip in for the greater good. Another study found that women are more likely to support causes that affect women and girls. Many women are more likely to support businesses that do good in the world and make a positive impact in their communities. Especially if the positive actions benefit females and their families (or fur children, we would hypothesize—we just can’t stop donating to the ASPCA).

The biggest takeaway we have about marketing and speaking to a female demographic is this: think about the modern woman and get away from previously held stereotypes and beliefs. If you need an expert, we’re only an email away.