I recently attended a roundtable discussion about Marketing To Women... Online during which I got to hear several marketers discuss how best to connect with women consumers.  Two of the participants I had heard before:  MaryLou Quinlan from Just Ask A Woman and Grant Schneider, CMO Time Inc. and author of She Means Business: 7 New Rules for Marketing to Today's Woman.  In fact, I had heard them [and read their books] several years ago.  We're talking 2005. 

At the same event, I got to talk to Holly Buchanan who writes about marketing to women online and authored The Soccer Mom Myth.  In comparing notes, we expressed amazement that so many still don't get that women are the primary purchase decision makers.  Yes, women are the chief purchasing officers at home as well as at work.  And, if they aren't purchasing, they are influencing purchases.  And that goes for carpet and flooring, too!

We remarked that at most events and presentations where marketing to women gets discussed, the audience consists of more women than men. The women understand what's going on.  You see them nodding their heads as strategies and tactics are discussed.

The men attending get it, too.

But what about those who don't attend events about marketing to our coveted woman consumer?  Where are they?  Why aren't they participating and listening and absorbing the information being presented?  Is is that they don't care about their business?  Is it that they know it all?  Is it that they don't appreciate how important to this industry's well-being women consumers are?  Is it that customers don't matter?

It's time to refocus on customers, particularly women customers.

In the past few years, something major has changed.  And that's why we all need to pay attention.  Because of that new consumer world order I discussed in my last post here, marketing to women consumers has taken on a whole new level of urgency.  Via the web, consumers can choose to bypass us.  They can talk about us.  They can drive other customers to us.  Or not. 

By the way, women are the majority of Internet users. 

So, it matters that we be connecting with women customers and doing so on their terms, that we be listening and engaging them in discussion, that we be responding and building strong relationships, and generally making our brands, products and services [and retail experience, too] meaningful and relevant.

The benefit?  Not only will you increase satisfaction with women consumers, but your men consumers will appreciate you, too.  That's a benefit that American Express discovered.

So what are you waiting for?