As the world rapidly becomes more and more digital, the technology will continue to define products and services as well has how they are marketed. The low number of females being involved as leaders or during the conceptual and developmental processes will surely result in delivering less marketable products and services for women. And similar to the disproportionate number of female creative directors within the advertising industry, this will impair connecting effectively with the very powerful and viable female audience.

Although 3 of the 10 best-paying jobs for women are in the tech sector, 56% of women who enter the field of technology, leave for other careers.

This could be the result of women still making 5% to 18% less than their male counterparts as computer programmers and computer and information system managers, respectively. It could also be contributed to the difficulty of breaking into the longtime boy’s club. according to Ruchi Sanghvi, Facebook’s First Female Engineer.

And Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg further suggests why she thinks we have too few women leaders in this TED talk video.

Ironically, it’s also today’s technology that has now given the female consumer a voice to petition and demand more relevant products as well as publicly reject those that fall short. Companies that begin to connect the dots would be wise to make a concerted effort to both solicit and retain women in the tech arena.

It’s much easier to market a product your audience wants. And hearing the female voice early rather than later could mean a significant difference in your bottom line.

Check out the Infographic below that shows the presence – or lack thereof – of women in technology, from dismal numbers to inspiring success stories for tech-minded women.

 
Like this infographic? Get more business technology news from IT Manager Daily.
 

So, who’s using it? You guessed it. WOMEN. Eighty percent of Pinterest users are female and they are spending more time on there than Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ combined.

The rapid growth can certainly be attributed somewhat to a higher acceptance of social networks now. But keep in mind, there are thousands of new startups in the social arena. What makes Pinterest different? As noted in an article on Mashable, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann said, “the growth has been organic: People would join, become proud of their collections and show it to their friends.” (what women want)

And according to CNN Tech, Silberman said the site will soon roll out new profile pages that have been redesigned to look “more beautiful” and to display users’ influencers more prominently.

Women are flocking to Pinterest and the infographic below reveals just how powerful it is, but more importantly, the opportunities it offers brands. 

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising,Birmingham, AL. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

Female car buyers are making up a larger customer base for some of the top domestic auto brands, but none approach the gains that Porsche has made with women this past year.

Of all automakers Porsche® has made the largest relative market share gains among women nationwide over the past year, according to an analysis from Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information. From January through August 2011 23 percent of Porsche buyers were female, compared to 19 percent during the same period last year. The growth accounts for a 21.1 percent proportional change, year over year.

Knowing that the female is your market is only half the battle and Porsche® Cars of America understands that.

Responding with effective product and marketing changes is what places them at the top. They get that all women are not alike.

Porsche® has not only added the Cayenne SUV and Panamera 4-door sedan models, they know that some women love their sports cars, too.

I was very fortunate for the opportunity to participate in creating one of the sales training modules titled, “Demystifying the Female Market,”  for the launch of the 2012 911 Carrera S. With more than 200 dealers across the nation on board to better understand the female consumer, Porsche® is most likely going to continue to speed past the competition when connecting with women.

And, since “Cars” ranked 2nd highest of product categories in which women are most dissatisfied, (according to to a 2009 study published in the book Women Want More by Michael J. Silverstein and Kate Sayre,) the automotive industry has vast opportunity to drive revenues up by marketing to women.

 But beware. It is not simply knowing that the female is your market that counts. You must listen to her before you can meet her needs.

______________________________________________________________________

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising,Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

So who is the average social gamer? According to this recent Infographic created by Flowtown it is 43-year old females.

A few other facts:

• 54% of social gamers are women
• 43% are college graduates
• 43% make $50,000+ income

The study by Interpret, also revealed:

• 42% of game players say they are more motivated by social games that offer coupons, or gift cards, or other real-world rewards
• 24% of players claim they have clicked on an in-game ad to make a purchase.

With the top two reasons for playing social games being friendly competition and interaction, it should be no real surprise that women dominate. But it is the growing trend, the amount of time spent and willingness to click ads that make social games especially appealing to brands. SHE is not playing around.

Flowtown – Social Media Marketing Application

I will be presenting on the power of the female consumer in a session titled: Why and How to Effectively Market to Women in Today’s Economic Climate. Are there any topics or questions you feel should be addressed? Also, I would love to know who’s planning to be there!

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

It is estimated that 78.2% of this cohort, or nearly 60 million adults, is online. Even as their numbers decline, that penetration rate will remain high through 2015. And they control more than $2 trillion in annual spending.

“The baby boomers grew up being chased by marketers and advertisers that tailored products and brands to appeal to them,” said Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer senior analyst “Now the median age of this cohort is 55, and many boomers feel as if they have dropped off many marketers’ radar.”

This is not new, news to Marti Barletta.

She has been shouting the neglect of the baby boomer market for quite a while.  Actually, she talks specifically about the “lifestage” they happen to be moving through and she zeros in on the segment of boomers who not only have the money, but control the spending. She calls them “PrimeTime Women” and authored a book titled the same.

Barletta emphatically states that women currently in their “PrimeTime” are the healthiest, wealthiest and most active, educated and influential generation of women in history.

I purchased PrimeTime Women a couple of years ago at the Marketing to Women Conference in Chicago and still refer to it all the time.  Realizing that the female boomer is your market is of no value – unless you are saying what she wants to hear.

Below are just a few nuggets from PrimeTime Women to help you better understand who she is:

• She is happier and more content and possesses a brighter, more optimistic disposition than Generation X and Generation Y women.
• She has a newfound sense of freedom to be herself.
• She is not just active, she’s a bit of an activist.
• She will go out of her way to buy from companies who are environmentally conscious.
• She knows how to handle unexpected turbulence and how to get around obstacles in ways that younger women have yet to figure out.
• She feels her greatest achievements lie ahead of her.
• In most instances, using conventional celebrity advertising to reach PrimeTime Women won’t work. Consumers in PrimeTime have less of a need to aspire up and impress others and are no longer as driven by materialistic values such as fame and fortune. That is not to say that all celebrity usage is ineffective, but there is a different dynamic. Instead, they are drawn to people they already do like those who are approachable.
• PrimeTime women have many things that they care about more than when they were younger. For example:

1. Family and personal legacy
2. Time to finally do something for themselves without feeling guilty
3. Milestones are key triggers in the decision making process
4. Experiencing life to the fullest

If you recognize the female boomer as a viable market and want to connect with her effectively, I highly suggest you purchase your own copy of PrimeTime Women.

If you’re still not convinced, I suggest you RUN get a copy.

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

Brands and Women are Partners in Gaming and App’ing

The study investigated how brands and women intersect during social media gaming and app’ing and found brands are an important partner:

• 97 percent of women prefer to earn virtual currency through either winning more or accepting a branded offer – versus paying for it with “real” money
• While they game and app quite regularly, only one in ten women have actually used “real” money to purchase virtual currency; of that, 85 percent have spent under $100 in their gaming and aping activities – ever
• Of women who have signed up for branded offers to get more virtual currency, 67 percent found the offer useful
• 37 percent of those women chose the branded offers based on “content”; 17 percent went for offers with free products or services

“As brands seek relevant and natural ways to shake hands with women via social media, the gaming and application marketplace holds tremendous potential to integrate in a consumer-friendly, meaningful way,” said Matt Wise, President, Q Interactive. “Women seek a partner to support their entertainment, which is exceptionally important given their busy lives.”

The Modern Gaming and App’ing Woman is Competitive, Social and Loyal

The study also establishes a picture of the typical woman engaged in social media games and applications:

• 85 percent of those surveyed use five or less games and/or apps regularly, indicating an inclination to be loyal to a handful of favorites; approximately 15 percent regularly invest in six or more games/apps at a time
• More than half (57 percent) are earning/spending virtual currency daily
• Introduction to new games and apps rest heavily on word-of-mouth: Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) got involved in a game or app due to “a recommendation” by family or friend or because they “noticed a friend or family member’s score”
• 95 percent utilize virtual currency primarily to “gift” and/or advance games
• In interacting with games and apps, 57 percent feel virtual gifting – for example, giving a bag of virtual makeup from Sephora – is as meaningful as real life gifting

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

• What Women Want in the Digital Age
• How Marketers Can Harness the Power of Digital Influencers
• Leveraging Women as Consumer Advocates
• Are You Hearing What She’s Not Telling You?
• Building a Successful Online Community with Women
• Women Get Green & Clean
• The Next Digital Frontier-From Impressions to Relationships
• New Research on Marketing to Women in the Recession
• The Changing Face of the American Female Consumer
• Cracking the Code For Effective Social Media Marketing to Women
• Why “Return on Women” (ROW) Should Be Your #1 Recession Strategy
• Finding Generation O: The Evolution of Oxygen
• The Power of Cause Branding
• Recessionista Report: Women Behaving Smartly
• Creative and New Ways to Reach Women

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

But do you know why? Other than the obvious, continued name awareness, I believe one of the major reasons is…

women don’t want to be abandoned.

Research reveals that women are indeed stressed out about the economy. And as the primary household purchasing agents, what women are looking for from advertisers is an appropriate balance of empathy and optimism. Brands that suspend communication or inadequately connect with women during recessionary times are by default, communicating a sense of desertion.

So, what do you do?

Advertisers who not only remain visible, but actually capitalize on the downtime to build relationships with women, will become their allies in this war on “not-spending”. This is true whether it is for the necessities such as food and healthcare items that women must buy, bargains they seek for clothing and electronics, as well as the bigger ticket items they are holding off on including homes, new cars or elective surgeries. They will buy now or later from companies that connect with them.

And, how do you do it?

Social Media, with its transparent format, provides a platform for advertisers to optimize this slow and downtime by:

• Turning potential female customers into friends and building authentic relationships.
• Providing opportunity for women to become more engaged with you and your product or service.
• Nurturing a solid loyalty toward your brand.

Women need your support now more than ever. And if you don’t abandon or leave them stranded, they will most likely be with you for life.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

Studies

So, what can you do about it? As men you must not only better understand what women want, you have to more accurately communicate and connect with them. You should be reading, conducting focus groups and even attending conferences. An opportunity where those very issues are going to be addressed in the near future are at the 5th Annual M2W®-The Marketing To Women Conference, April 29 & 30, 2009, at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The speakers include some of the Who’s Who among those who have researched and successfully connected with all types of women. I will be there taking in all of the new research and numbers that I can. And while I plan to share some of that knowledge and how to apply it here on She-conomy, to truly be ahead of the curve, you might want to consider participating yourself. And no, I am not making commission off the event. I do feel that anyone seriously interested in marketing to women would benefit from the research that will be revealed.

Please let me know if you plan to attend. I would love to meet you. If not, be sure to follow me on Twitter @sheconomy. I will be tweeting from the event.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email