Archive for May, 2009
Sassy Ladies Dish Up Good Business Advice
There’s no sense in my trying to write about the good works in this book – when you can listen to Michelle tell you all about how it came to be and listen as I share the best parts – well, the parts of the book that really touched me and taught me something. If I were listed on the back of the book I’d have to write, “Sassy advice from smart entrepreneurs. These gals have the best, practical advice served up with style. Read and learn, and then, read and learn again.”
Enjoy! OH- and be prepared – this is only Part I!!!
Supreme Nomination for Supreme Court
That said, choosing a woman was the easy part. Now, having chosen Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to possibly serve on the bench of our country’s highest court, we will see what the pundits have to say. And, what Sonia will be put through in her bid for confirmation.
I read Linda Lowen at About.com for some of my women’s issues content and her latest post on this issue is excellent, as usual. She notes that “sources” – those invisible gossip-mongers, as I see it - were sure of Sonia’s nomination last week, when Sonia met with Obama for an hour-long interview. Friends don’t let friends down, perhaps? I’m being facetious. The interview likely gave Obama the substance of who Sonia was, cementing Obama’s opinion of her. We all know, especially in marketing, that Face2Face meeting is more powerful than any blog post, or tweet, or Facebook note.
Personally, I believe that this nomination, and Sonia’s appointment – should she pass muster – is a positive move, as Ruth Ginsburg is the only woman on the court now. Surely, we can all be thankful that diversity rules in this decision?
Diversity is a tricky devil, though. Diversity comes in such different shapes and sizes, some of us can be confused by its usefulness…some of us (I’m talking about women, in general, something I don’t usually do) can forget to look beyond the immediate issues we might have with this new appointment. We might generalize on aspects we believe she brings to the table, which may or may not be true. We might generalize on her experience, not trusting sources that lean the wrong way (depending on what we think the wrong way is). We might even posit that having another woman on the Supreme Court is a good idea, by saying – the judgment of each Supreme Court Judge is sacrosanct - not influenced by gender, so, it doesn’t matter how many women vs men there are on the court.
We might say, or think, all those things. Truth will out, however.
Linda Feldman at The Christian Science Monitor writes, “The only two women ever to have served on the US Supreme Court – Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — have a saying: “At the end of the day, a wise old man and a wise old woman reach the same judgment.” Supporting the idea that gender is a non-issue.
However, Feldman goes on to say, “…recent study finds that, at least in sex-discrimination cases, there is a difference how male and female judges rule.”
And, “For advocates of women’s rights, adding another female justice is not about diversity for diversity’s sake. It’s about bringing women’s perspectives and life experiences into interpretations of law, and about helping the male justices see things through their eyes.”
In the end, women and men are different. We agree on some things, and disagree on others. What it behooves all of us to remember is that a wise old man and a wise old woman may come to the same conclusion, yet, disagree on how they arrived at that conclusion. And, therein lies the reason that this nomination is so important. Women bring unique perspectives to everything. A woman’s touch, a woman’s experiences, a woman’s life; these are not part of any man’s world – he sees them from the outside, or from a skewed perspective. So, when a legal cases go all the way to the Supreme Court, cases that will influence women’s issues, women need to know there is more than one voice speaking on their behalf. More than one voice to make decisions based both on knowledge of the law and knowledge of what it means to be not just a human being, but a female human being.
If those who are deciding the law for or about women’s issues have no experience being a female human being – how can they make a valid judgment? Truly?
As it is in life, here among the common folk, a woman’s voice is necessary to bring balance. At the very least, balance. So should it be there – at the Supreme Court.
Digital Moms Survey Part 2 – Connecting through Social Networks
By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna’s Promo Talk
A couple of weeks ago I wrote this post on Part 1 of the “Digital Mom” study conducted by Razorfish and CafeMom. They surveyed 1,500 online moms who are reported users of at least two Web 2.0 technologies and have actively researched or purchased online within the last three months. Part 1 told us about the ways moms are consuming media and the range of emerging technologies they have embraced. Most of the findings fortify what we already know, so it’s great to have some third-party findings to back them up.
Moms today are spending more time on the Internet and dedicating an increasing share of that online time to social networks than ever before. The majority of moms indicated that their use of the Internet has increased over the last 24 months, and that this increase in web usage has come at the expense of traditional media. Moms reported spending 18.5 hours per week online, including an average of 8.1 hours on the social networking site CafeMom.
Four out of five moms said social networks have had a positive impact on their lives. Some of the most valuable benefits cited include staying in touch with people they know, connecting with others like themselves that they do not yet know, expressing themselves, having fun, as well as getting information and advice on a wide range of topics from parenting concerns to purchasing decisions.
Once on a social network these moms are not just passive consumers reading blogs and viewing others’ profile pages but are increasingly becoming active participants. They can be found blogging, photo sharing, designing personal profile pages, chatting with others, engaging in group discussions, and playing games, as well as initiating new online friendships and building communities based on interests.
The report then states that moms on social networks are not a homogeneous group. They of course represent a diverse range of demographic and social characteristics. Here are the five core segments and an abbreviated version of the profile descriptions that make up the socially networked moms of today. Can you pick which one you are? Perhaps a combination of some?
The Self Expressor – 40% of CafeMom Sample
Typically in her early thirties, a mom of a preschooler and considering expanding her family, the Self Expressor is outgoing and eager to chat with other moms—particularly about parenting and shopping related matters. She is the second most educated of the segments—most likely having attended some college—and equally likely to be a stay at home mom as be employed.
She is very social and has an above average number of online friends in her network already and continues to reach out to initiate new online friendships, more so than any other segment. She enjoys organizing and beautifying her personal profile page to reflect her own unique style and includes many photos, a personal audio playlist and widgets. She is also generous in responding to polls, and prefers the structured, efficient interaction these areas provide to completely free form conversation and blogging.
The Utility Mom - 25% of CafeMom Sample
Typically in her mid to late thirties and raising school age tweens, she has the most children at home of all the segments, yet spends more time online and on her mom social network each week than any other group. She uses her social network for both purposeful and recreational uses, to help her stay in touch with people and to also monitor her children who are spending more time online themselves.
She’s more introverted and less inherently social. She likes to join online groups such as local school groups or other groups providing practical information, yet is not a frequent contributor to the conversation. She enjoys the widgets on her profile page, especially games and quizzes she can play on a regular basis whenever convenient. She will answer other moms’ poll questions, but won’t create and post any poll questions of her own. She is reluctant to upload and share photos therefore has the lowest number of photos of any segment.
The Groupster – 12% of CafeMom Sample
This group has a friend base on par with the average, but she doesn’t take the initiative to invite friends therefore she receives more online friend invitations than she sends. She does however interact with a fairly wide circle of online acquaintances. She also appreciates opportunities for 1:1 communication with those in her social sphere, and ranks the highest for sending private messages.
She is a very active member of the online mom community. She joins more groups than any other segment, and is the most likely to start a new group. She generously contributes to online forums, blogs often, and asks and answers questions. She is not inclined to share photos or respond to poll questions.
The Infoseeker - 12% of CafeMom Sample
Typically in her late twenties and often with a young baby, either her first or in addition to her toddler. She is among the best educated of the segments, and is most likely to be a stay at home mom. She is hungry for information on parenting-related topics and products since she has a newborn at home.
Friends are by far the most valued channel for parenting advice and next is from online parents in similar circumstances. While she has joined a mom social network, her number of online friends is not very extensive., and she’s more interested in extending her personal sources of parenting advice and product information. She enjoys reading blogs, not writing or posting comment or taking polls. She likes to view others’ photos and is comfortable uploading photos and sharing images of her new baby online.
The Hyperconnector - 9% of CafeMom Sample
Typically in her 40’s who is working while raising teens at home. She is no longer seeking parenting information and advice but is looking more to chat with others like her and hear the latest opinions on products. She uses social networks to keep tabs on her socially active teen through other social networks to help monitor their interests and behavior. Her friend network is a trusted resource for both advice and purchasing decisions, and she values this channel she more than expert reviews, articles or advertising.
She is highly social, has a large friend base, a strong network of existing mom friends and adds people as she encounters them on various social networks. She connects frequently with others through writing blogs she and private messages. She enjoys free flowing conversational areas and responds to open ended journal questions, commenting on others’ posts rather than responding to multiple choice polls or specific member questions. The more visual aspects of expressing herself online are not as important to her; she under indexes dramatically on sharing photos and customizing her profile page.
Summertime means travel: hey, let’s go on a Voyij
But…I seem to be a party of one, for the most part. Other people – intelligent people – don’t buy my, “The out of doors is exactly where it belongs (outdoors) and it should only stay there. That’s why God gave us windows – so we could admire it from the comfort of our heated or air-conditioned homes.”
Other people like to travel, so they say…
It’s my understanding they do this for “fun”…as opposed to being given no choice options by their boss. Ok, that being the case, I was alerted recently to a new travel site that is just perfect for women. Because women, as is their way, are in charge of most travel plans for their family or group. Cruises, or trips to Rome, or some other exotic place – sometimes in with each other (girl friend smarts, in tow), sometimes by themselves, oh my!
The new site, Voyij.com – thanks to Renee Blodgett for this scoop – offers us “the best stuff at the bottom of the bargain bin.” That means… when we’re ready to book that trip to our daughter’s home in Colorado (dang, I already had it booked before I learned about Voyij)…we can go to this site and “Voyij provides comprehensive filtering for what is important to each individual person, including dates, stars, location, activites, price and more. Unlike other sites that may list random deals, Voyij quickly finds offers that match your exact criteria.”
Whew. I’m out of breath now. That was a big sentence. And…I’m startled by the reference to “stars”… maybe Voyij offers travel to Mars? Or, maybe they’ll tell us when the sky is going to be most beautiful… Greece or London or the Caribbean? Or, maybe they help us plan trips to…Hollywood???
I suggest a visit to the site. It’s worth a look-see, click around, put it through its paces. Heaven knows, we ladies need a site that delivers the “deals” including “last minute specials, sales, promotional rates and excess (undersold) inventory.” We need a travel site that gets us the “hot destinations” for a deal… whether it’s beach vacations, family vacations or…Fishing vacations??? (that’s what it says on the site – say, gals, do you fish?)
If Voyij delivers, come on back and share with your girl friends so we can all have a great travel planning experience.
Let the fun begin
Forget the banks and their blatant disrespect for their customers (yes, Bank of America, I’m talking about you.)
Forget that it’s spring and you’d rather be boating or camping or hiking or just walking the dog.
Instead, think…about…the first snow of November 2009. That’s right. Think about Christmas. Christmas will be here before you know it and you’ll be wondering why you aren’t prepared.
No, I’m not trying to put a damper on summer, or turn you away from enjoying your holiday. Instead…
I’m nudging you to prepare for the future, as if the future were already here. It’s basic marketing and it works. Summer, as an ‘event’, has nothing on Christmas. 
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas doesn’t matter. During November and December the public is geared up for spending. If we are still in a recession, pundits will be telling you everyone is going to spend X% less than last year, when they spent X% less than the year before. You’ll be receiving notices in your email box, on the blogs you read, and throughout Twitter, about the tough economy throwing dirt all over the red and green sparkles that make up the winter holiday season. And, if you haven’t prepared yourself, you’ll be believing all that nonsense. (yes, I know…we all have less to spend and will likely spend less of it; or … will we?)
How about this…how about you live in the now that is full of good cheer, full of camaraderie, full of children giggling in expectation, and full of the sense of family we all thought we were missing – in those days before 9/11. How about you get out the holiday decorations and start campaigning…without throwing holly on everything? Without snowing on anyone’s picnic? Without starting every thought with, “Once this recession turns around…” How about you build community and welcome everyone to your business by handing out red bows, sparklers, coupons for movies, cookies, anything that says, Happy Day?
Be full of cheer. Be full of happyness (yes, Will Smith got it right). Be creative – in figuring out how to celebrate the holidays that command a majority of our lives every year, but do it in the sun and warmth of June, July and August.
Deliver me from this lingering dull, depressing, darkness. Bring on the sparkle of July 4th, and keep it sizzling all summer long. Let the fun begin – with you.
"Kids Today…" Or, Am I an Old Fogie Marketer?
By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter
Then, I read that the television networks are still pursuing the golden demographic of “18 to 49 years old” Never mind, that us “old” Boomers have more discretionary income. (When we’re not supporting all those 18 to 49ers who have moved back home…or worse yet, never left.) And, many of us watch the shows, such as one of my must-sees, Supernatural, specifically designed to attract “young attractive people” (the newspaper’s words, not mine.)
Us oldsters are the largest group on Facebook. Many of us, including Yvonne, are happily tweeting away…I and several in my neighborhood (including the “little old ladies”) take our daily power walks plugged into tiny little machines listening to all kinds of music (granted, I do have some Dean Martin on there…;-)
So, what’s a marketer to do? Well, I can tell you what NOT to do.
Don’t assume. Don’t presume. Recently, Michele Miller posted re the new Mars Fling candy bar. Holly Buchanan chimed in with her excellent post, Men Are From “Mars”, Women Are From Hershey. The packaging is pink with frilly, girly looking script (sigh…why and how did pink end up being the femme signal color?)…one of the the
tag lines is “pleasure yourself.” The candy itself comes in – um -
fingers. Have a fling! Your boyfriend doesn’t have to know! You don’t need to feel guilty! Sex, sex, sex…yawn.
Several of us – including Michele, Holly, me and Yvonne – think the marketing is way off base. But, is it? Or, are we being old fogies? Are we guilty of assuming and presuming? I don’t think so.
Holly is about 20 years younger than me. And, I’m pretty sure none of us are prudes (I, for one, could never get elected to public office, from what little I remember of my stupid youth. ‘nuf said.) As for “the young” thinking it’s “fun” – well, there have always been young, silly, shallow women (and men). Are there enough young and silly people to make the candy a success? (BTW – how does the stuff taste?)
Maybe if you’re new to both sex and self-indulgence, you’d buy the candy. (Every new generation thinks they invented sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, or the age’s equivalent. The college students next door proudly plaster their cars with “daring” stickers about all of it, which is actually sorta endearing, since I’m now the “cranky old lady next door.” Get off my lawn!) Me? Been there, done that. I find the whole – um – positioning of the candy to be shallow, silly…and worst of all, boring. (And most likely dreamed up by men.)
Now, I think I’ll go grab another handful of chocolate-covered nuts for breakfast…;-)
Men are from Milwakee Women are from Manhattan
Seriously, in what I see as the latest “old news” being circuclated as “new” news, an article on the Fortune website at CNN states, “Men are from Facebook, women are from Twitter?” With the oh so inspiring tagline, “Studies show the genders really are different online.”
OMG! Men and women are different online. Just like they are different offline! OMG!
You will forgive me my disdain, I hope. It leads me to ask: Is anyone out there really interested in the female market? Anyone want to really sell to women – the women with both the money and the inclination to spend it? Anyone…please…step up, now.
Unless,
of course, you have your nose buried in Fortune magazine where Anna Kattan writes that “eMarketer estimates that U.S. marketers will spend 37.2 billion dollars on online advertising by the year 2013.” After saying, “In fact, gender, more so than race, ethnicity or economic status, determines how and what we peruse online…more women say they use the Internet than men…[but] male Internet users tend to spend more time surfing the Web than females.”
Stats, stats, stats…that mean nothing and change with the seasons. That’s what’s getting reported about the world of online marketing. And when experts or marketers or just freelance writers attempt to qualify the differences between men and women, they usually get it wrong.
Do women shop the same online as they do offline – busy with their window-shopping and looking around? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.
Do men go online with the intent of getting the shopping done so they can go out and play golf? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.
We know that women are nuturers, and that men are visual. So, of course women visit health sites and parenting sites, while men watch more videos and check stocks online. Studies say so, after all. But, what does it all mean, in the end?
It means nothing. That’s right. Nothing. 
Without context – without getting to know your customer, especially your female customer – you’re shooting ducks in the dark. (sorry AFLAC) The article concludes properly by noting that stereotyping your customer, male or female, is a bad idea. If I’ve said it once on Lip-sticking, I’ve said it a thousand, nay a million times (sorry, Mom, can’t help exaggerating), HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR FEMALE CUSTOMERES. LISTEN TO WHAT THEY TELL YOU. INVITE THEM TO A PARTY. BE PERSONAL, AND PERSONABLE. I suggest you try the same with your male customers. And then, only then, can you judge the differences in how a woman and a man feel about what you sell.
For heaven’s sake – stop playing the male/female game. Indeed, we are different. If you’re selling us electronics, we do process the information differently. If you’re selling us gardening tools, we’re likely interested in different aspects of the tools. If you’re selling us photography, we just might be on the same page.
How…how…how can you know without asking??? At least Overstock, that great shopper’s paradise, gets it right. I fully expect them to track visits carefully and when President Patrick Bayren tells TechNewsWorld that “female shoppers are flexing a lot more of their spending power online now,” he knows of what he speaks. He is not quoting stats from any online or offline source. HIS client base is two-thirds women – that’s how he knows! (yes, I shop at Overstock. I love Overstock.)
The reason I recommend marketing to women online, is because women not only buy or influence more goods and services than men, it’s because we talk about them to each other. A lot.
Telegraph, telephone…tell a woman. Need I say more?
And, the girl friends have it!
According to this outstanding article in the WSJ, sent to me by local PR prfoessional, D-D Flannery, “Women control more than half of the nation’s wealth, and they’re increasingly channeling more of their money into philanthropy…”
It’s often a surprise to people that there are affluent women in the U.S. and that they’re selective in where they spend their money. We’re not talking “spend” as in buying a Prada handbag, or designer shoes, or a new condo in Manhattan. We’re talking “spend” are in – what areas are we designating as worthy of time and money? Our time and our money.
The answer is in that article’s title, “Women are Storming Charities.”
“We’re not giving this money to our husbands’ alma maters, we’re giving it to the women and girls who will create solutions in their communities,” according to Chris Grumm, Women’s Funding Network president and chief executive, quoted in the article.
Let’s not get into the fact that women lag men in salaries, no equal pay for equal work, here. And let’s not get into the fact that women are still not truly represented in politics or executive positions or even on the op-ed page…as they should be.
Let’s focus – on where the $$ in the U.S. is going, and who’s putting it there. It’s women. Mind you… it’s not just ”women of note,” as the WSJ article implies. It’s women everywhere. It’s the Moms, Aunties, sisters, cousins, girl friends, and more. Because, collectively, THOSE women outspend all the “women of note.” Collectively, women in this country control the household spending. We control the outdoor spending. We control the spending on cars and computers.
We do it because we’re focused on providing the best for our family. And because the men in our lives are willing to off-load that responsibility. The better to attend to their hobbies or sports or golf. Whatever.
You need go no further than Blogher to see the power of a few dedicated women. This fantastic women’s blog network accomplishes more in one day, than a herd of others could do in months. The approximately 2500 women bloggers command attention and create on-going conversations, every day. They represent beauty, business, entertainment, health, life, mommy, money, news, sex, and technology – and they do it from a woman’s viewpoint.
Girl friend, this is straight talk. Me to you. You to everyone you know. Everyone you know to everyone she knows. Women have stood up to be counted. We’ve raises our voices to be heard. Now, it’s time to create the action that gets results.
Action at home, in our businesses, at the office, online, and offline. For those of you who watched the Preakness last Saturday – were you as thrilled as I was at Rachel Alexandra’s win? The filly showed the colts she was their equal, in every measure. Aren’t WE every bit a measure of her determination and strength and power and focus? And, isn’t it time to show the world what we can do?
Girl friend to girl friend – there is no stopping us! Who’s with me?
Do Social Media Right, Not Quick
by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia
On page 13 of his book, Mike says something about starting a business that absolutely, totally and 1,000% applies to social media as well:
“Launch a company to get rich right, not to get rich quick. It works.”
I could paraphrase that to say:
“Use social media to market right, not quick.”
So many people have fallen prey to what master heart-centered marketer Mark Silver would call the “lottery syndrome”. That is hoping and wishing and praying that this latest marketing tool is “it”.
Last week, a potential client set up an appointment with my assistant to speak with me. This woman was an otherwise bright, intelligent woman who had an awesome idea for a blog. I seconded her idea, gave her some tips and she asked for us to submit a proposal. We agreed.
It was a pleasant conversation and at the end she said, “I’m a numbers person so the more you can include what kind of results I can expect, the more the proposal will appeal to me.” Busted.
We wrote the proposal, of course, but the more I thought about this, the more I realized that the details she wanted were impossible to truthfully provide. I mean, sure, I could have said, “You can expect 1,000 unique views in the first three months”, but that would be hogwash. So, when we presented the proposal, we explained why social media doesn’t work like advertising.
The truth is, everyone wants to know how fast they’ll have the latest blog hotness. They hear and read stories about bloggers like Obama Girl and YouTube videos like “Yes We Can” and think those are the norm or even close to it. And, that’s because that’s all the mainstream media focuses on.
No one ever sees the lone blogger who writes consistently for months without even a blip on the radar screen, comment, trackback or Tweet love. (I know you ladies are out there blogging and I hear you.)
What I know for sure is that when you show up regularly with smart, positive things to say about how to make your industry or clients better, people will take notice. When you read what other people have to say and genuinely join the conversation sans agenda, people will take notice. And, then one day, you look up and lo and behold, you’re rich.
