Dear Socially Stephanie:
I am the brand new Social Media Marketing Assistant at a company that sells women's clothing. I've worked on a few political and NGO campaigns, mainly targeting young audiences, so I have absolutely no idea how to communicate with women between ages of 35 and 55. What do you think will work?
Eager in Euguene
Dear Eager,
My friend, you are asking an age-old question here. What women want is a topic that philosophers have pondered for years. While every woman wants something different, you are in luck because on social media, we have behaviors that you can tap into.
First of all, women dominate social media. We're more active than men on most of the networks and we check our social networks more often than men do. We love to catch up with friends, do a bit of snooping and take advantage of discounts that pop up on our feed. In fact, we like to follow brands, so you are at an advantage there. So what does that mean for you? Post often and post well.
Now, that's a generalization, of course. If we dig a bit deeper into your demographic, we're looking at the mommy demographic. This group goes online for their "me-time." Me-time should be uplifting and a break from everyday life. Keep your posts happy, friendly and feel-good for more engagement and action. And most importantly, keep your posts image-centric. Not only do women respond better to images than text, you are in the fashion business, which means showcasing your clothing is obviously of utmost importance. Think about incorporating your clothing in a way that is relatable. Think bite-sized information that compels your audience to buy. You don't always have to use professional images, in fact, I also recommend using user-generated content as a part of your visual content strategy. Women want to feel recognized, by using their content you have the ability to hit them where it matters most and give them their 15 minutes of fame.
Again, being in the clothing business, I'd focus on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. All of these networks are populated by women who are very active online. In fact, Instagram just surpassed Twitter in user count. Believe me, many of them are women.
When it comes to social media, in addition to tone, time matters. Women are most active at night on Pinterest and during the day on Facebook. While this is just one study's findings, you should look into your analytics and determine the best time to post for your exact audience. You can find this in your Google Analytics or in Facebook Insights. But this data is crucial. If you want eyeballs, you have to post when the eyeballs are around.
Well, now you have a place to start. Run with it and make it count. Good luck!
Socially,
Stephanie
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