The Keys to Transparent Marketing

Transparently reaching women is all about making great changes in your product and marketing that are inspired by women, but appreciated by everyone. The heart of the matter is providing solutions— and an industry's gold standard will be those that are intuitive and take the hassle out of buying. A woman's response to your transparent ways will inspire her to rave to friends, "Why didn't I think of that?" Or, "I can't imagine doing it any other way."

Transparent marketing involves a lot more preparatory research and connecting with your women's market than a visible effort might. Here are a few keys to developing an effective and resonant transparent campaign from the start:

1 NARROW YOUR FOCUS

No matter how much you want to, you won't be able to market all at once toward a broad spectrum of ages, life stages or cultures. The more mass appeal you create, the more likely your message will become too diluted to appeal to just those women with whom you need to be relevant. So, force yourself to decide upon those women who will likely be the early adopters of, or best fit for, your product or service. If you start with that narrowly defined but important group, their passion for your brand will attract a wider audience.

A good example of this in action is the yoga fitness movement. The culture and lifestyle around yoga, which originally served quite a narrow niche, are now embraced by a much broader market. The small passionate core group of early practitioners demonstrated the benefits of these health practices and commitments. Now celebrities and aging Boomers are taking it mainstream. Suddenly the yoga culture is fueling the new designs of workout clothes and shoes, the increasing adoption of eastern-inspired religions and practices, and a new awareness and passion for organic and raw food diets.

2 UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER COMMUNITY INTIMATELY

You've identified that powerful community of focus, so now it is essential to understand what influences it. Two important things to consider as you explore the wants and needs of these women:

A day in their life. Do what you can to learn about their daily routines, common thoughts and regular stresses. What are their motivations and what are their fears? What pushes their buttons? How do things work within their community? What music do they listen to?

These are some intimate, touchy-feely questions to pose. But this is how you dig deep to retrieve the cues you need in order to form your transparent strategies. Only when you know these fine details of the lives of those women with whom you'd like to build brand loyalty, can you see how your products, services and messages will fit their needs and their ways of learning about things.

A day in their dreams. Shared hopes, desires and belief structures, even more than generational commonalities, bring women together in community and define the boundaries of market segments. For instance, a commitment to organic gardening and an aspiration to protect the environment long-term are both examples of beliefs that can transcend all generations, cultures and life stages.

3 BUILD CUSTOMER FEEDBACK INTO YOUR PROCESS

Go beyond just understanding your market to involving your customers and marketing with them. Instead of getting feedback about a product or program once it is virtually on the shelf (too little input, too late), include women sooner and more often when building something new.

4 FOCUS ON YOUR PRODUCT'S CONTEXT

Design your customer experience around those key scenarios or life stages that occur in the community of women on which your brand is focused. Consider how your brand might be positioned to turn up in the doctor's waiting room, in the store aisle or in the mailbox, just as your customer thinks about or needs your product or service.

5 UNDERSTAND AND DEFINE YOUR BRAND

Let your brand's spirit step forward, instead of diluting it in an attempt to be everything to everyone. The danger these days in building a marketing effort to women isn't so much about being politically correct, it's more about the hazards of becoming too similar to the bland campaigns of other brands. When you know what sets your brand apart and effectively present and promote that uniqueness, you'll more likely capture the attention of women and get the buzz started with their friends.

6 BE AUTHENTIC

Share your brand's attitude and honestly reveal both its strengths and weaknesses. The community you are trying to reach will appreciate such forthrightness, and that will also help them gain trust in the people behind the brand.