She's Got The Power

How many times have you been in meetings when you've heard that women are powerful consumers and important audiences? You all agree, but then wonder what to do about it.

It's true that women are powerful consumers. They comprise 51% of the U.S. population, and are responsible for $6 trillion in spending. Did you know that women purchase 83% of all products; make 62% of all car purchases; buy 75% of all OTC medications; purchase 66% of all home computers; open 89% of all bank accounts; and are the decision-makers for 70% of leisure travel? Now, that's power!

Women are also important radio audiences. They are truly the #1 growth market opportunity. So, how to market to her? First, embrace the most important aspect of gender-specific marketing: Women want to be "connected with" not "sold to." She's looking to build and nurture relationships, not buy products and listen to a radio broadcast. She seeks out relationships with people, brands and entertainment venues that she feels understand and respect her.

Radio is the perfect medium for connecting with her, because a woman listens with both sides of her brain at the same time. A man only listens with one side at a time. This is why women are so good at multi- tasking, and men are so good at focusing. Because she's listening with both sides of her brain, she can listen to the radio - effectively hearing what she's listening to - while doing something else. And, if she's listening to the radio while having a conversation with another person, she's more likely than a man to incorporate what she's hearing into the conversation. Now, that's an important audience!

Radio is the place to reach her, but to connect with her you must allow her the opportunity to build a relationship. For women, this is done most effectively by storytelling. Women tell, and enjoy hearing, stories. It's their primary means of communication, and the way they remember.

Women and men also differ in how much they communicate. In a typical day, a woman will speak 6,000 - 8,000 words. A man's total daily speech output is 2,000 - 4,000 words. That's why women get frustrated with men when they don't engage them in enough conversation. When he's done with his 4,000 words, she still has 4,000 to go! When he's sharing the facts - just the facts - she's telling stories.

So, what does this mean? When planning your programming, keep in mind that she's looking for relationships. Does your on-air talent engage in storytelling? Are you providing her with programming that she feels understands and respects her? What is it about your programs that enables her to build and nurture relationships not only with your station, but with her girlfriends and family?

Remember, she's got a lot to say. Don't you want her talking about your broadcast? In upcoming issues, I'll present other evolutionary and biological differences in how men and women think, perceive and behave, and how to use this information to build your female audience, and strengthen relationships with her and your advertisers.