Catching the Wave: Targeting Women Surfing Online
More and more women are browsing online for the products and services they need—including insurance and financial products.
Where once they patronized only shopping malls and local business strips, women are now logging on to make their purchases in that virtual world known as the Internet.
What does this mean for you, the local insurance agent?
It means marketing potential. It means that, by simply keeping up with the times, you can tap into a target that remains largely untouched.
And that means money!
An Influential Group
Women's voices ring out loud and clear when it comes to money spent on household purchases.
A majority of women manage their home's finances themselves; in fact, a recent study shows that nine out of 10 women hold sole, or minimally, joint authority over family funds.
With so much purchasing power just lying at their feet, women maintain a prevailing presence that online merchants and specialty service providers must not ignore.
Doing It Right
If you decide to promote your business to this special online niche, following a few simple rules can help guarantee your success.
Using online advertising, email campaigns and high-quality Web content is the best way to draw women's attention to your products and services online. But your efforts must be carefully calculated if you're to reach this market successfully.
To pursue women shoppers effectively, try these helpful techniques:
- Illustrate sincerity. This is a quality most women highly prize. If you can educate them about your product and explain how it meets their needs sincerely and honestly, you'll gain their loyalty—and their business.
- Create incentive. Appeal to the feminine side with things that make women feel good. For example, offer a chance to win a day at a spa, or a $500 shopping spree, for anyone signing up to receive insurance information from your Web site.
- Reward word-of-mouth effort. Give women the opportunity to refer their friends and family in exchange for some reward (see above). Referral programs are generally very successful with women, and the cost is minimal to you&mdashespecially compared to the results.
- Use email with care. Purposeful emails that answer women's questions, provide information and meet needs are powerful marketing tools placed at your disposal. But take care not to go overboard; bombarding women with emails or sending them unsolicited messages means you risk losing their business before you even have a chance to capture it.
- Ensure a consistent message. Make sure that what you say in person is also conveyed on your Web site or online advertisements. Women quickly pick up on inconsistencies, and view them as dishonesty—whether intended or not.
- Make Web site navigation easy. This helps women quickly find and choose the information and products they need from your offerings. It also helps you better discern their needs and desires so you can target them more effectively.
- Practice repetition. Use the Internet to expand on your other advertising campaigns. The more women hear your messages, the more likely they are to purchase from you.
- Entertain them. Studies show that women enjoy participating in online games and promotions. Use a simple game or promotional on your Web site; it'll draw women like magnets!
- Demonstrate trustworthiness. Clearly display your privacy policy right up front-and gain women's trust by consistently abiding by it!
Get in the Money
Reaching women online and converting them into customers takes knowledge and skill. But with some hard work and persistence, you can capture your share of this powerful, lucrative market.
That's a small price to pay for financial gain and devoted clients!
This information was provided by InsureMe, the leader in online insurance leads for the insurance industry. Since 1993, InsureMe has helped thousands of insurance agents succeed in the insurance business by providing top-quality leads that are both detailed and affordable. For more information on InsureMe leads, please visit our agent Web site at agent.insureme.com.
