Women are chief medical officers for themselves and their families. How can we better engage with them?
Within a woman’s social sphere, there tends to be a specific group of women who are the ‘go-to’ source of information. Marina Maher Communications (MMC) calls this 12 per cent of women influence-hers. They spend much of their time researching, sharing, commenting, and ‘liking’ products, organisations and causes and are relied upon by other women for advice.
MMC surveyed more than 2,000 women to uncover how these highly influential individuals can be reached. The research was conducted by the word-of-mouth authority, the Keller Fay Group.
Influence-hers are connected
- Influence-hers are twice as socially connected as other women
- On average her active social network stretches to over 170 people (compared with an average of 74 for most women)
- She’s 112 per cent more likely to use media tools to give advice
- She is also 38 per cent more likely to be your fan on Facebook
- Chances are marketers are communicating with her already, because she is 38 per cent more likely to give her personal information to a brand website or Facebook page.
Influence-hers can be influenced
While the average woman is increasingly unmoved by marketing messages and media advice, these highly connected, researched, sophisticated influence-hers women are listening intently to what brands have to say.
Why? It all comes down to her three favourite words: Did you know?
She is the supplier of news, the woman in the know. And she gets much of her information – the thing that gives her status and credibility – from media and marketers.
So, while the majority of women are listening to her, she is turning to the very media outlets that marketing and public relations can influence in order to get the information that fuels her credibility.
More than other women, she is open to being influenced by recommendations, experts, celebrities, online reviews and the media.
And when it comes to health advice, influence-hers are 33 per cent more likely than the average woman to turn to a brand endorser.
Tips for reaching influence-hers
There are some key tips for reaching influence-hers with health messages:
- Provide relevant, shareable information via your website and social media. And make it easy to share online through connections to Facebook and Twitter
- Choose the right endorsers to reach her; someone who will move women to action – consider third-party groups or media authorities
- Another way to connect is to leverage an organisation that gathers women together. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (PCH) did that at BlogHer this year, where more than 3,000 women gathered together
- Appeal to her emotionally by showing you care. Many biopharmaceutical companies do not have the same freedom to engage online, but that should not stop them from starting a dialog with influence-hers. Find ways to talk to her and even more importantly, listen to her.
Special Broadcaster
The rise of the influence-her opens up the way brands should consider their marketing communications. Instead of orienting solely around a broad target audience, why not focus on this special ‘broadcaster’ who can move the many?
She is effectively a mass market of one. Bring her along, give her the information she craves, how she wants it and from whom she wants it and she will bring her endorsement to a broader group of women.
Ultimately, this is the new model that will deliver increased loyalty and sales.
The author: Megan Svensen is Executive Vice President at Marina Maher Communications. Megan can be contacted at MSvensen@mahercomm.com