Recent research has shown how the use of social media has grown in the UK moving away from a predominate youth focus to become a much more diverse demographic. Interestingly women are now the leading users of social media in the UK accounting for 52.7% of social network users in 2013, a figure expected to rise to 53.0% by 2016, according to an eMarketer report.
Also according to figures from the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), 54% of female social network users in the UK accessed social sites more than once a day, compared with 46% of males, indicating that more women are avid social media users.
So how should this knowledge affect your social marketing strategy?
Certainly if you’re not already marketing your products and services through social media you should be especially if your target audience is female.
Reaching a female audience
There is always a great deal of debate about the differences between men and women, but most people would generalise that men respond better to more logical and factual terms in marketing messages, while women prefer more emotional language that empathise with what they want or need.
It’s a good idea to visualise your target audience as real individuals with likes and dislikes this approach helps you develop a more personal message with real impact.
An example of this could be a busy working mum juggling family and career, what can you offer this lady to make her life easier, happier, more fulfilling? What images and word will catch her attention amongst the see of posts and notifications? What promotions, games or offers will have the biggest appeal?
The answers to these questions and more will help you build a truly successful social marketing campaign for this audience.
Beware of stereotyping
While tailoring your marketing to make it more personal is highly beneficial to be careful not to fall into the trap of stereotyping your audience. You never want to alienate people rather you should be building trust in your brand.
Another pitfall is to make access to your promotions too complicated or time consuming. People are busy so make these as simple and quick as possible.
Social Media Marketing advice and support
For more advice on social media marketing talk to ExtraDigital, we can help you create the perfect social strategy for your business. We also provide a tailored social media support to ensure your social marketing is a genuine benefit to your business and not a drain on your resources. Call +44 (0)1227 68 68 98
