The Authentic Truth

And its role in marketing to women

Genuine. Authentic. Transparent. 

All of these trends – and yes, buzzwords – are getting a lot of press for good reason. Authenticity is defined as “based on facts; accurate or reliable.” In a world where so much of our interaction is filtered (pun intended) through social media, authenticity can be difficult to find. And making genuine connections has become ever more valuable. 

As industries and marketers evolve to include more women as customers, the importance of authentic branding and communication increases. As we’ve discussed previously, women have always been a large part of the market and often overlooked. But companies are starting to figure out how to capture this opportunity through optimizing product design for women, and catering to their purchasing power. 

We also need to strategically market to women, or our product design efforts may go unnoticed. And how women make purchasing decisions and intake information is very different from men. 

How women’s brains work differently than men’s

This article explains a few fundamental physiological differences between female and male brains, which shed some light on how women make decisions.

Women have more neurological connections in their brains than men do, which manifests in women often requiring more information and more benefits to make a decision. They will often weigh more benefits and hurdles, consider more scenarios and “mull a decision over” before making it. Whereas, men often are quicker to make decisions with less information. 

Women’s intuition center in the brain is also larger and more active than men’s. This tends to have a two-fold effect on decision making: women often have a stronger gut reaction to options; and, they have a strong ability to read tone, facial expression and emotions. Female intuition is a driving factor in why authentic branding and voice resonates so well with them. 

In addition to their own gut feelings, women also often seek out corroborating feedback from trusted sources: people they know, brands they’re familiar with, and evidence. Seeing a larger than life tumbler in the hands of your favorite influencer on social media (and in all of your mom-friends hands as well), means you’re more likely to make that purchase.

Marketing that resonates

In addition to the couple of examples mentioned above, marketing to women authentically and transparently means storytelling. Include case studies on your website, blog, commercials, and social media. Case studies prove that real life people use and love your product. Anecdotes will allow your potential customers to gain glimpses of themselves in your current customers. Client stories will share a genuine experience with your pipeline population that isn’t “just another statistic.” Stories connect with women and will allow them to connect with your product.  

You prove that your brand is authentically valuable to your customer by maintaining your tone of voice throughout any campaign. The importance of having a strategic marketing playbook that your brand lives by is more important than ever. Your case studies, social media and any other piece of marketing needs to connect back to your brand. And you need to assure that your customers feel that fit throughout their experience. Brand authenticity means consistency, and lack of consistency is a sure-fire way to lose traction with women.

Summarizing the biological differences

• Women have more neurological connections = they need more information to make a decision.
• Women have a larger intuition center = they lean into gut feelings and sense others’ body language.
• Women seek more corroborating feedback from trusted sources = seeing other women using a product influences them.
• Women are more responsive to storytelling = case studies are crucial for connecting with a product.

Are your marketing campaigns resonating with the female demographic? Download my free guide to discover how you can build a brand that resonates with women. I’d love to be a part of your brand’s story, check out my services and send me a message today!