There was once a time when women were somewhat marginalized in a society that was heavily slanted towards men’s needs and concerns. While incidences of discrimination against women remain fairly commonplace, there have been a few strides made in the quest to have women more heavily involved in various aspects of society. This is particularly noticeable in the online world, where the democratization of the collective online experience has given women a more prominent role than they have previously enjoyed otherwise.
Blogging is one specific area wherein women are finally able to stand toe-to-toe with men. There are literally thousands of blogs online at any given moment, and they are comprised of countless thousands of potential customers. As prevalent an Internet phenomenon as blogging is, it is made even richer by the greater involvement of women.
How Women Are Reshaping the Online Landscape
Today, women bloggers regularly slug it out with male bloggers on cyberspace for a share of the audience that was once focused primarily on men. The impact of the large number of women bloggers cannot be denied any longer, and it is shaping the online marketing world in ways that were never before seen.
Any business plan or online marketing approach that neglects to address women’s concerns would be to the specific company’s disadvantage. As one noted multimedia company observed recently, a large percentage of the readers who frequent social networking sites are women. This realization is made all the more significant when you consider that in any given household, it is typically the women who handle most of the household expenditures.
Blogging is actually only one aspect of the social networking phenomenon, which has revolutionized the Internet as we know it. It is in this sphere that women have made their presence felt the strongest, and the top social networking sites are constantly populated with women users…all of whom represent a fertile market for Twitter marketing or Facebook marketing.
Social networking sites are of course nothing new. Ever since the first blog popped up and invited readers to share comments and leave feedback on a varied array of topics, such sites have changed the way that we communicate over the Internet forever. Today, social networking sites are bigger than ever, and as essential as they are if you want to learn how to build an online business, its continued growth seems assured for the foreseeable future. In fact, a social networking site may be the best tool to have at your disposal for achieving web success.
Why Women Are a Social Networking Force
It is interesting to note that women seem ideally suited to the social networking phenomenon. It may be because of the relative anonymity that the Internet offers that gives them more freedom or encouragement to voice out their thoughts. It may also be because it is much easier for women to reach out to a given audience by way of such sites. In any case, women have taken to blogging in a big way, and they make up a large portion of the user base of most social networking sites.
Follow the Money
So what are the implications of such a large user base made up of women in terms of online marketing? Just like any marketing campaign, you will have to go where the money is, and in the case of blogs and other social networking sites that money is firmly held by the women. To disregard this market would be doing your business a disservice and you will be missing out on many great opportunities to connect with a captive audience.
Many online marketing professionals are becoming cognizant of the need to address this burgeoning market. Even today, numerous marketing campaigns are launched, many of which are designed from the ground up to address the various activities that women do on social networking sites. In fact, social networking has the unique ability to allow an online marketer to tailor his or her efforts to address the need of a specific group easily and quickly.
In the midst of all this, it is important to keep in mind that women bloggers are just as effective as male bloggers with regard to influencing their readers. In fact, in the case of certain sites t hat cater to specific women’s concerns, their influence on their readers may even be more significant. women power
Turning Ripples into Waves to Spread Your Message
What does this mean to the online marketer? Simply put, you will have to convince women bloggers of the merits of your products or services before you are able to convince their readers. The readership base of a blog typically relies on the blogger for updates, news and recommendations on a specific product, service or anything else that has to do with the site’s niche, and they tend to view the blogger as an authority of sorts.
While targeting your online marketing campaign to the readers of a blog may get you a few hits, you will likely get far better results by going after the blogger. Once you have managed to win a blogger over to your cause, it is a short step towards having her recommend you to her readers as well. What you will essentially be doing is working on the ripple effect, where your efforts to sell to a single person will result in an exponential spread of your message.
Uncharted Waters, Unlimited Potential
One thing that you will have to guard against is alienating your women audiences. Try to develop a genuine concern for their specific needs and do not talk down to them. Treat them as yo