The Fairer Sex?
by CJ, Purve.com
It's no secret that Women have been flocking to
the Internet in droves over the past 3 years, but amidst the huff
and puff of "What do Women Want" marketing, someone forgot to ask
"What will Women Pay For?"
Assessing the Market
It is a common mistake, when researching a mass share of any market,
to assume a cross section of survey questions is a complete summary
of the market's net worth. To ask a consumer, "What type of coffee
do you like," instead of, "What type of coffee do you drink," is leading
that person to reply with their 'preferred' coffee, rather than the
one they really buy for $1.09, on the discount rack.
Great campaigns have been undertaken by organizations, such as Nike,
to research the potential value the Women's market holds for them
- to find out what the woman 'wishes' her life was like, and to convert
and present this wish, in the form of a Nike cross trainer (with the
inflated price tag).
In the great big world of cyberspace, someone forgot the 'pay' part.
Take for example, women.com - one of the net's largest (and most extensively
promoted) portals for women. The site has enough free information
to keep the average female surfer entertained for hours (and probably
a bunch of men, too!). It has message boards, astrology, and that
'community' feel that women supposedly like.
The advertisers shelling out top dollar for brand name advertising
on these portals are sadly unaware that a site with too much information
does not sell their product - but rather proves its lack of necessity.
They are also unaware that they are missing most of the eyeballs,
which make 70% of all households purchasing decisions, because the
site alone is enough to keep them occupied.
In contrast, the 4men market has stuck to sites like 'Men's Health',
which are little more than an advertisement for the print magazine.
Very little free information is given - just enough to make you want
to purchase the products surrounding the meagre text. Instead of embracing
this concept for the 4women market, hundreds of sites have proceeded
to provide a 'complete surfing experience' for women - making a 'paid
product' unnecessary for them.
Developing your product
It has been suggested many times, by those who provide the model above,
that women don't pay for porn. That statement is untrue, women are
only paying for porn in much smaller numbers than men. They do, however,
account for approximately 75% of retail transactions over the Internet,
account for a majority of the surfers and purchasers at sex toy stores,
and a considerable percentage of those looking for adult entertainment.
During the year 2000, the hype of women as a booming market slowed,
giving those who invested in the research, the opportunity to sit
back and embrace their findings. Working on the premise that women
had told them, 'we want a community,' they built the communities -
and the women came, but they didn't click...
To generate traffic and find a market is one significant element of
making a web site, but its not enough to make that site 'profitable.'
Giving a woman what she asks for, does not mean she will buy one of
your advertised products or services. In fact, she may not need to,
as she has already satisfied.
To successfully use the adult model, there must be a very clearly
defined line, between paid service and free service. Giving away too
much for free, means less sales for the sponsors. This is true for
all markets and niches, but is perhaps more important to point out,
to those looking at the 4women market as a profitable future venture.
Attempting to meet the guidelines of your surveys does not ensure
you are effectively marketing to your audience. Your goal should be
to fall slightly short of your audience requests. If she asks for
more pics of a cowboy with his penis in his hand, give her one with
his pants on, and point her in the direction of your sponsor. By giving
her 'what she wants' for free, you are making it unnecessary for her
to follow your intended traffic flow.
Myths and Perceptions
A lot of recent research has been dispelling the myths of the past
few years. If you believe the media, last year women looked for the
following from their online experience:
1) A community
2) Easy technology
3) Security & Privacy
Therefore, all sites developed by high cash-burn organizations, were
fighting to meet these requests. What makes a community? Throw a message
board up, get letters from women, and make each feel like she's contributing
to the online experience - oh, but make sure its really easy so we
don't confuse her, and don't forget to say, over and over, 'we do
not issue your e-mail address to anyone,' to show your commitment
to her privacy. /end sarcasm
Nearly all of these mega-sites, providing entertainment for women,
include some kind of pregnancy information. Women.com, Oprah (www.oprah.com),
iVillage (www.ivillage.com), etc., are a small example. Along with
the big-three requirements, for a 4women site, it has also been assumed
that all women are either: (a.) pregnant, (b.) trying to get pregnant,
or (c.) nursing a newborn. The sexuality columns are nothing more
than 'advice for sexual positions during pregnancy,' or '101 positions
to hide your pregnant belly.'
What many of these sites are now finding (surprise, surprise...) is
that they aren't as profitable as they expected to be. Now, for the
richest woman in America, Oprah, this is a non-issue, but for those
other 4women sites that followed the 'community, love to shop, treat
me like an idiot' market research - their investments are not paying
off.
Research for 2001, has shown many of our most commonly believed myth's
about marketing to women, to be untrue. To assume that women are immediately
searching for cosmetics, fashion, and baby information is naive, at
best. It's now believed the most common reason women go online is
for information to help them with their every day lives. This is more
likely to consist of subjects, such as education, news and health
- with an overwhelming 60% of women stating that they visit these
sites at least once a month. Compare that with only 19% of women who
visit fashion and beauty sites once a month, and you can see where
the majority of women's traffic is travelling, and where marketing
was falling short.
How does this translate to the adult market?
The key to adapting the preceding information for an adult market
4women is to understand the single common principle currently bringing
women online - to look for information to help them in their everyday
lives.
Obviously, we are not going to try to attempt to offer nappy changing
advice and cooking tips in our adult web site - but when it comes
to providing information to help them in their everyday SEX lives,
we're it! Where a gallery in a 4men's site may consist of 10 pics
of Cheerleader teen Anita, a 4women gallery may consist of 10 pics
of varying sexual positions - complete with a link to a sponsor who
shows the 'how to,' and 'more ways to bonk.' By providing the idea
that her sex life could be better, you are forcing her to consider
how to improve that facet of her life.
It is also important to note that women, sexually, are more than a
genital organ. Men worry about how to make their penis bigger, so
they can get it wet a little more often. Women worry about cancer,
endometriosis, low cervix, period pain, one week of downtime, tender
breasts, yeast infections ... need I go on? The elements blocking
a woman's ability to have a healthy, active sex life, are far more
numerous than those of a man, therefore the Internet is both a tool
for education, and a guide to consequent pleasure.
The successful operator of a 4women site, must understand the complexities
of a woman, her concerns and fears, and her wants and desires - and
sum it up in a few pages, or a gallery. Does this mean you must be
female? - of course not. Does this mean you must do a little more
research than you usually do? Perhaps.
Making a Start
The good news, for anyone who is hoping to take a plunge into this
market, is that it is the single most researched demographic in existence.
Not one major corporation has entered the new Millennium without asking,
"What do women want?" No newspaper-reading citizen has escaped the
marketing thrust targeting women over the last few years. When you
consider that corporations are spending the big bucks, to research
and 'delve into the minds' of the 4women market, most of the research
you need already exists. Although the sceptics would have you believe
that it's not in a woman's nature to pay for sex, you will very well
find that it is in their nature to pay for the sex they are lacking.
Follow the same steps you would follow, when developing your product
for any new market or niche. Research your audience, adapt your knowledge,
and develop the product using all you have learned.
Article written by CJ, of www.purvebucks.com and www.sexhit.com
If you require assistance with the 4women market, contact: cj@purve.com
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