Making your sales page pink or adding glitter isn’t the right way to sell more to women (even speaking as a woman who loves pink, and glitter)…
Sure, some words are powerful when selling to ALL human beings.
Words like…
- You
- Free
- Because
- Instantly
- New
Yep, those grab everyone’s attention – male or female.
And David Ogilvy’s 20 Most Influential Words…
- Suddenly
- Now
- Announcing
- Introducing
- Improvement
- Amazing
- Sensational
- Remarkable
- Revolutionary
- Startling
- Miracle
- Magic
- Offer
- Quick
- Easy
- Wanted
- Challenge
- Compare
- Bargain
- Hurry
Also grab our attention.
But beyond the obvious, men and women are DIFFERENT.
We all know this… sometimes it feels like men and women speak completely different languages:
We make buying decisions differently. And with everyone from Forbes to Neilsen reminding us how much money women control… well, it’s a good idea to recognize that just making your sales page pink, adding flowers, or using a scripty font, is not enough to get women to buy…
Don’t fall into the companies who approach selling to women in ways that come across as unrealistic or patronizing, okay?
Here are three core motivators that will help women feel safe doing business with you and boost your conversion rates:
Safety & Understanding
Women as a group are more risk-averse than men. Now, we’ve got our daredevils, but in general we want to feel safe that we are making smart decisions.
We also want to know you understand us and what we care about.
How can you convey safety and understanding?
1. Share testimonials with real people like me on your page
2. Make the guarantee and refund policy clear
3. Show me before/afters, photos, video – and the stories behind them so I can connect with their feelings
4. Tell your own story, especially the transformations – so I see that you understand me
5. Don’t make it my fault – explain that you understand why I ended up with the challenge I’m fighting, and that you see how I can solve it and believe I can, with your help (if that’s true – if it’s not, then find another product or service to sell!)
Community & Belonging
We’re all looking to belong, to be part of a community. How can you create that supportive community around your product, services, or blog?
- Use Facebook groups
- Create forums
- Host twitter chats or other connection points
And then look for ways to convey that feeling in your copy. For example, try testing “Join Us” or “Become a Member” against “Sign Up” on your opt-in form buttons.
Secrets & Exclusivity
Being the first to test something out, the first to have insider info… that’s powerful because women love to share and to be part of special groups.
Consider phrases like…
- Members only
- Login required
- Request an invitation
- Apply to be one of our beta testers
- Exclusive offer
- Become an insider
- Get it before everybody else
- Be the first to hear about it
- Only for subscribers
- Apply for an early invite
- Get in first
- Join the early access club
Faith in Something Bigger
One more piece of advice… find the “something bigger” that relates to what it is you offer.
I might not want to do X, Y, Z to make more money. But tie that money to creating positive change in the world – caring for my family, donating to charities, or otherwise – and my thoughts change.
Women are mission-driven and purpose-focused.
And, we tend to believe just a little more strongly in the magical, mystical world, too.
Don’t tell me I’ll make a million dollars (in yellow highlighter and red bold text), tell me how we can change the world (with images and stories).
Wanna Read More?
Here’s a fantastic article about selling to women, and using feminine words, for further reading:
Romance 101: How to Use Feminine Words that Sell by Copyblogger
Your Turn…
Women, what do you look for when you’re making a decision to purchase? What motivates you to click “buy” – or makes you decide to go elsewhere?
Share in the comments!
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Great article, Michelle! IN fact, I’d love to reprint it on FrugalMarketing.com. Please LMK (via Twitter, FB, or email) if I may.
In spite of my Y chromosome, I think my copy tends toward the “fem” side. As a reader, I get very turned off by the male-oriented war-copy metaphors, especially in sports coverage. And I’ve certainly embraced the transformational mindset in my copy.
As an example, the headline and subhead on my http://goingbeyondsustainability.com website include this language:
“World of Peace, Plenty, and Profit”
“find the sweet spot that combines profitable products and services with deep social/environmental change.”
I just love the headline of this article “the answer is not pink glitter” :))! Who knows, maybe it is? Anyway, you’ve outlined some very effective ways to sell to women and I’m going to steal some of them. Hope you don’t mind. #stealingwhileyouarenotlooking :))
I’m not saying I would be interested in pink glitter… But green, perhaps! LOL Joking aside, this is really good information. A huge part of my niche is actually directed to women. I like that you include here about touching on an emotional base of feeling special. All women love to feel special so it makes sense to have them feel this way with your blog or shop online.
Only a man could think adding pink glitter would help sell something to women (although that does sound nice). Thanks for the list of influential words and for explaining to everyone how one should try to approach a women in order to sell her something.
LOL! The title really grabbed my attention and I enjoyed reading this article. Loved it! Absolutely funny and informative too. I think more men should read this one.
The video is funny and true.
I used to get offended when people would say to just add something flashy or a bunch of cat gifs and your woman readers will be happy. I find that it takes more than making a post look pretty. Sure, it can attract female readers but it doesn’t mean they will stick around! I really enjoyed this post a lot.