Nonprofit and Political Groups Need to Learn How to Market to Women
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
May 15, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes
NEW BOOKS
The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World — and How to Reach Them
by Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen
“Women are on the forefront of all the primary drivers of change: money, volunteer service, and the power of the vote,” write Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen, both executive vice presidents at Fenton Communications.
Unfortunately, the authors argue, “because women have been perceived as a niche audience for so long from both the public and political sectors, we are light years behind where we should be in marketing to them to unleash their power as partners in social change.”
Ms. Witter and Ms. Chen explain why they believe women are so important for charities and political groups to focus on as donors, volunteers, and supporters.
Women-owned businesses are growing faster than businesses owned by men, the authors write. They add that women’s brains are also “wired differently,” and that females are typically better communicators with “a strong sense of interdependence.”
“Given the problems facing our country and the world today, we need more than ever to call upon women’s abilities to build and strengthen communities,” the authors argue.
The book examines ways that nonprofit and political organizations can attract a female audience. For example, the authors argue that women are more likely to become interested and engaged in groups that appeal to their emotional sides and help them connect with other people.
The authors also offer tips on reaching female supporters — marketing on television is better than radio, and using pink on a Web site meant for women can seem condescending, they say.
Each chapter concludes with a summary and a brief list of tips, and the book offers a list of resources with more information about marketing to women.
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, Calif. 94104; (415) 288-0260; fax (415) 362-2512; http://www.bkconnection.com; 288 pages; $24.95; ISBN 978-1-57675-472-6.
