Category: Marketing

Marketing to Millennial Women

If you read our blog about millennials last month, you know that there are currently 80 million millennials in the U.S. with an annual buying power of over $600 billion. With a prediction of millennial spending power of $1.4 trillion in the next five years, it is not a stretch to say that women will hold at least half of this trillion-dollar bank.

With that being said, it would behoove your company or business to have a female-driven millennial marketing campaign in mind.

For some agencies, marketing to millennials can be intimidating. According to a NewsCred study, 30% of millennials flat-out refuse to read content that doesn’t either entertain or inform them, 60% will only share content that is thought-provoking and intelligent, and 70% share content that makes them laugh. That is a pretty tall order.

However, marketing to specifically millennial women might be a little easier. After all, since “70% of millennial women consider shopping to be entertainment,” you have ample opportunities to put your company in the line of fire. 

Here are some tips on how to get to know female millennials to make the most out of your marketing campaigns:

Great Personal

If you take anything away from this blog post, this is it. Millennials want you to get SPECIFIC. Part of the reason your marketing campaign isn’t working is because it’s too broad. Millennial women want to feel like their brands “get” them. Know your audience well, and create smaller segments or niches to make them feel like they have your full attention.

According to NewsCred, “Sephora is doing an amazing job with this by using their “Beauty Insider” in-store buyer rewards along with their customized skin tone-matching technique to target products to specific shoppers based on their previous purchases and coloring.” If you don’t have the technology to personalize your product this way, you can start by personalizing your emails. “That will give you on average a 26% higher open rate.”

According to NewsCred, “Sephora is doing an amazing job with this by using their “Beauty Insider” in-store buyer rewards along with their customized skin tone-matching technique to target products to specific shoppers based on their previous purchases and coloring.” If you don’t have the technology to personalize your product this way, you can start by personalizing your emails. “That will give you on average a 26% higher open rate.”

Social Media

Millennial women make up the majority on social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Both of these as well as Facebook and Twitter are fertile grounds for brands to grow awareness as well as click-throughs. To get female millennials to engage with your brand, create lots of opportunities for open communication: Get them talking about your product, commenting on and sharing posts and reviewing your products online. Find ways to be part of their ongoing research and dialogue by responding to comments. Create hashtags and giveaways. Optimize all your content for multiple devices, and make sure your content is shareable. And finally, use attractive photos and aesthetically pleasing graphics to coincide with your brand’s theme. Millennial women are attracted to beauty, and we look to create beauty in our surroundings. Naturally, they want products, services, and offerings that look and feel professional. 

Millennial women are attracted to beauty, and we look to create beauty in our surroundings. Naturally, they want products, services, and offerings that look and feel professional. 

Be Inspirational

If you want your brand to succeed, make it inspirational. This generation of Millenials believes they can change the world or at least make it a better place. They’re thinking big, optimistic of the future, and are looking to be inspired. 

According to YFS magazine,”think of your brand as a movement and work to build a platform for realizing your customers’ aspirations. The goal here is to align your product or service with a bigger idea that transcends any single transaction.”

Diversity

43% of millennial are not white, according to a 2014 Pew survey. Since authenticity and relevance are two of the most important factors for successful content marketing, marketers should be doing their best to reflect the diversity of this generation. This includes race, gender identity, sexual orientation, family makeup, body type, and cultural background. 

A great example of a company utilizing this approach to marketing is  Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. With a clear agenda in mind, Dove features women of all sizes, shapes, and races. They not only show the value of millennial women through this campaign, they also showcase the realistic variety of women’s bodies. Campaigns promoting self-love, diversity and embracing your natural body are embraced by millennial women because they have been void of them for so long. As I mentioned before, millennials want to be inspired. 

Cold Call Tips and Tricks

Cold calling is challenging, but it doesn’t need to be something that’s feared. Even in a world of ever-evolving technology and multiple ways to contact potential clients, cold calling still remains one of the most cost-effective ways to reach new customers. Like any skill, cold calling takes some time to master.

It involves a lot of preparation, research and evaluating your approach. Thanks to social media and online databases, salespeople have the power to conduct pre-call research and learn important details about a lead before picking up the phone. This is extremely helpful, however, it isn’t the only step to mastering a cold call.

Here are some tips and helpful hints to keep in mind when making contact with potential customers:

Attitude is Everything

Your attitude affects all areas of your life. Even sales. Before you pick up the phone, you need to have the right attitude. Give yourself a pep talk. Stand up tall and make the call.

Be Persistent

You’ve got to be willing to keep calling people back again and again until you reach them and they are willing to speak with you. Adopt a mentality that won’t quit. The prospect will see (or hear rather) your dedication and commitment and could be more receptive to your call.

Believe in Your Product

At the risk of sounding robotic or unconvincing, you need to believe in the product you are selling. Your passion will come through in your voice and can be contagious to whomever you are speaking to. You also have to believe that your product has the best value. Convince yourself that even if your price tag is higher than the competitors, it is still the best value. If you convince yourself and tailor your pitch accordingly, you can convince your prospect as well.

Respect Your Prospects

Treat everyone with respect. After multiple calls in a row and a number of rejects, it can be difficult to keep your morale up. However, you need to start fresh with every call and treat each new prospect with respect and as if it is your first call of the day. Respect goes a long way!

Diversify

Never depend on one call. As Grant Cardone says from InsideSales.com, “Disappointment and rejection are not emotions, they’re indications that your model is broken and you don’t have enough business going on.” So don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You need a lot of calls to be successful. Don’t give up!

 

How Direct Response Can Work For Your Business

  However, if you are a small or new business, this approach is not always feasible. This brings us to the second type of marketing: Direct Response. Direct response marketing is all about giving your prospective customer a specific action, such a picking up the phone and calling for more information, following a link to a web address or joining your email list. Here are some of the main benefits of creating a direct response ad:

Tracking

With direct response, you are able to keep track of what ad or which media compelled your customer to pick up the phone, visit your website or place an order. This tracking information will show you would advertisement is actually working for your business, which can save you a lot of time and money in the future.

Targeting

Because you are able to measure just how effective your ad is, you can also get your hands on value information such as specific niche markets, geographic zones, and demographics based on the clicks and calls you receive. Marketing is extremely effective when it can appeal to a narrow target market.

Special Offer

Usually, direct response marketing contains a special offer decided to get prospects to engage in your call to action. It doesn’t necessarily have to sell something; it is merely a device to get more traffic to your call centers or website. The offer focuses on the prospect rather than on the advertiser. It speaks of the prospect’s interests, desires, fears, and frustrations.

Demands a Response

Instead of simply presenting information, like advertising a 50-percent off sale, direct response marketing requires the customer to respond to receive the offer. Therefore interested prospects have an easy way to respond and learn more about your products. Whether it’s calling a toll-free number to hear more information or visiting your website, your customer is obliged to respond directly to you.

Personal

Overall, direct response is the best form of advertisement when it comes to establishing a relationship with prospective customers. If you want your business to excel, there needs to be some form of connection between you and the rest of the world. You need a personal touch to make a lasting impression.   For more information on direct response and how to market your business, visit us at mediapartnersworldwide.com or give us a call at (562)439-3900.  ]]>

Q&A with MPW CEO Natalie Hale

Natalie Hale, CEO Media Partners WorldwideMedia Partners Worldwide, a women-owned business, was founded in 1997, by Natalie Hale and a small team of radio veterans working out of a garage. In honor of the 20th anniversary of Media Partners Worldwide, we asked Natalie to answer a few questions about entrepreneurship and starting a successful business on her own.  

1. What three pieces of advice would you give to those who want to become entrepreneurs?

Don’t give up on having a family or put it aside too long. You can still have children and run a company. It just takes coordination with your partner. Sacrifices will be made, but it is worth having the fulfillment of a family and having your own business. One of my biggest regrets is putting a family on hold and thinking that it was selfish or impossible to do both.  Through the years, I have met many successful female entrepreneurs that manage to do both and make it work! Don’t think that you have to have a lot of capital to get started. I started with some money in the bank, however, I really didn’t need it and was, fortunately, able to have immediate cash flow.  You just have to think smaller at first and know that if you don’t have capital you can still have your own business. Although it will grow more slowly and not have all the bells and whistles at first, you can still succeed. Get a support group to help you. Without my ex-husband who was a mentor to me in business, I would not have been brave enough to move forward.  After being in business for a few years, I got involved with some different CEO groups that helped me with different ideas and problems.  These groups were invaluable and helped me so much with all the different decisions. From employee legal decisions, motivating and keeping employees,  balancing and figuring out my profit and loss, to dealing with the everyday emotional struggles that can come up day to day,  I learned so much from my CEO groups. I recommend that all entrepreneurs try to join a good group asap. It will help you make fewer mistakes, feel more confident and grow your business quicker with this invaluable support group.

2. What inspired you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?

After working for CBS for almost 10 years, I was getting burnt out with the corporate stress and changes.  I decided to take a break and do my own thing temporarily, while I figured out what I wanted to do.  A client asked me to develop and place a NATIONAL radio campaign with 20k per week budget. Luckily, it successfully took off and that was the beginning of my business. I never worried about looking for a job again. I remember I agonized about the name of the company. I wanted it to sound bigger than life!

3. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?

I sacrificed not having a child of my own for a long time.  I was terrified that if I had a baby, everything would fall apart and that I would not be able to manage my business.  It was when I was 40, that I finally accepted that with the help of my partner, I could really do both.

4. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Probably would have done more traveling when I was younger, and more networking in college. Many of my old college associates became entrepreneurs and I wish I would have kept better in touch with them, as there might have been more synergy and support to work together, Also, I do wish I would have gone to school and earned my MBA right after earning my BA. Running my company for 20 years, I feel like I have been through a rigorous MBA program now, but it would have been helpful and given me more confidence to grow the business bigger and more quickly if I had that structured information sooner.]]>

Q&A with MPW CEO Natalie Hale

Natalie Hale, CEO Media Partners WorldwideMedia Partners Worldwide, a women-owned business, was founded in 1997, by Natalie Hale and a small team of radio veterans working out of a garage. In honor of the 20th anniversary of Media Partners Worldwide, we asked Natalie to answer a few questions about entrepreneurship and starting a successful business on her own.  

1. What three pieces of advice would you give to those who want to become entrepreneurs?

Don’t give up on having a family or put it aside too long. You can still have children and run a company. It just takes coordination with your partner. Sacrifices will be made, but it is worth having the fulfillment of a family and having your own business. One of my biggest regrets is putting a family on hold and thinking that it was selfish or impossible to do both.  Through the years, I have met many successful female entrepreneurs that manage to do both and make it work! Don’t think that you have to have a lot of capital to get started. I started with some money in the bank, however, I really didn’t need it and was, fortunately, able to have immediate cash flow.  You just have to think smaller at first and know that if you don’t have capital you can still have your own business. Although it will grow more slowly and not have all the bells and whistles at first, you can still succeed. Get a support group to help you. Without my ex-husband who was a mentor to me in business, I would not have been brave enough to move forward.  After being in business for a few years, I got involved with some different CEO groups that helped me with different ideas and problems.  These groups were invaluable and helped me so much with all the different decisions. From employee legal decisions, motivating and keeping employees,  balancing and figuring out my profit and loss, to dealing with the everyday emotional struggles that can come up day to day,  I learned so much from my CEO groups. I recommend that all entrepreneurs try to join a good group asap. It will help you make fewer mistakes, feel more confident and grow your business quicker with this invaluable support group.

2. What inspired you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?

After working for CBS for almost 10 years, I was getting burnt out with the corporate stress and changes.  I decided to take a break and do my own thing temporarily, while I figured out what I wanted to do.  A client asked me to develop and place a NATIONAL radio campaign with 20k per week budget. Luckily, it successfully took off and that was the beginning of my business. I never worried about looking for a job again. I remember I agonized about the name of the company. I wanted it to sound bigger than life!

3. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?

I sacrificed not having a child of my own for a long time.  I was terrified that if I had a baby, everything would fall apart and that I would not be able to manage my business.  It was when I was 40, that I finally accepted that with the help of my partner, I could really do both.

4. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Probably would have done more traveling when I was younger, and more networking in college. Many of my old college associates became entrepreneurs and I wish I would have kept better in touch with them, as there might have been more synergy and support to work together, Also, I do wish I would have gone to school and earned my MBA right after earning my BA. Running my company for 20 years, I feel like I have been through a rigorous MBA program now, but it would have been helpful and given me more confidence to grow the business bigger and more quickly if I had that structured information sooner.]]>