Women Like Brands on Facebook

“If you’re talking about marketing a product that moms are buying for children, then you are talking to them as moms. If it’s makeup, it’s women,” pointed out Bonnie Kintzer, CEO of Women’s Marketing, a consultancy for brands targeting women. “It’s more about the product and why they buy the product. Women are women — and they are moms when they are buying certain products.”

The study also found that the majority of women (55 percent) are more likely to purchase brands that they connect with on social media.

“Brands want to use social to get their message out, but it’s about connecting with the consumer in the way they find valuable,” said Kintzer. “Consumers don’t want to hear you say, ‘My product is so great.’ We look at all the programs we do for our clients; we have a community manager who is taking notes to see what worked as a question so she can say, ‘This audience reacts in this way,’ so brands understand what it is that makes their consumers engage.”

For example, a hair care brand working with Women’s Marketing asked its audience, “Are you a natural redhead?” The response rate was much higher — and respondents were much more engaged — than if the audience had been asked if it used a particular shampoo, noted Kintzer.

And while 40 percent of respondents said the greatest benefit from social media was the connection with their friends and family, a close second (37 percent) was being made aware of coupons, promotions and deals by connecting with brands.

“That was great news to marketers because it’s just a close second to the friend connection, and companies are wrestling with ways on how to use social thats not too in-your-face,” said Kintzer.

The types of content shared also differed between homemakers and women who work full-time. While 30 percent of women overall share promotions/coupons, 37 percent of homemakers are interested in sharing this type of content, versus just 25 percent of women who work full-time. And while 21 percent of women share photos, women who work full-time are more likely to share this content (27 percent).

“It’s important to see what age group you’re engaging, as opposed to what age group you want to engage,” said Kintzer. “You may see you are engaging people who are older or younger. You need to see what kinds of posts people are reacting to and what time of day people are reacting to them, so you can craft your community strategy around those pieces.”