What are you doing in your business to attract the tech-savvy woman? Did you know, according to Delia Passi, CEO of womencertified.com, 80% of all car maintenance decisions are made or influenced by women?
Most women are tech-savvy. And, that leads to a lot of buying decisions being made every day by tech-savvy women. Now the question is not “if” or even “when” they will buy. The question is, “Will they buy from you?”
Traits of a tech-savvy woman
So, who is she? The tech-savvy woman has continuous access to the Internet. She probably has a Twitter account and tweets or follows her favorite people and businesses regularly. She most likely subscribes to several blogs and possibly even contributes to them. She has a Facebook account and uses it daily. She has a cell phone that has e-mail, text and Internet access.
She loves a good bargain (81% of them look for the best possible deal) and belongs to multiple VIP clubs to receive text message marketing offers from them. She doesn’t know what a Yellow Pages book is, but she has heard of yellowpages.com and probably uses it.
According to Passi, “Safety and security are very important for women; especially, if they have young children, or teenage or college drivers.
“Women tend to be more proactive and will respond favorably to safety issues and preventive maintenance.”
Here are some simple things you can do to entice the tech-savvy woman into doing business with you.
1. Equip your showroom with free Wi-Fi. Most likely, you already have an Internet connection in your business and even wireless accessibility. To add an additional wireless connection for customers to use is very inexpensive.
2. Install an Internet station (computer) with a printer in your showroom. This will provide your customers with the ability to print documents, and help them get through some of their to-do list tasks while waiting in the showroom.
3. Create a fun, clean and safe area for children to play in while they are waiting with their moms.
4. Provide complimentary beverages and snacks.
5. Offer loaner rides or loaner cars.
Those are only some basic actions that you need to consider. And, for the love of Pete (whoever Pete is), make sure you keep your rest rooms clean and family-friendly!
To really reach out to the tech-savvy woman, and the tech-savvy mom, visibly show that you participate in social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Encourage them to sign up for your sites. Reward them with coupons for future services such as discounted oil changes and tire rotations; it has been proven that they will sign up solely for the free offers being made.
Offer membership to a loyalty or VIP club, and use technology like text message marketing from MobiDitto to keep them coming back for service time and time again.
Put on your technology face
Your business has a technology face. How does yours stack up to those seasoned at attracting the tech-savvy woman? You need to determine what your target audience wants and then make sure you deliver what they are looking for. Your technology face includes items like your Web site, Google Places, online advertisements, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, coupons, Groupons, Buckaroo.com, Couptessa.com, reminder postcards with coupons and even billboard advertisements listing your Web site address.
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Ask yourself, does your technology face do anything that speaks specifically to the needs of the tech-savvy woman? It’s time to make sure it does.
I conducted a survey at the beginning of the year to all females in the marketing and technical writing departments of a Fortune 1000 technology company. Here were the top three things they looked for in choosing a shop to bring their car to for service or tires.
1. Web site: Specifically, the ease of finding your Web site from either their PC or smart phone.
2. The ability to see prices for standard services such as inspections and oil changes.
3. The ability to set an appointment online directly from your Web site. If not, a phone number that is very visible, even on smart phones where landscape is a premium.
Some additional comments worth noting include:
• They wanted to receive a phone text notification a day or two before the appointment confirming the date and time.
• They preferred receiving a phone text notification when the vehicle service is completed.
• They would select one company over another if they were offering some type of coupon for free or discounted service or items.
• 100% of them indicated if the Site/Dealer advertised that they were “Female Friendly” it would influence their decision to do business there.
When it comes to business software, you need to make sure that your software helps you in this process. Your software can and should be able to send phone text messages to your customers reminding them of upcoming appointments and notifying them when services are complete. You should be able to send them reminders for future services that include coupons relevant to the customer’s needs.
Your software should track information about the family such as major events in their family life, sports activities, big games, and likes and dislikes. This information should be used to create a welcoming experience when they are doing business with anyone in your company.
In the end, you want to create raving fans. You must exceed their expectations each time they do business with you.
These raving fans will tell their friends about their experience. In fact, they will probably Tweet it or post about it on Facebook. So make sure what they say about you is what you want them to say. You can increase their loyalty and desire to continue to do business with you and ultimately they will bring you referral business. It’s all up to you. Will you proactively attract this large segment of the market to your business, or will you leave it for the competition?
If you want to get the most out of this segment of the market, you should consider training for your staff. In addition, you might consider becoming “AskPatty Certified Female Friendly” by AskPatty.com or find out how to earn the “Women’s Choice Award” from womencertified.com. In a national survey of 4,000 women, nine out of 10 women would choose a Women Certified awarded business over the competition.
Wayne Croswell is CEO and president of WECnology LLC (see Web site www.wecnology.com) and is a “complimentary technology advisor” for independent tire dealers. He can be reached at (603) 249-5530 or [email protected].
