Women are using social media to connect and share with others, and men tend to research and increase their status. According to a recent article on Forbes.com, women and men are not the same when it comes to social networking.
Because of these differences, business owners need to pay attention to what sites their target market is using… and how they want to interact with you.
Your first question: Am I trying to reach women, men or both?
If your customers are primarily male, men are spending more time on LinkedIn to help boost their career. Are you giving them opportunities to support this goal (for example, you could create a LinkedIn group to provide discussion opportunities). Are you adding to the male interest in research?
The article also noted how men use YouTube more than women…do you have a YouTube channel with fact-filled videos?
If your customers are primarily female, Facebook may be a much better place to focus. Women are spending more time solving their real-life issues and concerns and less time trying to make themselves look good. Are you providing solutions and answering questions?
Forbes noted that women are more likely to share their shopping activities with others….are you putting promotions and sales out to your friends and fans?
I see this comparison of activities by gender expanding as social media grows, and smart businesses are using this knowledge to connect with customers in very focused ways.
So where in your business, can you more effectively target your male or female prospects?