If you missed it live, no worries!, because you can listen to a recording of it right here in this blog post or on the Web Marketing Therapy Podcast page.

Below are some of the health, family and work balancing tips that were discussed during the show.

* Do what you do best and hire others to do the rest. Roxanne confirms, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I first started I thought I had to do it all myself in order to keep costs down. As I tried to do this, I realized that it is best to hire someone, an expert in that area, whether it be a bookkeeper, cleaning service, or decorator, there are affordable ways to outsource such things.”

* Roxanne uses her Busy Working Moms blog and website to educate people on a wide variety of topics ranging from skin care tips, product knowledge, waxing, and even fun things for the family to do in Santa Barbara.

* Be sure to listen to the rest of the show to get all of Roxanne’s life balancing tips, plus she gives a great skincare tip at the end of the show.

It’s been reported that up to 85% of all BRAND purchases are made by women! (Not certain of the complete accuracy of this statistical source. –However, even with leeway, it’s highly significant!)

I remember back in the 80’s when women weren’t taken seriously as a market segment by most companies.  They were virtually ignored by larger corporations (with the exception of cleaning products, etc.).  At the marketing firm I worked at, we were extremely progressive, presenting the value of the women’s market and an exciting new strategic approach. –It was breakthrough!  We helped large corporations accelerate their relationship and alliance building by entering “circles of trust” (important for any target market). This overall strategy of healthy “RELATIONSHIP MARKETING” still holds water today.

You can develop a competitive-edge by targeting the Women’s Market. -Especially since so many companies are still missing the boat (in my opinion).  …Perhaps the lack of women creative directors at large corporations (only 3%), has impacted their focus and results?

If women use your product or service –or– if they’re gatekeepers, researching and recommending purchases for men, pay attention…  “Engage in SMART-MARKETING,” as Lorrie Thomas, founder of Web Marketing Therapy says.

Address women’s needs, lifestyles, interests and desires. Incorporate women’s vast and growing use of the web.  We all know the Internet is being used as a time-savor and deal-finder (logical, especially these days, right?).  Yet, the Internet also helps to develop and support relationship building and integrate all areas of marketing.

As people grow and change, our marketing needs to do the same.  Anticipate needs, be ahead of the curve for greater success.

KNOW & UNDERSTAND THE WOMEN’S MARKET…

1) Think “Life Stage” Not “Age.”

Simply bulking women into age groups is no longer effective for targeting.  For example, many women are postponing child-bearing and becoming mothers later in life.  Many choose to go back to school for higher degrees or become entrepreneurs and start new businesses (at all ages).  Focus on the stages of women’s lives, not so much on their ages.

2)  Females Exceed Males in Higher Education.

58% of college grads are female. What might this mean for your business?   …”Education” may be one of the values they feel most passionate about (if not for themselves, their children). When marketing, find ways to align with your target market’s values and lifestyle.

3)  Women-Owned Businesses Represent Big Dollars for Our Economy.

48% of all privately-held firms are at least 50% owned by a woman or women. They create and build businesses and they buy product.  The following are just some examples of the annual expenditures derived from women-owned enterprises:
a)    information technology = $38 billion
b)    telecommunications = $25 billion
c)    human resources services = $23 billion
d)    shipping = $17 billion

Between 1997 and 2004, the estimated growth rate in the number of women-owned firms was nearly twice that of all firms (17% vs. 9%), employment expanded at twice the rate of all firms (24% vs. 12%), and estimated revenues kept pace with all firms (39% vs. 34%).   ***Statistics provided by The Center for Women’s Business Research.

4) Women’s Jobs Are Generally More “Recession Friendly.”

It’s been covered in the news and elsewhere that women in this economy seem to have more job security.  Some researchers even believe women may surpass men in the job force (according to this New York Times Article).

5) Women are Not Responsive to Degrading Humor.

In a study based on Super Bowl Ad responses, women (particularly over the age of 30) had negative responses regarding degrading, put-down humor.  –Their responses to “empathic humor” and heartwarming or inspiring ads are well-received by women. –The two together seemed to be golden!

6) Senior Women -A Population That’s Rapidly Growing.

Women on average, live five to six years longer than men.  With the baby boomer generation, the % of senior women will increase massively.  Even in 2000, it was reported that there were almost twice as many women as men over age 85.

7)  Money Management and Retirement Decisions are Resting More Significantly on Women.

Today’s decisions about money management and retirement investments become far more significant in the long run for women. Many women are likely to become single in their lifetime.  1 of every 2 women over 65 years old is divorced or widowed. (*Sadly, women also make up 75% of the elderly poor today. –-Hopefully, self-reliant women will  help influence and change this statistic.)  *Read about these statistics and more, provided by the Chicago Sun-Times.

BEFRIEND WOMEN…BUILD RELATIONSHIPS!

When developing a relationship with women… it’s exactly that.  –It’s showing you know them, understand them and can respond effectively to their needs and interests.  As a business owner or marketer, become a relationship developer or a “match-maker.” Seek to build customer enthusiasm with a little magic and ongoing romance with your company and brand.

Nicki Gauthier, Kaili Hawley, Lorrie Thomas and Emilia Doerr at the Women

Nicki, Kaili, Emilia and I attended the Women’s Conference last Monday for a creative retreat, to say farewell to Kaili (who is still with us but moving to another state) and to recharge with new ideas so our work stays meaningful.

In the name of healthy marketing motivation, Madeline Albright’s quote above, spoken at the conference, was a healthy reminder to me and my fellow wild web women that it is critical for women to help other women so we ALL can thrive.

Marketing is about having clear value, a powerful voice and also having values.  I value my (almost) all women team and I really, really value the clients and students who also embrace our wild web women wackiness and the power of the work we do.  

Our clientelle is 50/50 male to female, but as a woman in business who knows how freaking hard it is to fight the good fight, I wanted to kickstart the week by reminding women in business who want to break that glass ceiling that we cannot do it without each other! 

Women – what are you doing to vocalize your value, values and show your voice in cyberspace?

Kelly Watson is a marketing consultant and the owner of Womenwise Marketing.

Kelly Watson is owner of One Woman Marketing, a self-help marketing resource that helps women successfully and affordably market their businesses and themselves. She offers great marketing tips to female entrepreneurs on her blog and recently featured WMT in her Real Women in Business Series.

As a marketing consultant, Kelly helps women in business leverage their strengths and identify where their marketing fails female buyers while creating marketing that improves sales to both genders.

Enjoy Kelly’s guest post below and be sure to check out her popular marketing blog and download her free PDF report, “Brain Sex: Five Things You MUST Know About Gender & Marketing.”

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First impressions count more than you think. I learned this when a graphic designer hired me to write his website copy. I knew that if I wanted the copy to make sales, I needed proof that good web design makes a difference.

But boy, did my research surprise me! One study from a Canadian team of researchers showed that:

Internet users make up their minds about a website’s quality in literally a blink of an eye.

(That’s 50 milliseconds, for all you non-scientists out there.)

And that’s not all. This first impression of web design carries over to the rest of the web site’s content. Psychologists call this the halo effect. If their first impression is positive, visitors view the rest of the web content in a more positive light.

If the first impression of web design is negative, the opposite occurs: viewers extend those negative feelings to the website copy, the products for sale, and ultimately the business itself.

In short: you can have the best web content money can buy. But if your web design stinks, it doesn’t matter. People will hit the back button long before they ever see it.

Naturally, the study’s authors don’t specify what improves a web site’s likeability. That would be too easy! But you can start by making sure your web design is clean and uncluttered, with a strong navigation structure that makes finding information easy.

Here are some more tips for great web design:

Keep it simple, sweetie. Bells, whistles and blinking text were cool 10 years ago. Not anymore. Today’s internet users care more about functionality than flair. Make them happy by keeping your web design simple and easy to scan. Use clear navigation and break up chunks of copy with subheads and bullet points.

Learn to love empty space. To really understand the value of empty space, just pick up a magazine. The most attractive page designs will be the ones with the most visual breathing room. This helps viewers process the content that’s actually there. Provide the same breathing room in your web design, and viewers will thank you.

Test, test, test. Google Analytics tracks your visitors and their browsing paths for free. You can use it to see what elements of your web design are capturing the most attention, and which ones aren’t doing their job.  Then, you can make improvements.

Don’t make me think. This is actually the title of a popular book on web design by Steve Krug, but it’s also a good rule to keep in mind when designing your site. “Clever” has a place on the internet, but not in effective web site design. Users simply want to know how to get from point A to point B. Make it easy for them.

Get inspired. It’s hard coming up with good web design from scratch. Luckily, the internet is packed with great designs. Just Google ‘best web design,’ and feast your eyes on the results. You may be inspired to take a new direction.

Kelly Watson is a marketing consultant and the owner of One Woman Marketing, where she blogs regularly on marketing for women business owners.

Win a FREE Web Marketing Therapy session designed to help you use powerful strategies and online tools to boost your business.

This Saturday, Women’s Expo attendees can win a FREE Web Marketing Therapy session designed to help them use powerful strategies and online tools to boost their businesses.

The first ever Women’s EXPO Ventura County takes place on March 13-15, 2009 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and features valuable door prize giveaways, including a free marketing assessment consultation valued at $1,500 donated by Web Marketing Therapy.

We’ve donated this prize because one of the best parts of our jobs is inspiring individuals to get creative with their business and marketing ideas, especially in these challenging economic times.

And women have the great ability to get so much done, and we love being able to share our passion for marketing so that we can help others find the momentum they need for success.

Drawings for various prizes, including the free Web Marketing Therapy Session, will be held every hour throughout the EXPO and attendees will need to be present to be eligible to win.

The Women’s Expo offers a unique experience for women from different business sectors to gather and educate, inspire, motivate, and advance one another. The 3-day event also features a dynamic and engaging mix of speakers, exhibitors, and personal encounters to help women come together and celebrate the power of WE!

Web Marketing Therapist Lorrie Thomas will lead a session aimed at helping women focus their efforts on smart, savvy, and strategic marketing that can help give their organizations a boost. The session titled “Make Your Business Work: Become a WILD Web Woman!” is on Saturday, March 14th, 2009 at 2pm PST.

**If you can’t make this great event or need immediate Marketing Therapy, check out our free marketing podcasts or browse our self-help book recommendations!