Male Consumers

Copyright 2011 by Virgo Publishing.

http://www.lookingfit.com/

By: Danielle Maheux

Posted on: 05/15/2009

A recent article in Advertising Age magazine focused on encouraging marketing initiatives that target men, and one of the main points was that it is important to reach men, especially during tough economic times. Wait, what? Women are the money-spenders—making 80 percent of household purchasing decisions—and it seems logical to target them in a time when consumers are more tightfisted than ever before, right? Wrong. Logic isn’t what you need to counter the tough economy—you need to encourage consumers in general to buy. And, as the author of the Advertising Age article notes, “bringing men into the marketing equation doesn’t just give you a larger group of consumers; it means a new set of benefits, a new story to tell and even new product ideas.” Of course, targeting men with your marketing is sometimes easier said than done—particularly for the tanning industry, which is predominantly patronized by women. So, the first step to developing an effective market strategy is to develop an understanding of the male consumer. Kimberly Maxwell, senior director of brand and consumer research for Spike Television, presented research regarding the evolving male consumer at the “2008 Marketing to Men” conference based on information gleaned from surveys and focus groups. One important thing to note: 72 percent of the survey and focus group respondents said that today’s modern man is trying harder than ever to impress women. One can imagine that appearance is one of the areas guys are trying to improve to impress the ladies, which bodes well for industries dedicated to improving appearance. As a salon owner, you sell products and services geared toward making clients look good, which means the evolving male consumer easily falls into your target demographic. “Appeal to appearance—men care more about how they look and live than ever before,” says Dean Mandos, president of Ontario-based Chronos Marketing, an advertising company specializing in design and print. “Men don’t make purchases just for usefulness anymore—now they buy with design and style in mind.” Of course, marketing to men is different than marketing to women—in fact, it can be much more difficult to capture a man’s attention and purchasing dollars. Often, the biggest issue is related to price. According to the “Male Grooming Trends: Profiting in 2009 and Beyond” study from Datamonitor, price has the most influence on a man’s decision to purchase personal-care products. More than half of men surveyed said that price had either a “high” or “very high” influence on their selection of products. In addition, respondents to the Datamonitor survey ranked “habit/preferred brand” and “ease of use” as fairly important in influencing their purchase decisions—which confirms the idea that many men buy what they know as opposed to investigating alternative products. So, what can you learn from those responses? The first lesson is that your male customers need to see the value in your products and services. Just because price has a heavy influence on a man’s decision to purchase something does not mean that men are unwilling to spend the money; rather, it means that they need to know why the product or service is worth the price. The second lesson is that you need to offer new products and services to men—they aren’t going to ask about them, but they will openly listen to your presentation, especially if your pitch is tailored to explaining how the product would benefit them personally. In fact, one of the main points made by Playboy magazine’s Christopher Napolitano—in his presentation for the “Marketing to Men” conference—is that, as consumers, guys seek authoritative advice and information. Mandos suggests positioning yourself as the expert when dealing with male customers. Make sure your male clients and potential clients know that you are the authority, and that you can provide them with all the information they need regarding the best products and services for them. “Know exactly what you are selling, whether it’s a product or service,” he says. “Men like to have all the information about something up front, before they make a purchase. In fact, more than 65 percent of men believe they are not influenced or impacted by marketing and advertising; rather, they think that their purchasing decisions are based on their own research into a product or service. Being ready with answers to their questions will give you a better chance of closing the sale.” Overall, focus on helping your male customers feel as though they are making an informed purchasing decision. You can also supplement your face-to-face sales pitches with advertisements that reflect the same ability to inform and educate. Napolitano suggests connecting with men through any and all media they consume—including magazines, television, online, events, radio and more—but understand that content (not medium) is ultimately the most important aspect of your ad. Mandos also offers the following tips to ensure your advertisements can capture male-consumers dollars: Target strategically. Research your target market and find out when they will be receptive to your marketing. Also, be sure to approach them at the right places. The local gym is a great example of an opportunity to target men—posters and flyers will get the guys talking. Provide approval. Provide peer approval, such as testimonials. Whether it’s a celebrity endorsement or even some of your male customers that use the product or service, video testimonials are a great marketing tool to use when targeting men. In fact, guys are two-and-a-half times more likely to view user-generated content than women. Recognize that this isn’t your father’s generation. If you try marketing to the typical “man’s man” of your father’s time, Gen X and Gen Y males will move on and leave you behind. Be informed about current trends versus fads. Never oversell. Once they realize they were oversold, men will never trust you again. Use the fact that sex still sells—and it always will. Showcase the sex appeal of a woman and man, and you’ve got a hit advertisement. Take it one step further to show how a woman will be attracted to a man that uses your service or product, and the service or product it will sell itself. Be aware that packaging matters. Try to stay away from colors that have names that remind you of a fruit or flower, or something that would make you think of the name of a girly perfume. Stick with male-oriented colors such as blue, green silver, white, black and dark red. When you start getting into lavender, fuchsia and scarlet, you can be sure men will steer clear. After all, guys are still guys. Though it can seem daunting, targeting the male consumer isn’t impossible. Ultimately the in’s and outs of selling to men boils down to two things: Always offer products and services to guys, and show them why those products and services are worth the price. It gets them every time. Related Content: Marketing & Selling To Male Tanners Selling Skincare To Men