Marketing to Women? Study Says More Love Social Media

 

April 11, 2010

In just three years, a major change has occurred in Internet usage – women under 40 love social media and most men in the same age group love it less, according to a study by the University of Southern California.

A published report, penned by Mike Sachoff at WebProNews, indicates the USC research reveals both genders value social media, but younger men are moving onto other interests.

Sixty-seven percent of females under 40 are as passionate about their social media as they are their offline friendships. This compares to 38 percent of males.

This represents a major swing in preferences since 2007. That’s when 69 percent of males and 35 percent of females were passionate about social media.

The research was conducted by Michael Gilbert. Mr. Gilbert’s a senior fellow at the school’s Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.

“Women have been a bit more cautious with new technologies but they generally catch up and often exceed men in their enthusiasm once they’ve had a chance to look around,” WebProNews quotes Mr. Gilbert. “Men tend to charge in to new technologies and the opportunities they enable.”

His research reveals 48 percent of women under 40 use online contacts to create offline friendships. That compares to 36 percent of the same age group of men. This about the same percentage of women in 2006 but reflects a switch in preferences in young men. In that year, 59 percent of males became in-person friendships after Internet introductions.

It is not surprising that both genders have acknowledged the importance of the Web for making connections.

However, it is surprising that men indicate their Web connections are not as important as in 2007, but now 84 percent of them say they contribute “to their Internet community” vis-à-vis only 69 percent for women.

“The survey also found women of all ages have a wider range of online community interests, putting more emphasis on social, spiritual and relationship aspects,” writes Mr. Sachoff. “Gilbert believes these deeper personal and social interests likely account for the increasing importance women place on their online communities.”

So, the obvious Biz Coach conclusion: Social media is an excellent option for marketing to younger women.

From the Coach’s Corner, WebProNews is a terrific source of information, such as “Social Media May Get Much More Convenient for Businesses.”