Web Wise: Is Your Web site "Lip-Sticking"?

Yvonne DiVita, president of Windsor Media Enterprises, writes a great blog, titled "Lip-Sticking," designed to teach the world about marketing online to women. Actually, she gets a lot of help from some fabulous guest authors too, and if you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend stopping by www.LipSticking.com.

Since 2007, DiVita has been dishing out her own Top 10 online marketing tips, with the most recent list, "The 10 Deadly Sins that Get Women Talking About You Behind Your Back." Harkening back to those dreaded high school days of whisperings behind your back, DiVita provides some instructions for the online marketing novice on what not to do if you are trying to get the attention of female customers. Here are a few gems from the Lip-Sticking site:

• Don't create a female-friendly site with pink lace and "girlie" language.

• Don't patronize - tell it like it really is, not what you think the ladies want to hear.

• Don't create barriers to connecting. Be sure to list your shop hours prominently, provide an online "Contact Us" form that actually gives them a return message in a timely manner, and make sure your voice mail is operating properly.

• As a matter of fact, take "connection" one step further and start blogging. It doesn't take much effort - once a week, and "talk" to your customers as if you were talking to them over the counter.

• Don't market collectively. DiVita uses a great example of marketing to moms. Remember to extend that marketing message to other groups too, such as grandmothers, aunts, uncles, even dads.

• Offer online quizzes. It's a quick way to educate and inform, as well as get people interacting with your site.

• Last, compliment successful women in your industry. Perhaps it's a staff member or business partner; perhaps it's someone more widely known. Background information can be gathered quickly from online and offline sources. It doesn't have to be long, but make it noteworthy and interesting.

Remember, though, that making a site more female-friendly does not mean it shouldn't be interesting to men too. But, as women are the key purchasing influencers, it's more than likely "Jack" is looking at your Web site because "Jane" recommended your services.

ASA Web Ways: ASA Shows Consumers the Way ... to Your Door!

Is your ASA Shop Locator listing up-to-date? The “Find Nearest ASA Shop” section of ASA’s Web site, www.ASAshop.org, is a favorite destination for thousands of consumers. Generating more than 32,000 searches to ASA member shops a month, the ASA Shop Locator allows consumers to find an ASA shop within a radius of up to 20 miles of a specific ZIP code or address. Maps and driving directions to every ASA-member shop have been incorporated in the locator. For only $60 a year, ASA members can also upgrade their listings to include hours of operation, specific services offered, accepted methods of payment and business affiliations. Upgrade by visiting the “Shop Locator Upgrade” link in the Members Only section of ASAshop.org.