10 Tips for Marketing to Women

"When I was at Nordstrom, I would show women no less than four pairs of shoes; men only 2," says G.A. Bartick, president of OutSell Consulting and co-author of Silver Bulleting Selling: Six Critical Steps to Opening More Relationships and Closing More Sales (Wiley). "When I give men too many choices, they freak out. But women feel empowered. They want to feel like they are not being forced and that they are making a positive buying decision."

5) Word of mouth counts

Even today, when most consumers do their research online, getting someone to recommend your company is a sure-fire way of standing out from the competition.

Get fans of your company to talk you up. Make them feel an integral part of the company, says Johnson, who is also author of Mind Your X's and Y's: Satisfying the 10 Cravings of a New Generation of Consumers (Free Press).

"The dynamic has changed. A brand is co-owned by the people who work for it and those who buy it. Find the most influential people who affect your brand, invite them as insiders, even release everything through them. Power is now being the center of the Web. So the more connected you are, the more influential you are."

6) Mine your female contacts

Take advantage of the readily available pool around you -- your female friends and relatives -- to further hone your message or product. They won't be shy about giving you the score.

When Mills College thought about establishing an MBA program seven years ago, it contacted its active alums for feedback. The responses they received, in part, shaped how they crafted the curriculum, says Nancy Thornborrow, dean of the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College.