The Way To Capture Female Prospects Is Through Face-To-Face Networking Hot
A polling firm called Mintel recently "discovered" that younger women are making their own investing decisions, and the more affluent they are, the more likely they are to have an independent brokerage account.
That's not news. What's noteworthy here is where those independent women go for investment information.
Mintel discovered that 39% of female investors get most of their ideas from professional advisors, compared to just 27% of the men. This indicates that women appear to be more likely to seek out -- and even follow -- outside guidance.
And as to where they find those advisors, it looks like recommendations from friends and family still rule: in the absence of an established advisor, 29% of female investors go to members of their personal social circle for ideas.
By comparison, the men tend to try to do it themselves online, going to financial blogs 38% of the time or sticking around their broker or fund company's site another 31% of the time.
As Mintel points out, a balanced offline/online marketing strategy can help capture clients of both sexes -- but if you rely too much on the Web, you'll lose the women.