Marketing to women of color

At the Town Hall Discussion "Marketing to Women of Color - The Real Deal" our spectacular and gracious moderator, Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, shared some mind-blowing statistics with us about the spending power of women of color. Funny thing is that we all had an inclination about this information already, but actually hearing it in the aggregate was powerful and truly showed the power of women in the marketplace. With her permission, we are pleased to share these statistics with you.

Our hope is that you take note of your power and more importantly of our power as a group. Let your voice be heard and share the news that we are a strong force in the marketplace.

• Latina, Black, Asian, Native American and Middle Eastern women of color control 85% or more of all purchase decisions made today. WomenEntreprenuer Magazine labels this distinct and unique group of women as "multi-influential" because they reach so many demographics.
• By 2010 the buying power of women of color will reach $1.2 trillion, a 20% increase from 2007.
• There are 54 million women of color currently living in the United States and they are responsible for the purchases of 1.5 million new cars and trucks, 90% of all vacation and travel plans and more than 80% of pharmaceutical decisions.
• In contrast to some misleading stereotypes, women of color are big consumers of online technology from social networking, blogging, search optimization, and email. Women of color currently represent the largest group of all new technology users which is a position they are projected to keep for years to come.
• Multi-influential women of color are the fastest-growing economic sector in the entrepreneurial markets.
• The 2.4 million businesses in this country owned by women of color generate $230 billion in gross sales receipts and employ 1.6 million workers.
• They are a highly networked, influential and motivated group of successful women who are quick to recommend another company, brand, service and prospect if they believe it offers value.
• Gaining their trust as a customer and as a supplier of your goods will pay huge dividends.
• According to Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women by Delia Passi, A woman will refer up to 26 individuals to a company, product or service if she is happy with her experience compared to a man who will only refer an average of 11 people even with the highest degree of satisfaction.

Source for information:
Muley, Miriam. “Introducing the Multi-Influential Women of Color.” WomenEntreprenuer.com. WomenEntrepreneur Mag., 7 Sept. 2009. 5 Oct. 2009. http://www.womenentrepreneur.com/2009/09/introducing-the-multi-influential-women-of-color.html
Muley, Miriam. “Tap Multi-Influential Referral Power.” WomenEntrepreneur.com. WomenEntrepreneur Mag., 29 Sept. 2009. 5 Oct. 2009. http://www.womenentrepreneur.com/2009/09/tap-multi-influential-referral-power.html
Information presented by Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, CEO of Nia Enterprises, LLC, www.niaenterprises.com blog: www.girlgetmestarted.com, online community: www.niaonline.com

Feedback please

Did you attend Blogalicious? If so, we want to hear from you. If you haven't already done so, please complete our short survey (click here) and tell us what you thought. We really appreciate it and we're looking forward to hearing from you so that Blogalicious 10 can be even better.

Conference Recap

The theme of this year’s inaugural conference was "Your Wow Factor" and all we can say is "WOW!" By all accounts, Blogalicious 2009 was a success. From the attendance, to the location, sessions, sponsors, and social events, the weekend was better than we imagined. We are overflowing with appreciation for the energy and excitement that radiated during the conference and continues on the blogs and tweets gathered from all parts of the web. Conference attendees live Tweeted the event and, within the first hour of the conference on Saturday, Blogalicious09 was a Trending Topic on Twitter. There were also live broadcasts On Maria Bailey Live on momtv.com and ustream.com.

It was loads of fun and we hope that you will stay connected with us and become a part of the Blogalicious community. Join our blogger marketing network at: http://www.theb-link.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @blogalicious09.

In the meanwhile, please enjoy a few photos, courtesy of Carol Cain, NYCityMama.

P.S. Please forgive me if I got your name wrong or misspelled it because I was operating based on memory (and we all know that my mommy brain doesn't always work well).

Wow

Blogalicious 2009 came and went! We are still reeling from the energy and positive vibes that you all radiated throughout the weekend. We're already at work (no, we can't help it) gathering all of your fantastic posts and the pics from the event, so stay tuned for a conference recap coming soon. In the meantime, if you want to help us out by providing us a link to your Blogalicious posts, Flickr pages, and anything else that would be great. We've included a Mr. Linky to make things easy.

Can I just say one more time how much we loved the Blogalicious love? You all were fabulous!

Until Miami...

Look out Atlanta, Here We Come!

Can you believe it? The conference is here! The conference is here! Our bags are packed, outfits have been picked, packages have been sent, cocktail menus are finalized, presentations loaded, shoes selected, swag bags need stuffing, and it's time to listen, become empowered, and mix and mingle.

We hope to see you there and if you weren't able to make it this year, we hope that you'll follow the conversations on Twitter (search hashtag #blogalicious09), blogs, and elsewhere. We can't leave without saying thank you to everyone for your support, encouragement, and help over the last 8 months. We appreciate all of you for what you've done to help make the inaugural Blogalicious Weekend a fantastic sold out event. Amazing! Check out the complete conference guide here: Blogalicious E-guide. It's full of important and fun information such as speaker bios, what to wear, the detailed agenda, party information, and valuable twitter handles! Special thanks to Justice Ny who worked for weeks and endless hours gathering all this information.

We'll have so much to say, stories to share, and pictures to show you when we return and we want to hear all about your experiences at Blogalicious 2009. See you soon!

P.S.

If you post about your trip to the conference, leave us a link in our comments! We'd love to hear your take on the weekend and check out your photos and video.

The Conference eGuide Is Here

We are only a few days before Blogalicious 2009 - yippee!!! After more than 7 months of planning, it's here and we can hardly describe the emotions that we are each experiencing right now. In an effort to keep you updated on all the happenings, we've put together a guide with a little information about our speakers and sponsors, as well as answers to your burning questions. You can access it here.

See you in a few days!

Announcing the Blogalicious 2009 Theme - "Your Wow Factor"

At the core of all the captivating blog posts, the most engaging Twitter conversations, and the influential social networking communities is a powerful network of diverse women bloggers. We are in large part responsible for social media and Web 2.0 being the amazing phenomenon that is has become. Our similarities and differences and the colorful variety of voices that we bring to the online community keep our readers coming back for more.

Our influence and opinions are stronger and louder than ever and marketers and their brands are paying attention. Above all, our moxie is what keeps us connected to one another. As a group, we are fierce. Individually, we even more special. Each of us has a "Wow Factor" - something that makes us stand out from the rest. That "something" is what we want to celebrate at the inaugral Blogalicious Weekend. Over the 3 days (and beyond!) we want to hear and learn about that unique quality; that spark that defines...you.

What's Your Wow Factor?

Special Event Announcement: Party Like a Princess!

On Saturday night October 10, 2009, The BlogRollers Media Presents:

"The Blogalicious Princess Celebration"

This December, Disney will release a new animated film, "The Princess and the Frog" featuring our first African-American Disney Princess, Tiana! To celebrate the princess in all of us, we will put on our tiaras and jewels and toast our new princess overlooking our "kingdom," in the swank Altitude party lounge on the 27th floor of The W Hotel Atlanta-Midtown. There will be hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, open bar from 10pm - 11pm, and exciting entertainment. The princesses in attendance (yes, us!) will be able to relax, mingle, and cut a rug if the mood hits them.

A girls night out...Big Easy style!