Reaching Women

After a recent speaking engagement in Philly, I spent a Friday night in my hotel room catching up on e-mail. Along with the usual mix of spam and business notes, my inbox contained a heads-up about a new gift-giving website called Give Simple <www.givesimple.com>. I logged on and felt a little rush of inspiration. The site was clean and attractively designed, the gifts were fun (everything from cute pajamas to mouth-watering scented candles and retro-cool cake plates), and the founder, Kendra Wright, was clearly a smart cookie with a great sense of humor.

Two ice waters and a packet of red licorice later, I had developed three strategies that would help Give Simple to more effectively reach women and attract a core customer group. I decided to feature Give Simple as my first mini-makeover in this newsletter. The site was so close – it just needed a few tweaks to enhance the spirit of the brand and take it to the next, buzz-worthy level.

I shot off an email to Kendra and she was on board with my makeover experiment. We also decided that it would be fun to engage the talent of ReachingWomen’s readers. Below, you’ll find my three strategies and an opportunity to win a gift certificate to givesimple.com

The About Us section provides a link to Kendra’s design company, Wright Strategies, but it misses a prime opportunity to forge a more personal connection. When I buy a gift online, I’m not looking for a business tie, but a partner in crime for the festive occasions in my life. Instead of adding an official, behind-the-desk picture, I suggested a new photo of Kendra wearing a pair of the site’s signature colorful pajamas and a fun interview that reveals her heart and personality. People connect to people, not websites, and a likeable real person will make the brand more compelling to women and feel like a more tempting place to shop.

I also suggested that Kendra develop a blog called The Gift Exchange to showcase her gift-giving tips, new products, fun links and other helpful tidbits that would enable her to develop a stronger sense of community. The blog is an ideal tool for Give Simple because Kendra is a web developer who’s already fluent in the technology required to establish and manage it.

While I liked the general tone of the Give Simple copy, I felt that it could become a much more powerful hallmark of the site. Kendra’s style could be as sassy and fun as another brand I admire, Daily Candy <www.dailycandy.com>. I suggested that she work with content strategist (and ReachWomen partner) Cheri Hanson to stretch the limits just a little and infuse the shopping experience with fun and laughter and to help customers think, "hey, this site is just like me."

I can pick up a good pair of pajamas or some pretty stationery at a local store, but it takes a gift-giving master to pull all the pieces together. When I first checked out Give Simple, I was looking for gift packages that would make me feel truly excited and inspired. I was hoping for some funny, crazy, sexy, wacky, imaginative and even racy gift ideas. Personally, I’m an amateur gift giver so I looked to Kendra as the imaginative black belt – the woman with a PhD in gift therapy. Was she capable of such a lofty title? After one conversation, I knew that Kendra was a master who simply hadn’t revealed her potent talents on the site.

I pointed her to another brand that I admire (and have featured in past ReachWomen newsletters), Kimpton Hotels <www.kimptonhotels.com>. This fabulous line of boutique hotels has packaged their weekend retreats with humor and imagination. In the same spirit, I challenged Kendra to create 10 gift packages that would give her customers – and potentially even the media – something unique to talk about.

Here are just a few of her ideas:

– retro swank pajamas, a delicious bubble bath, an aromatherapy candle, a CD featuring sultry music and a Twister board game.

Baby it’s cold outside – steaming hot cocoa, a snuggly robe, a scented candle, breath mints and a jar of chocolate body paint.

That’s entertainment – a flair platter, lemon artichoke pesto, a recipe for Chicken Divan and some fun printed napkins.

Moms gone wild – martini glasses, a recipe for white cosmos, a set of Sex and the City DVDs and a de-puffing face mask.

Think you can do better? We do too! So, here’s your chance to win a $50 shopping spree on Give Simple by sending in your most edgy, funny, indulgent, exciting or adventuresome gift package. Above all, push the edges and be creative. Your submission should be sent to info@reachwomen.com with the subject line: Give Simple Contest. Top submissions will be posted on The Gift Exchange blog and the winner announced in January. Your submission should include the following: