WOMEN in Business has more than 2,500 members with very diverse with different business needs. So as any good business knows we must segment in order to deliver effectively. We've 1,816 employed and 733 self-employed members, but within these groups we must segment further.
Take the large number of women in employment, within this group we have CEO, directors, senior managers, we have managers and leaders in the third sector. These groups require different things from their membership.
Our first group of leaders require high level expert speakers, an opportunity to network together and an opportunity to give back. We deliver for these members through our events with speakers such as Cathroina Hallahan (Microsoft Ireland), Anne Hearty (CPL( and Moya Doherty (RTE). We host specific lunches and dinners for networking.
Through our new mentoring programme launched last October, we have trained over 30 leaders in mentoring and have further 30 booked for our next cohort. We also invite these role model women to speak at events too, which is an opportunity for them to share their knowledge and experience with others.
Our managers in this category need to learn and become more comfortable with networking, they need to build a network of peer support, and they need to meet others from outside of their business and sector to give them a much broader perspective. All of this is of value back into the organisation but even more important for their personal development. The other key aspect is the exposure to role models and leaders, who inspire, motivate and teach. They access this through our speaker series and through our mentoring programme, which gives them access to senior business women.
Our self-employed business women who have had a hard time during the recession have different needs also. They need expert advice on business disciplines, they also need a peer support group, they need role models, they need business connections and they need profiling and promotion.
Again we deliver for these members through our master-class series covering social media, marketing, branding, cash flow, sales and much more. We have role model speakers through our member entrepreneurs such as Eleanor McEvoy (Budget Energy). Patricia O’Hagan (Core Systems) and Tracy Hamilton (Mash Direct) to name a few. Again, networking is available and they are able to promote their businesses on our website, through our e-zine, at events and on our social media.
I have used the word 'need' many times as I discussed our different member groups. Crucial to any business is the understanding of your customer needs.
Only by segmenting your customers again and again do you really get to understand the different needs each group has. Only through retention and by surveying and asking for feedback do you know if you are delivering for your customers.
We also have members who cannot attend events for many different reasons but mostly due to caring commitments. They are still our members so we keep in touch and engaged through our magazine, Facebook. Twitter and email and a key tool our monthly e-zine. It keeps them engaged and informed so that they still are aware of what events are coming up , what programmes are on offer and much more.
At WIB we deliver for all our members because we segment to ensure we understand our customer’s specific needs. It's about delivering our mission of creating a new economy, all supporting each other, all learning from each other.
:: Roseann Kelly is chief executive of Women in Business, the largest and fastest growing business network for female entrepreneurs and business leaders in Northern Ireland. Join at www.womeninbusinessni.com or follow at www.facebook.com/womeninbusinessni or @wibni
