• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 7, 2009

In order to effectively engage "empowered women" online, consumer packaged goods brands must design campaigns that enhance communication and aid in consumers' decision-making and influence. And that, according to a new report by Forrester Media, means social media.

In particular, 42% of this prized demographic reported visiting social networks like Facebook and MySpace, compared to just 33% of all U.S. adults online engaging in such activity.

But "in order to truly stand out from your competitors and make lasting connections with your target audience, it pays to do some soul searching before launching your campaign," according to the report authored by Forrester Research Senior Analyst Emily Riley.

Brands should therefore pick a specific audience to talk to so as not to sound too generic, and then create campaigns around that audience's behaviors rather than brand objectives.

What's more, "social media is not about sounding cooler than you normally do," the report warns. "It's about making your brand more personal than on other channels."

Empowered women -- or those ages 25-54 who feel that the Internet helps them manage their family life -- are highly influential as household decision-makers as well as among their peers. From entertainment to electronics, empowered women are much more likely to be asked by friends for product recommendations.

To make a personal impact in the world of social media, consumers need relatively consistent experiences, particularly online -- as 36% of consumers look for more information through a search engine after seeing an online ad.

Brands also need to determine exactly what they are trying to achieve, whether it is a rebranding effort for a product, or an effort to build buzz.

Of critical importance, marketers should know that social campaigns require long-term commitments, according to Forrester. "Once you've made a connection with someone, for example, by having them download a widget, they are going to expect a higher level of interaction over a longer period of time than with a commercial or a banner ad."

Regarding empowered women specifically, one-third use social networking sites mainly for communication compared with 23% of all online adults. Nearly one-third -- 32% -- of empowered women will actively go to friends' pages on social networking sites to keep in touch, compared with only 21% of all online adults.

Furthermore, empowered women care about value and like knowing as much as they can before they buy. A whopping 81% of empowered women say it's important for them to find the best deal they can on things they buy, compared with 63% of U.S. online adults ages 18 and up.

Research for the study was conducted in June 2008 by JupiterResearch, which has since merged with Forrester Research. JupiterResearch designed and fielded a survey to online consumers selected randomly from the NPD Group U.S. online consumer panel. A total of 3,730 individuals responded to the survey.