Move over Marketing to Women enthusiasts. A recent study by Rapleaf, sheds new light on the mystery of marketing to men. Particularly when it comes to social media. The study, featured in BusinessWeek (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc20080516_580743.htm), took a look at social media and the gender gap.
 
According to the study, men "generally tend to look at things in a more transactional way than women. That's why married men dominate LinkedIn, the most transactional mainstream social network." Women, on the other hand are "less transactional and more relationship-driven. They spend more time on social networks building relationships, communicating with friends, and making new friends." The end result, according to this study: "Because they use social networks to be social, a dollar spent marketing to acquire a female user goes a lot further than on a male user."
 
For brands creating influencer marketing programs for men, the insights from this study help to frame the conversations brands should be having with male consumers - via social media, and other Word of Mouth platforms. As additional research is done on social media, practitioners should start to see even more consistencies across channels designed for sharing and recommendation. In the meantime, one thing is certain: Most men are transactional brand evangelists at best.