A recent article on eMarketer asked "Are Women Really Ignoring Social Network Marketing?" providing statistics revealing that although women are active in social networks, 74.8% of them reported that social networks do not influence their purchase decisions.

Seen as a prime target, brands have been throwing themselves at women online in recent years and figuring out new ways to engage them. Branded MySpace pages, Twitter accounts and profiles on Facebook have proliferated the space offering discounts or giveaways in order to entice fans. We know women talk about products online and use social media to offer product assessments to others, so marketing on social networks is worthwhile.

Here are a few recommendations on things to do, and avoid, when participating in the social network marketing space:

DO:

• Offer value - Think creatively about how to offer value to women - which doesn't just translate to coupons. Connect them in weekly chats with product development for recommendations on current products, or ideas on potential products, and let them know when their thoughts are implemented.
  
• Change it up - Don't host the same type of contest or expert article every week. Look for new ways to engage - what are the new applications on Facebook that could be fun and relevant to encouraging women to share? 
• Connect offline - Give women in-person experiences that makes them want to engage more with your brand online. Launch a tour to introduce your marketing team with women in casual, local market get-togethers.
  

DONT:

• Rely on "spikes" - Sustainable conversation and real relationships won't develop from giveaways. They're good for generating traffic, launching a page or creating temporary buzz - but probably won't be influential in driving a purchase decision.
  
• Focus on graphics - A branded presence is pleasant and official, but adding flash or making all the text embedded in an image will be overwhelming and too much like an advertisement.
• Consider every fan/follower an "advocate" - Just because they joined your Facebook page or started listening to your tweets doesn't mean they are a hardcore fan. They may have just joined for a contest or because their friend told them to. Regardless, make sure you continue to "court" them and offer them more reasons to fall in love with your product or service.
  

What brands do you see marketing in social networks well? What Dos and Dont's would you add to this list?