In fact, my latest book, Unzipped, was written from the premise that “The Rule of Resemblance” – creating marketing strategies and messaging based on age, income, or zip code – no longer works. Thanks in great part to the Internet, more people than ever are connecting based not on demographics, but shared interests and value systems.

I was delighted to see that there are others out there starting to spread the word as well. Watch this 8-minute excerpt from a recent TED conference, featuring Professor Johanna Blakley of USC. She explains how social media is blowing away not only gender myths but basic demographic myths, and how women control the platform.

I’m sorry we don’t have the entire talk here, but this is a good start. I’d love to know how the professor thinks this change in thinking will affect traditional marketers. I believe it’s a ways down the road for large corporations, but small business owners who start thinking in terms of “shared values” will have an upper hand against competitors.

But it will definitely increase your rate of conversion – that is, transform visitors to your website into actual customers.

It’s why ProFlowers is beating the pants off of Teleflora.

It’s why a relatively unknown VitaCost is leaving Drugstore.com in the dust.

And it’s why L.L. Bean reigns supreme.

It’s one simple thing.

Month after month, the websites that are listed by Nielsen as having the top conversion rates have the phone number listed on every page of their website, usually in the upper right-hand corner (where the eye naturally falls in looking at a page).

Why is that so important?

I’ve written on this blog about how women function; how they often make their purchasing decisions based on internal or external energy.

Most online retailers (and service providers) build a website for the “internal energy” (or introverted) female, figuring she wants to shop on her own without being bothered.

But “external energy” (or extroverted) women shop online as well, don’t they?

Extroverts get their energy by connecting with other human beings.  Let’s say an Extrovert is on your website.  She likes what she sees, but she has a couple of questions.

She’d like to pick up the phone and call you.

But you have no phone number listed – at least not one that’s easily accessible.

What’s she going to do?

Bail on you, that’s what.

Is your phone number given a place of honor at the top of every web page?  It’s the Number One thing most businesses forget – and the easiest thing in the world to do, to convert more of those window shoppers into actual customers.

What are some other tips you’d like to share, on simple ways to make your website more powerful?