It's all about the optics.

Slate.com features an interesting piece by Brigid Schulte about how men are often sought out as experts, ignoring the perspective and expertise of accomplished women in the same field, even if the topic is women's issues.   Although we're not academics, there's a lesson in this.  It's not about sexism or politics, it's about optics. If you're seeking an expert or someone from outside your business to try to influence your audience, don't automatically reach out to men. Use a little more of your time, expend a little more effort, and you'll find talented women who are just as smart (probably smarter) than the men you think of as your first choice. 

You see, in most cases, women are more than half your target audience and often drive 80 per cent of the consumer spending in their household.  They're savvy consumers and expect their business to be valued just as much as a man's.  If women realize that's not the case, they vote with their feet and their wallets and they're not afraid to share their experience with their friends and on social media. Money has no gender and your business efforts shouldn't either.  Women pay attention,  so if you don't actively reach out to women in merchandising, branding and hiring decisions (among others) then you're letting their money slip through your fingers into your competition's bank account.