How to rock your marketing as a woman-owned business

We love men. We’re married to two awesome ones and we’re raising a few good ones too.

But we’re on a mission to help more women CEOs crash the million and billion-dollar boys club, especially with the pandemic disproportionately affecting women-owned businesses.

That’s why we’re so loud about helping women business owners take charge of their marketing and show up as themselves in it. We want you to step into the forefront, own your point of view, and make your values known. This is particularly true if you work in a field that’s traditionally dominated by men.

It’s not because women should put themselves out there more than men. But we believe women should own just as much spotlight as their male counterparts. While things are changing, the world’s not quite there yet.

If you’re feeling hesitant, we get it.  It’s hard to put yourself out there, especially if you’re one of few women in your industry. It can also be tricky figuring out how to actually go about it.

• How much personal info is too much for your business?
• Should you be the main face of your brand or take a background role?
• Should you actively market the fact that your business is woman-owned?
• What does this all look like in practice?

This post will give you some tips to get started.

Should you really market the fact your business is woman-owned?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this.

We believe you should put a little “you” into your marketing (more on that in a bit). But that doesn’t mean all businesses necessarily should lean hard into positioning themselves as “a woman-owned business.”

The decision boils down to a few things: 

1. Are you trying to attract people who are drawn to hiring women-owned businesses specifically?
2. Is it an important differentiator in your industry?
3. Does it have a considerable impact on the way you work?

If you’re targeting people of all genders who want to hire people of all genders and  many of your competitors are also woman-owned, the answer is probably “not necessarily.”

If the opposite is true, the answer could be “heck yeah.”

Side note: The same idea applies to other identities you might hold

Maybe it’s a different gender identity, your ethnicity, culture, ability status, or sexual orientation. These identities can all play a role in how you see and experience the world.

That doesn’t mean you need to disclose, talk about, or promote anything you don’t want to. But simply showing up as yourself in your business’s marketing can be empowering for you personally, while providing representation and visibility for others too.

Now, here are 3 tips to dominate your marketing, especially as a woman-owned business.

Put more “you” in your value proposition

You have unique experiences, perspectives, values, stories, and skills. Naturally, many of these will show up in the way your business operates or what your brand stands for. If you’re in a largely male-dominated industry, some of these traits might be pretty rare.

Own it.

This could involve:

• Embracing the story and inspiration behind your business. What was the problem you wanted to solve?
• Speaking about something that fires you up and you’re dedicated to fixing.
• Weaving a skill you have into your business’s operations and core messaging.

For example, at Drio, we promote the fact that we’re a Right Brain-Left Brain duo. Rachel is naturally analytical and great with logic. Hazel is naturally creative and super intuitive. Together, we offer the best of both worlds in our marketing and website services.

We’re also strong advocates of women helping women, building community, and innovation. We stay on top of marketing and tech trends to help you stay one well-heeled strut ahead of the competition.

This is all part of our core messaging.

By identifying your unique traits, values, and stories, you can create a memorable value proposition. Even if you’re not a personal brand, these elements can still become part of your brand’s heart and soul.

This sets you up to create a marketing strategy that makes an impact and feels awesome.

Create a marketing plan to match

Once you’ve redefined your mindset around marketing and identified some ways to put more you into your messaging, you need a roadmap.

As business owners, we often get stuck working in our business, instead of on it. Client work and growing to-do lists always feel more pressing than big-picture thinking and long-term strategy.

But that big-picture thinking is how you set and reach your goals.

Enter: marketing plans.

It might sound obvious, but many small business owners skip marketing plans for a long time.

There are so many types of marketing your business can invest in, from traditional paid print advertising and public relations to the many facets of digital marketing. SEO, social media, email, influencer marketing, digital ads…this list goes on.

You definitely don’t need to be everywhere. But you do need a plan to stay aligned, on track, and at ease.

The key to a great marketing plan is getting specific about:

1. Your business goals
2. Who you need to reach
3. Where you’ll reach them
4. Your definition of success

Here’s a quick look at the benefits of having a marketing plan and the potential consequences of skipping it.

Benefits of having a marketing plan

• Gain powerful direction so you never feel lost around what to do next
• Nail down what marketing tactics work best for you and your prospects
• Gain accurate clarity on your marketing budget
• Save time because you’ve already done the big thinking
• Create more room for creativity and innovation

Potential consequences of not having a marketing plan

• Marketing falls to the wayside because of the extra time and brainpower that’s regularly needed 
• Lost insights into what tactics actually work and wasted resources investing in wrong-fit platforms
• Misaligned campaigns that don’t fit your goals or brand values
• Missed chances to optimize the performance of your tactics 
• Losing out to competitors more often 

Get intentional with your marketing

Download our free guide: 5 Simple Steps to Building Your Digital Marketing Plan

Stick to the plan and adapt as needed

At the end of the day, marketing isn’t about being the loudest, biggest, or funniest business in the digital room.

It’s about being clear in your purpose and staying the course 365, 24/7.

Once you’ve got your plan in order, you are giant leaps ahead of the game.

Then it’s just a matter of:

1. Sticking to it
2. Scheduling time to review the stats
3. Adjusting where needed

There will be times when you have to pivot. That’s business. That’s life. But with a solid marketing plan in order, those adjustments will have much more direction which leads to trackable, provable results.

Let us take some of the big thinking off your plate

Paging: the Drio Duo.

We’re offering 10% off Digital Marketing Strategy Sessions for women business owners in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, or Math-related fields (STEAM).

These sessions get you:

• A 3-hour deep dive into your brand, your goals, and your challenges 
• A comprehensive, easy-to-follow 90-day marketing action plan 
• A 30-minute follow-up to go over your plan
• Confidence in knowing exactly what steps to take with your marketing 

Then you can either implement the plan on your own or partner with us. 

If you’re ready to dominate your marketing and start 2023 off with a bang, we’re your girls. You know where you want to go. We can help you get there.

Get in touch to request a Strategy Session.