Rock Your Digital Marketing as a Woman-Owned Business

As a female small business owner, it helps to have someone who understands the beauty and struggles of being a woman entrepreneur. While we’re all incredibly unique, there are certain experiences and questions many of us share. 

Maybe you’re looking for a women-run team in your corner, helping you crash the million and billion-dollar boys’ clubs or figure out your brand DNA.

Maybe you want to step into the forefront, own your point of view, and make your values known. This might be particularly true if you run a female-owned professional service that men traditionally dominate. 

On the flipside, maybe your initial thought is, “No, I don’t want that!” Either way, we’ve got you covered. 

At Drio, we’re on a mission to improve gender equity and help women-led businesses authentically take charge of their marketing strategy. 

This isn’t 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. 

Table of Contents

In this post, you’ll discover: 

• Should you focus on marketing as a women-led business?
• 3 tips to dominate your marketing as a female business owner
• How to put your “you” into your marketing
• How to create a marketing strategy for your female-owned business
• Discounts for women-owned businesses  
• How much does digital marketing strategy cost?

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 female-owned brand? 
• 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 help you start a content strategy for your women-owned business. 

Should You Focus On Marketing As A Women-Led Business? 

There is no be-all-end-all approach to branding for “female-owned businesses.” The truth is, this might not be an angle you focus on. 

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

The decision boils down to a few things: 

• Are you trying to attract people drawn to hiring women-owned businesses specifically?
• Is it an essential differentiator in your industry?
• Does it have a considerable impact on the way you work?
• Is showcasing gender diversity a part of your brand values? Is your mission to expand opportunities for women?

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, ethnicity, culture, ability status, or sexual orientation. These identities can all affect 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 empower you personally, while providing representation and visibility for others too. 

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

Put More “You” In Your Value Proposition

You have unique experiences, perspectives, values, stories, and skills. Many of these brand traits can and should show up in how your business operates or what your brand talks about. If you’re in a largely male-dominated industry, some of these traits might be pretty rare.

Own it.

This could involve:

• Embracing the inspiration behind your business. How and why did you get started?
• Speaking about something that gets you excited or that you want to improve. 
• Weaving a skill you have into your business’s operations and 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, while 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 encouraging 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. 

You can create a memorable brand DNA by identifying your unique traits, values, and stories. Even if you’re not a personal brand, these elements can still become part of your brand’s impact.

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

Create A Marketing Strategy For Your Female-Owned Business 

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, it can be hard to find time for our own marketing. 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. 

That’s where your marketing plan comes in.

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 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 metrics for 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
• Identify 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 as a female business owner isn’t about being the loudest, biggest, or funniest business on the internet.

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. However, with a solid marketing plan in order, those adjustments will have much more direction, which will lead to trackable, provable results. 

How Much Does Digital Marketing Strategy Cost? 

At Drio, the investment is $2500 for a comprehensive digital marketing strategy session. 

That said, we have an extra special offer for our fellow female entrepreneurs. 👇👇

Get 10% off Digital Marketing Strategy Sessions 

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.