Best Ways For Women To Promote & Market Their Business

Published by Mike Michalowicz (Google+)

How To Become An Entrepreneur

1. Finding Your Allies

My tip is related to online marketing: clearly identify what you're about and don't try to be all things to all people. Then, identify your best allies (don't forget "uncommon allies" - folks you'd not normally think of as a perfect match but that share a similar interest / concern might be helpful toward your/mutual interests) and establish win-win connections at every opportunity you create, together.
Thanks to: Tristan Benz of Maiden America.

2. Relationship Marketing

Women are all about building relationships and networking, and that's why we are so drawn to social media marketing.

As business owners we realize that connections are what makes or breaks a business, and engaging in conversations with our target market is the perfect way to build our businesses :)
Thanks to: Jill Chongva of SmartBusiness Diva.

3. Sexist But True!

It sounds terribly sexist but my best tip for women entrepreneurs is to work with other women & moms! I’m a mom entrepreneur and I have had my best luck marketing my products through mommy blogs and women’s networking sites. I even got a call from a buyer at Staples USA because he read about my business in the Mommy blog – 24/7 Moms! Women supporting women - Mom blogs are very powerful!
Thanks to: Christy Cook of Teach My.

4. Women's Groups Are Hot!

I have found that joining women-only networking groups like www.source37.com, www.savorthesuccesss.com, and www.ingoodcmpny.com have been among my best marketing tools. I work in finance so much of my growth depends on word of mouth referrals. These women are a source of great leads! Additionally, aside from networking I find these women to be an incredible resource. In these groups I can hash out business problems, discuss work/family balance, AND generate new business.
Thanks to: Justine Lackey of Good Cents Bookkeeping, Inc..

5. The Power Of Video

Since women are generally very relationship-oriented, and buyers like to buy from companies they know, like and trust, I find that using videos is very helpful. Putting videos on your website and on YouTube and other video marketing sites increases your visibility, puts a "face" with a brand and gives your target audience the opportunity to make an emotional connection with you/your company better and quicker than words on a website ever could. Videos are simply a powerful marketing tool.
Thanks to: Traci Ellis of Traci D. Ellis, Esq. LLC.

6. The Female Angle

My tip to women entrepreneurs: join NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners. There women entrepreneurs can network, learn from others and actively promote their business. Figure out the "female angle," i.e., what is it about your comany that is particularly attractive to women.
Thanks to: Eugenia Francis of TeaCHildMath.

7. Leverage Social Media

As a woman entrepreneur I have found one of the most cost-effective way to market my business is by leveraging social media tools such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. I am able to increase visibility and build up my credibility as an expert in my field by being an active part of these online communities.
Thanks to: Jillian Koeneman of Freshlime.

8. Content Marketing Attention

As Google loves content and as you seek to proactively market your company, conduct content marketing to increase your Internet presence, To do so, write consistent and value-laden articles, and post them on Internet article directories. The benefits of content marketing are many -- article readers learn about your company and brand; articles link to your site thereby directing visitors to your website; and this all can help your placement on search engines. The best to you and your company!
Thanks to: Anahid Derbabian of Integrity Communications.

9. Go Forth & Speak!

Unpaid public speaking is a fantastic way to drum up new business. Associations and Chambers of Commerce are always looking for free speakers educate and entertain at meetings. You spend 30-45 minutes at the podium building your credibility with a captive audience and when you’re done they want to buy from you! You’ll make your money from the “back of the room” after the event selling products/services, getting referrals and booking more gigs. It’s the perfect win/win.
Thanks to: Leslie Guria of SpeakingBonanza.com.

10. Your Passion Matters

Never underestimate your impact on people as you move through your career. The good relationships you have will find you, time and time again.

Produce the quality of work as if your life depends on it. Because it does. You know the comment you hear that "you are not supposed to care more than the client does?" Women do. Sometimes effort is rewarded as much as results.
Thanks to: Susan Wilson of Susan Wilson Marketing.

11. Community Networking Group

I started my own networking group ~Bedford Business Networking Group. Bedford is the community in which I reside. We meet for the purpose of promoting and supporting one another. The Group is open to all residents. One of the primary goals of the group is to serve and support the community and each other as neighbors/business owners. Building a business requires building relationships and if you stay involved and people like, know and trust you then your business will grow!


Thanks to: Michelle Morton of Bedford Business Networking Group.

12. Establish A Sincere Connection

Women tend to be detail oriented, and that's one tactic that should be emphasized in their marketing. Women also tend to appeal to clients with their sense of emotion and not just stats/facts, so they should show clients they care with detail-oriented work and follow-up. People like to do business with those they feel a connection - those that they like and trust. Use your feminine side and prove that you're that person ... with professional reason, of course ;)
Thanks to: Gail Sideman of PUBLISIDE Personal Publicity.

13. Submitting Content

As a start-up ourself, we are constantly trying new avenues to generate traffic on our website. The most successful strategies thus far have been: blogging on popular websites, sharing content from our site with others that currently have more traffic than ours, creating links, and using Social Media (Twitter and Facebook) to post relevant information. We recently ran a promotion that was quite successful, offering new subscribers to our weekly newsletter an entry to a random cookbook drawing.
Thanks to: Julie Arnheim of RubbingNickels.com.

14. Create A Brand Experience

Stay focused on what you deliver to your audience and package it. Create a brand that transcends you as a person, something that becomes a total experience that fulfills a need. Tightly define your target audience and then market directly to them, giving them exactly what they want. Create a brand experience that will keep customers coming back for more, something that they will tell their network of friends. Think through about targeting women in particular, how to uniquely fulfill their needs.
Thanks to: Jim Joseph of Lippe Taylor.

15. Your Natural Style

Women naturally consider the needs of others. This works to their advantage in crafting marketing messages since the message must always be about what the customer will get.
Thanks to: Dale Furtwengler of Furtwengler & Associates, P.C..

16. Is Your Identity Your Brand?

In terms of ways for women to market, it depends on how intertwined their own identity is with the brand. Some women in the children's market have made their name synonymous with the brand, marketing themselves, their products and their company as designed for Moms by a Mom. I’m in the same market, but want to build a brand that can extend beyond the children's industry, so I've kept my identity separate from the company’s brand, which enables us to target men and women in multiple markets.
Thanks to: Jill Cartwright of Go GaGa.

17. Play To Win

Find a competition that’s appropriate for your business, enter it, and compete to win. It might be for a WEBBY or a fastest-growing company competition sponsored by your local business community. Can’t find a competition? Start one.
Thanks to: Karen Howe of Mindbloom.

18. Tell "Success Stories"

Strategically craft "success stories" about how you/your business helped clients solve problems. Storytelling-in-business is great because if your story fits the listener's current problem, you just gave them a test drive of what it's like to work with you. If your story doesn't fit, they'll respond with a story that explains their situation and you’ve created connection and the opportunity to address their issue. Story begets story! Use speaking opportunities to tell your stories.
Thanks to: Doug Stevenson of Doug Stevenson's Story Theater Intl.

19. Women Should Sell To Women

The great misconception in America is that business is traditionally done by men. However, the majority of buyers for businesses and households are women. Women entrepreneurs should take advantage of the fact that they are much better than men at selling to other women. By doing this, they will eliminate 50% of the competition.
Thanks to: Greg Digneo of Cloud Marketing Labs.

 

Compiled by Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Category: Marketing Like Mad, Women Entrepreneurs
Tags: , , , , , , , , .
  • http://www.freshlimemarketing.com Jillian Koeneman

    Mike,
    Great post as ALWAYS. Thanks for featuring my tip and showcasing all of the other great tips for Women Entrepreneurs!

    • http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com Mike Michalowicz

      @Jillian – and THANK YOU for your contribution. I am a big believer in exploiting natural strengths, as opposed to trying to develop a strength from weakness. I think there are some marketing moves women can automatically do without the need to “learn” them.

  • http://www.basketsbyconsuela.com Consuela Greene

    I now have some additional strategies to promote my business. Thanks to you all!

  • http://www.underdogmillionaire.com/blog Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire

    I think these can be true for any demographic or niche. People love to relate to other people in their same “tribe.”

    Whether you are a woman, or a firefighter, or you collect Pez dispensers, the ability to feel that you are part of a group that is bigger than you, is the key to the customer’s marketing heart.

    -Joshua Black
    The Underdog Millionaire

  • Alex

    So, several of the methods you suggest for women to grow their business is to be blatantly sexist and join all-female groups. Let’s not be naive here, if these groups were all-male, then they would be deemed sexist and the people who joined them to be likewise. So, again, you are promoting women to show few morals and essentially do exactly what they have fought against for years? So how is this not sheer hypocrisy?

    • http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com Mike Michalowicz

      @Alex – Interesting point you make. Just note the methods suggested, are that of the TPE community. Not mine necessarily. I would love to discuss the ones you feel are in conflict (I too feel some are). Tell me the ones that you find hypocritical.

  • Alex

    Mike, seriously … “Tell me the ones you find hypocritical”? Women, who have for decades rallied against all male establishments and the old boys network are now encouraged to go to all-female business groups where they set up ‘old girl’ networks? When did blatant discrimination in business become OK? Had the advice been for men to rally together and help only each other there would have been outrage here.

    • http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com Mike Michalowicz

      @Alex – True brother, very true. It is funny that minorities get a different treatment than the majority.