Women don't always have an easy path to entrepreneurship and financial independence. Fortunately, as technological innovations such as the Internet become part of the fabric of society, determined women are leveraging social media to succeed in business. Women of all ethnicities and industries can learn from the successes of their predecessors and leverage online tools to grow their businesses.
If you want to expand your business, social media can be an important factor in its development. Here's what you need to know about how social media marketing can help women-owned businesses reach key markets.
Women's entrepreneurship and social media
Women who were previously reluctant to work outside the home or start their own businesses are finding success in small businesses that rely on social media and other online tools. Indonesian women in particular rely on social media to attract new customers' attention. According to a Women's World Bank report, 63% of businesses use sites like Instagram and Facebook for promotion.
Women around the world are realizing their true potential for several reasons. Social media allows women entrepreneurs to connect not only with other women who are building their businesses, but also with their ideal customers, who are often women as well. [Read related article: 5 Feminine Traits That Make Leaders Great]
The internet has made entrepreneurship accessible to millions of women around the world, and there has been a welcome surge in women-owned businesses around the world. Gusto reports that due to the unique circumstances of the pandemic, 49% of new businesses were started by women in 2021, up from 28% in 2019. While not all of these businesses are successful in the long term, many women are building sustainable companies that continue to grow.
A closer look at the rate of female entrepreneurship in the United States shows that women are slowly gaining traction as the culture moves toward more inclusiveness. According to the National Council for Women, women owned nearly 13 million businesses in 2020. That's a huge number, especially when you consider that in 1972, there were only 402,000 women-owned businesses in the United States.
How women use social media to grow their businesses
Social media is an important tool for women entrepreneurs for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's affordable. A woman can naturally reach her target audience on some social media platforms and find new clients and customers without having to pay for expensive advertising campaigns.
Women also use social media as a branding tool. Women entrepreneurs know how to use social networking sites to build trust and customer loyalty by continually posting and sharing everything from product photos to customer testimonials. , often avoiding the need for expensive marketing campaigns. Brands like Flat Tummy Co, Thinx, and Glossier have largely built their success on targeted marketing campaigns that feature real women and the struggles they face.
Smart businesswomen know that social media can serve many purposes at once: marketing, branding, and even customer service. Here's how to use popular networking platforms to build your customer base and drive business success.
- Connection and involvement: Use social media to connect with your ideal customers. Engage directly with your audience, ask for feedback, and get to know them.
- customer service: Social media allows you to quickly respond to customer complaints, questions, and feedback. Good customer service on social media can even turn a bad situation into a good one.
- advertisement: Many social media platforms offer cheap advertising options that are very effective.
- Branding: Social media allows you to develop your brand voice and aesthetic through content such as photos, videos, and posts.
- Research and data collection: In today's data-driven world, using social media to gather customer data and research your competitors can give you a competitive edge.
- Tracking trends: In marketing, it's important to keep up with trends. Hashtags, keywords, and other trends can be easily monitored on social media.
- networking: You can use social media to find support and guidance from other women.
Why you need to create a social media marketing plan
Nicole Antoinette Smith, assistant professor and founder of eleV8T, said it's important to have a social media marketing plan in place before you start. She listed four main reasons why planning is important.
- You no longer need to strategize along the way. If you plan at the beginning, you will already know what to do first, what to do next, and what to do at the end.
- You will be able to resist the urge to overreact to every little thing. When marketing your business, you'll inevitably encounter new ideas, stimulating input from business partners and colleagues, or a desire to change or eliminate tactics that don't seem to be working. With a plan, you don't have to accept every idea because you have a clear direction on what you want to achieve and how to get there. Of course, you should continue to accept strategies that clearly make sense, but this doesn't mean you need to interrupt your plans to consider new options.
- When you feel like quitting, you can learn the fundamental reasons for continuing. Planning can be the motivation you need during difficult times or when things don't seem to be going well. Refer to your plan frequently to remember your goals, strategies, measurements, and expected results.
- You can see the expected results. One of the most important aspects of your business marketing plan is the results you want to achieve. Make sure they are realistic and measurable.
The women who are most successful in using social media use their chosen platforms consistently and have a clear strategy for each platform's role in their larger marketing strategy. Clearly explaining your social media marketing actions and goals will help you measure success and make any necessary changes.
Be prepared to throw away your content. You may be proud of your time-consuming content projects, but don't take it personally, even if the results are disastrous. You may need to follow different trends, post at different times, or reanalyze which social media platforms are best for your brand.
social media networking
Women grow by supporting each other. It's one of the most powerful aspects of social media. These platforms allow female entrepreneurs to connect and learn from not only female customers but also like-minded women.
Building a strong network is the key to professional success for women. Networking can provide valuable advice, word-of-mouth advertising, and new opportunities. If you're looking to expand your network, especially in women's leadership or marketing/advertising, these organizations may be a good place to start.
- She runs it: An organization that has promoted women's success and leadership for over 100 years, She Runs It offers networking events, workshops, mentoring, and more.
- Advertising club: This nonprofit organization is dedicated to educating and connecting advertising, marketing, and media professionals.
- Advertising Federation of America: This organization is dedicated to the growth of advertising professionals at all levels.
- Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media: Founded by actress Geena Davis, the organization focuses on creating equal representation of women in the media.
Grow your business and become a leader with social media
Even if you're starting your own business from scratch, it's important to consider yourself a leader from day one. There are lots of great online tools for women who want to grow their businesses and build empires, but you need to think like a leader before you can be a leader.
Social media is a great way to promote your business and expand your network. You can also build your personal brand and feel confident in your professional accomplishments. If you use social media wisely, your business can generate a much bigger response than you expected when you started.
Step into the role of a leader. own it. For too long, women have had to battle a glass ceiling before achieving success in business. That's finally changing and it's time to grow and celebrate your dream business.
Additional reporting by Julie Thompson.
social media marketing tools
Women who use social media marketing for their businesses know they need to be consistent with their posts and engagement. Whether your audience uses her Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform, most businesses will eventually need to invest in a social media management tool.
Scheduling and social media marketing management tools make it easy to keep track of all your business accounts and offer features such as content scheduling, analysis, and monitoring. The right tool for your business will depend on your platform, expectations, and specific needs.
Below are some of the most popular social media management tools.
Social media management tools often come with a monthly fee, but it's much cheaper than hiring someone to post or monitor your account on your behalf. If you want to grow your business using social media, you should explore the features of different management tools and choose the one that best suits your company's needs.
>Automated social CRM tools can help you keep your social media posts consistent.