Introduction

International Women’s Day is more than a celebration, it’s a movement to make this world an equal place. In the digital marketing industry, where creativity and innovation are the foundations of success, empowering women is not only a social necessity but also a business necessity. A McKinsey & Company report found that companies with diverse leadership can help companies outperform others by 25 per cent.

At SalesEra, the best digital marketing agency in India, we are fortunate to be in an industry that is inclusive, where women’s voices shape strategies, campaigns, and innovations. Here is how companies can empower and support women in digital marketing to #AccelerateAction

1. Highlight Women-Led Businesses in Your Content

“When women are empowered in business, economies grow, and communities thrive.” – Melinda Gates

Empowered women entrepreneurs create a stronger, more diversified economy. Businesses owned by women constitute almost 37 per cent of SMEs worldwide, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), but are less funded than their male-owned counterparts.

Tips to Empower Women in Marketing:

1. Feature Women Entrepreneurs in Campaigns: Campaigns like Visa’s ‘She’s Next’ offer grants and empowerment to women-owned businesses, demonstrating how visibility can stimulate growth.

2. Feature Women-Owned Brands on Social Media: A LinkedIn or Instagram shoutout feature of women-owned startups can increase brand loyalty and awareness.

3. Provide Discounted or Pro-Bono Marketing Services: Providing discounted content marketing, SEO, or PPC services to early-stage women entrepreneurs, can bridge the gender gap in business growth.

2. Collaborate with Women Influencers

Women in marketing dominate the influencer marketing scene, with 84 per cent of the world’s influencers being women (Statista, 2023). Women are trendsetters, make smart purchasing decisions, and form meaningful brand connections.

Best Practices to Collaborate with Women Influencers:

1. Provide Women Creators in Your Niche a Voice: Brands like Dove and Nike have been able to utilize female influencers to create authentic engagement and advocacy.

2. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers: Micro-influencers (10K–100K followers) have highly engaged audiences. Collaborations with them can lead to brand authenticity and ROI increase.

3. Highlight Women Experts in Webinars and Podcasts: Highlighting industry women experts in marketing discussions highlights their thought leadership and inspires the next generation of women professionals.

Example: When LinkedIn’s ‘Women in Sales’ campaign highlighted women sales and marketing executives, it generated a 20 per cent lift in engagement with women-led business content.

3. Create Dedicated Campaigns for Women-Led Initiatives

Representation is important. Seeing themselves as leaders, on billboard ads, and on the success list inspires ambition and motivates the next generation of marketers. However, in a 2022 CultureAlly report, it was found that only 29 per cent of marketing leaders are women, even though they form the majority in the field.

Steps towards Improving Women’s Representation in Digital Marketing

1. Use Inclusive and Diverse Imagery: Avoid gender stereotyping in advertising and show women in leadership, technology, and business roles.

2. Create Women-Centric Marketing Campaigns: Campaigns like Always’ ‘Like a Girl’ campaign shattered traditional stereotypes and transformed young women’s perception of themselves.

3. Invite Women to Speak at Industry Conferences: Providing women a platform to speak at conferences, panels, and webinars supports professional development and visibility.

4. Support Women in Digital Marketing

We’ve come a long way as a society, whether it be on the level of medicine, science or innovation. However, 42 percent of American women report discrimination at work due to their gender, according to CultureAlly. As a marginalized group, women in marketing have had to fight harder to get close to equal opportunities as men.

Hence, today, #AccelerateAction and encourage diversity, inclusion, and societal improvement by supporting women in digital marketing roles within your organization through:

• Mentorship and Networking: Connect women with experienced mentors, allowing for growth opportunities. Give women in marketing the chance to attend networking events to build their professional relationships. Encourage their development as leaders and their steady steps in the marketing world.
• Education and Skill Development: Provide opportunities for women to stay up to date, armed with competitive skills, in a quickly growing marketing world through online courses, certifications, and resources that build their marketing and SEO skills.
• Representation and Visibility: Highlight the accomplishments of women in digital marketing, as they not only represent their success but also inspire others to pursue new heights.

5. Use Inclusive Language and Imagery

It’s difficult to feel secure and ready to give the world your all when you know you’re not welcome–and this is true for women in marketing too.

While it may not seem like an issue worth considering, inclusive language and imagery, when used well, can create a safe environment where everyone feels welcome, appreciated and respected.

Not only will this support women-led businesses and help all your coworkers feel included, but it may also allow your business to attract and resonate with a broader audience.

Help #AccelerateAction by using gender-neutral language and inclusive terminology (‘their’ instead of ‘his’).

Additionally, try to make a real effort to represent women in an empowering light instead of giving in to misogynistic stereotypes.

6. Leverage Social Media for Advocacy—Speak out/share the issues on SM

Today, the digital world is more powerful than ever, and social media is the easiest, most used tool to connect people together and share information or entertainment.

For women in digital marketing, social media is a great tool for advocacy. Through using your social media platforms to raise awareness about women-led businesses and campaigns, sharing and engaging with their content, as well as encouraging your audience to check them out and support them, you’d be well on your way to #AccelerateAction.

For your posts to garner more attention or reach more people, consider using hashtags like #WomeninMarketing or #SupportWomenLed.

Conclusion

Fostering diversity, inclusion, and innovation in the marketing industry is a commitment—and advocating for women-led businesses and campaigns is only the first step. As the best digital marketing agency in India, we at SalesEra consider championing for women in marketing to be not a trend but a dedication to helping them soar high and realize their full potential. Let’s #AccelerateAction and make a lasting impact together.