I believe one of my greatest skills as a woman business owner is an innate ability to effectively reach a key group of affluent, female consumers. Ladies who have an exponential influence on purchase decisions – the ones who spend more, know more and talk more about the products and services they love. The New York Times has published studies on what is called the “Marketing Multiplier” Effect. Marketing Multipliers are people with online voices that your customers listen to. Some call this “Word of Mouth Marketing”. I am choosing to refer to them as “Marketing Multipliers”. Since the topic of this blog is about reaching women specifically; I am going to share with you 4 first steps to reach women marketing multipliers.
Love building my network over cocktails!
I’ve studied networking quite a bit in the past few years because I’ve found it to be a critical aspect of business development for my business. Over the years I have taken note of 4 common mistakes people make at networking events. I’ll share them with you so that you will be better prepared to be the best professional networker you can be.
#1: Don’t just talk to the same people.
Isn’t it easier to sit and gab with your colleagues, friends or people you kinda-sorta know at events than reaching out to people you’ve never met before? It’s much more comfortable to stay within your comfort zone surrounding yourself with people you know rather than making the effort to introduce yourself to new contacts but isn’t that the point of networking? Of course!
Anyone who has children under the age of 5 knows how difficult it is to capture those precious memories throughout the toddler years because the little turkeys won’t sit still! I decided to be ambitious this year and get my 18-month-old daughter’s holiday pics taken early so I wouldn’t be stressed as the season begins… so I called a shutterbug girlfriend to get the scoop!
Erin Schedler is a talented Seattle photographer who I trust to take fantastic photos of my peanut! She was so gracious with her time and had a ton of energy to keep up with active toddler. I asked her to give me some tips for how to take good pics of kids and since she generously shared some awesome wisdom with meI’m passing it along to you…
My Daughter Zoe & I
It’s likely that some of you GPH gals are mommies as well as successful working women. In addition to writing for Girl Power Hour, I also write my own blog about being a mompreneur. The tagline for my blog is “Rockin’ a Business, while Rocking a Baby.” I chose that tagline because I believe there is no greater feeling of empowerment than when you are confidently managing the art of being a mommy and a career oriented female at the same time. Today is one of those days when I felt a little overwhelmed by the concept so in an effort to embrace that feeling and think positively I thought I’d write about ways that working women balance babies and careers.
1. A Will to Work.
A happy mommy is a more gracious and patient mommy. For me personally, running my business makes me happy. I’ve learned that in order to be the best mom I can be to my daughter, I need to have an outlet for all of my ambitious energy. My company is where I can nourish my self-esteem. I know I’m good at my job. I’m creative and passionate about the work that I do. I take great pride in providing for my daughter emotionally and financially. I want her to grow up with a confident, business savvy mama who teaches her that she’s capable of doing anything she sets her mind to.
2005 UW Graduation
I have struggled with this at times in my career. Especially fresh out of college. I actually graduated with my 4 year degree in 2 1/2 years so when I walked across the stage at the University of Washington I was only 2o years old. I looked like a baby. At the time I thought I looked older than I was, and perhaps I did, but still wet behind the ears at 20, there are unique challenges to be overcome.
I loved this article! I started my advertising agency when I was 23. I’ve been quite successful professionally and am proud of my entrepreneurial accomplishments. Here are 4 tips for you young entrepreneurs out there who are struggling to bridge the generation gap.
1. Know What You Are Talking About.
“ If you’re “winging it,” people can tell, and, perhaps justifiably, they won’t take you seriously. To elicit the opposite response, you should learn everything you can about your industry — and your own product or service — so you can speak clearly and authoritatively about your business.” It’s hard to turn down a professional, well-informed, eager-to-please entrepreneur. I’ve found in my experience that once I establish that I truly know what I’m talking about, people are more than willing to put their faith in me regardless of my age. Without sounding like a know-it-all, I have learned to articulate my value proposition to prospective customers and clients. When you’ve earned trust and credibility, age becomes less of a factor.
2. Admit That You Don’t Know Everything.
“Many young entrepreneurs try to overcompensate for inexperience by talking as though they’ve got it all figured out. The only thing worse than not knowing all you should know is not knowing, and then acting like you do.” One of the greatest ways to establish integrity in a business relationship is by admitting that you don’t know the answer to a question and then taking the time to seek the correct information before answering the client. I know a gal who is amazing at this strategy. She is a financial advisor in Bellevue. I trust her implicitly. She usually has the answers to my investment decisions but on the occasion that she doesn’t; she has a great mentor she reaches out to and promptly answers my question correctly after having a thorough conversation with this more seasoned business professional. She’s earned my trust over the years because I know she’s not making stuff up just to sound as if she knows more than she really does. She’s well-educated but not afraid to admit when she needs to seek counsel from her well-respected mentor.
If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to build a mentor relationship with a trusted person in your industry. These folks have become successful in their field because they’ve done things right over the years. They’ve made mistakes along the way and are usually happy to share their hard-earned wisdom with us youngsters. So work up the courage to pursue a mentorship with someone you believe is truly fabulous at their job.
3. Clean Up.
My Team, Ages 30 & Younger
This is probably the easiest step of the 3. It’s so simple yet highly effective. You’ve heard the cliché, “dress for the job you want.” That goes for entrepreneurs as well. You may be the top dog in your company but you must make an effort to dress to impress your clients and prospective customers. When I started my ad agency I transitioned from a very buttoned-up corporate environment where business suits were required into a casual home-based office. Although I don’t wear suits often, I do make sure that I’m always dressed professional, stylish and polished before I leave the house. It says a lot about someone when they take the time to look put-together. Like it or not, people do judge books by their cover. When you’re young it’s even more important to project a confident image.
4. Ask for Testimonials.
One of the best ways to build credibility and trust is by asking your clients and colleagues to write testimonials about their experience working with you. Good old fashion word of mouth is truly one of the most effective ways to grow your business. If you take exceptional care of your customers and are a pleasure to work with, they’ll be happy to help you by giving you a reference. I’ve found LinkedIn to be a great tool for gathering these recommendations. They offer an easy to use “ask for a recommendation” button that allows you to send a message to specific connections asking for a written reference to use. Here is an example of how I have used my testimonials to help build my business.
Do you have any tips to share with us? I’d love to hear them!
-Robin
LinkedIn, like any social media tool can be a great advantage to anyone, if used properly. Need some help in using your account more productively? Here are some tips to help improve your usage of LinkedIn.
1. Look for Mentors Outside Of Your Network- LinkedIn is a great place to find others with the same work title as you. Having a difficult time at work? Find another person to look to for advice on LinkedIn.
2. Update your Profile Regularly- Be sure to keep your profile updated, even if you’re not looking for a new job. Krista Canfield, senior PR manager at LinkedIn says, “You are 12 times more likely to be viewed for potential opportunities if you have more than one position listed on your profile.”
Blogging is a powerful tool for any company. Do you find it difficult to increase your daily blog views? Are you wondering if anyone is even paying attention to what your writing? Daily Blog Tips gives 4 steps to helping increase your blog traffic!
Step 1. Spend time researching and writing a quality article at least once a week.
The article you write should aim to bring great value to potential visitors. Make your visitors want to bookmark your article or share it with others. Some potential ideas to writing a great article could be:
A good headshot is a valuable sales tool. In my opinion, as a business owner it’s a requirement and for any woman looking to build her personal brand it’s a must-do. Customers and prospective clients want to see who they are working with. Have you ever visited a website searching for a service and not looked for a bio and pic of the person who owns the company? I haven’t. Maybe because I’m nosy and as an entrepreneur I have a unique fascination with other business owners… but I feel that there is tremendous value in having a well taken headshot on your website for people to see.
A photo allows you to make a one on one connection with a potential client without ever 
meeting them. People will be drawn to you over to your competition because they’ll feel like they have a little better understanding of who you are and the type of person you’d be to work with. It creates a first impression. I don’t know the stats, I could make them up, but I won’t…. But I do know from my time studying nonverbal communication at the University of Washington that a large percentage of first impressions are influenced by appearance. Not just by physical beauty but also by the way you carry yourself. You can project confidence and an ability to handle a job through a photograph. A well taken headshot should communicate approachability, leadership, confidence and success.
4 things to keep in mind:
1. Wear appropriate clothing for your industry. In my company photos I chose strategically to wear a fitted jacket and 
jeans. In my industry, advertising, this attire is great because it projects professionalism and also creativity. For your industry, you may be able to go more casual or may need to be more buttoned up. Use your best judgement.
2. Wear bright colors. Even if you feel the need to be more conservative by wearing a black suit make sure to add a pop of color. It adds spark to the photographs and gives the photographer something to work with.
3. Wear makeup. Make sure to spend the extra time on your makeup that morning. Add a few more swipes of mascara and extra powder to your oily spots to make sure you’re looking glam for your shoot. There is nothing worse than getting your pics back with a shiny face. I know, it’s happened to me. So make sure to bring a mirror, oil blotters, extra lip gloss and powder. It’s worth taking the extra moments to ensure pictures you are proud of.
4. Pick a fun outdoor space to have your photos taken. Preferably one that matches your industry. Outdoor shots make for creative and dynamic photos. I shy away from studio headshots because I want to convey creativity in an urban setting. So I had my team’s most recent photos taken at Pike Place Market. There were hundreds of great places to shoot photos. If you want to see examples of my team’s photos click here.
What do you think? Have you had headshots taken that have positively impacted your business?
*The photos in this blog were taken by Amanda Kay Photography
Networking, as the name implies, is the art of “building your network.” The goal is to make professional contacts that can share their abilities with one another to ultimately lead to a mutually beneficial relationship mainly in a professional sense.
I’ve done my fair share of networking over the past 8 years as I’ve started and launched a successful career in the advertising/marketing industry. What I’ve found are 4 principles that I try to keep in mind every time I meet new contacts to add to my network.
As the owner of an advertising agency, I work daily with businesses and brands which are crafting their message for consumers. In order to be influential and thus effective they must have a crystal clear understanding of what their brand message is and how to communicate it to their prospects.
As a woman looking for a new job or trying to advance further in an already successful career it is imperative that you take these four first steps to establish your personal brand.
1. Make a list of the adjectives/descriptions that you would want an employer or client to use to describe you as a professional.
