Dear Businesswoman, Your Work Will Not Sell Itself! You’ve Got To Do It

“Don't hide behind a humility that undersells you.”

These poignant words from Mzamo Masito, Google’s CMO for Africa and occasional AWEC instructor, inspire us to think about personal marketing for women entrepreneurs.

The best time to start self-marketing was yesterday. The next best time is today. Make 2022 the “Year of You” by embracing a mindset that empowers you to confidently self-promote.

When female entrepreneurs don’t promote their businesses, their work often silently goes unnoticed which can lead to fewer opportunities for professional partnerships and investor backing. In fact, less than 10% of venture capital-backed companies have a female entrepreneur at the helm. This imbalance happens largely because of the perception that females are not as competitive or ambitious as males.

According to Forbes, women possess one very powerful asset: their personal brand!

Define Your Brand

Making a strong first impression on the myriad of social media platforms that currently exist is no cakewalk, so we’ve enlisted the advice from some phenomenal women who walk the talk. To create a successful personal brand, you need to learn to create engaging content, self-promotion, credibility, and confidence.

In a masterclass on personal branding with AWEC alumnae, Mildred Talabi, a LinkedIn Visibility Coach for women in business, shared that building a personal brand and being visible helps you to;

• Grow in confidence

• Establish expertise

• Attract clients and opportunities

• Make an impact

"If a woman wishes to create a brand for herself, she just needs to go with the flow. Go with what's in sync with your personality traits. Go with what no one can take away from you, what you believe in and stand for, what's inseparable from you, and lastly, with who you are," Priyanka Bhargav, Senior Director - Brand Marketing/ Head Research & Insights at Flipkart.

Priyanka feels that in today's world, women tend to scrutinize too many things, think too much and mull over things unnecessarily. The best personal branding strategy is one where you master the art of storytelling. What’s the story behind your journey? How did you get here? What challenges did you face? What did you learn? Who do you look up to? What do you believe in?

Weaving the answers together could result in a powerful and captivating narrative that is unique and personal to you.

Mildred adds, “When they buy into you, it’s easy for people to buy from you.” She also echoes Priyanka’s thoughts that women are often paralyzed by fear. Fear of saying the wrong things, looking bad, or appearing too salesy or boastful. She encourages women everywhere, but especially entrepreneurs, to push past these fears to be create a more visible brand and business.

Build a Community

Raka Khashu Razdan, Head of Marketing, CBRE India, believes as a female leader, it is essential to invest time in curating online presence to highlight strengths and also connect with others to cement and build your own network. She emphasizes that our real-life interactions must echo what we speak online to help us reinforce the impressions we would like to carve for ourselves.

In sharing how to win on LinkedIn, Mildred Talabi shared a formula that we can apply in creating a compelling profile. Use the P.A.C.E. method to create a social media profile that is engaging.

• Profile - Create and optimize a social media profile and footprint that speaks to your ideal audience.

• Audience - Have clarity on the type of people you are speaking to. When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.

• Content - Create consistent content to build a footprint that will serve you. Without it you cannot be visible.

• Engagement - Remember to be social. Talk to people and make sure to engage other people’s posts as well.

Ironically, despite all the advances in women's empowerment, studies show that women who are pursuing a career claim that self-promotion is the toughest part of their professional development. Making achievements visible is a vital advancement strategy, especially for women. In the words of Mildred, “Visibility increases your profitability.” So make this year the year of increased visibility and exponential growth.