Every day I’m excited to see so many female entrepreneurs and CEO’s in the world. Woman are taking the leap into business and thriving.
As a woman in business, I know our natural qualities give us a huge advantage as entrepreneurs in areas such as:
- our ability to notice details
- to empathise with both our team members and our customers
- checking our ego at the door.
All these qualities mean our customers love what you do, and our employees enjoy working with us. It really is our time to shine.
But…
Chance are, your real-world business traits are not being translated into the online space, leaving you horribly reliant on passing foot traffic, paid ads and hit and miss social media posts. The good news is with a few simple changes in awareness you can change all this and become exceptional online too.
So, why are women failing to dominate online? I’ve discovered 3 barriers to your success, and I want to share how you can overcome them.
1. Do You Have a Digital Disconnect from Real Life to Online?
I’m guessing; you’re amazing at creating beautiful spaces whether that’s your office, cafe or quaint BnB. Every detail is thoughtfully put together and you love to see your customers enjoy the experience. Yet, when it comes to your website, it’s the messy spare room you’re hiding from your visitors!
I know how you feel; it’s hard to find the time to translate those loving touches from the real world into your online space! Take Bronwyn for example, she’s a business woman who represents quality through and through, but this wasn’t being translated into her online presence.
You see Bronwyn’s part of a large patio manufacturing company who was attracting prospects that didn’t have the budget to spend with them. I could see immediately there was a disconnect between her amazing showroom and her dated website.
Bronwyn knew presentation mattered, which is why they’d spent ½ million dollars building a new display centre and workshop to showcase the quality and value of their patios and shed products.
I explained to her, in the past, customers would go from showroom to showroom to see all the onsite displays but now they’re going from website to website! People are making their decisions based on the quality of your website before they visit your showroom, so it’s important the aesthetics of the website match your business and the prices you charge.
Just like when you go shopping for a new car, you’re concerned about safety, style and comfort. You don’t just want a car that only takes you from A to B, you want a car you can proudly show your friends and not be embarrassed about. A beat-up Kia won’t do if you have a budget for a luxury Lexus.
The dated website Bronwyn already had, while functional, was only attract the low end of the market. Her ideal customers were searching for the Lexus-of-websites to buy from and when arrived at the beat-up Kia version, they’ll hit the back button and disappear.
Together we planned a new website and a few weeks after launching it was like she had a completely new business. The people showing up were no longer surprised by the price, in fact in many cases they had expected to pay more! She was even able to raise her prices to meet these expectations.
Having a website that matches your business is essential to attracting the right customers.
While spending money to enhance our online presence is intangible, (and often feels like we’re stealing from the holiday account or our children’s education fund); it is an investment that pays a much higher return than most.
Your online presence is your first and often only chance to make an impression on potential customers. It is the glossy brochures, the fancy billboards of the past, the icing on your business cake.
2. Does Your Online Presence Reflect Your Expertise?
Remember when you’d pull out the classifieds to work out which accountant to work with?
You’d book 5 free consultations. Then pick the accountant you felt was the most capable, experienced and gave you incredible value during your meeting.
Today, people don’t visit 5 accountants!
They go on online and Google the ‘best accounting firm near me’. After checking reviews and opening the first couple of websites listed, they decide instantly whether to read on. If they feel a connection and have received great value online, they’ll make a choice right there and then and call one (without checking any others).
How can you get noticed online?
You raise others up with your skills, talents and expertise, working tirelessly to ensure their success and enjoy seeing them in the limelight. However, you’re often neglecting to share your knowledge and experience online.
I get it, it feels natural to be authentically you in person but doing it online makes you feel icky and too salesy. This leads to a blank list of products and services on your websites, which hides your real personality (but keep you feeling comfortable and safe).
But when it comes to your business, putting yourself out is not about being pushy; it’s about giving the same great value online as you do in person.
Angela had this issue, as the owner of a medium sized accounting firm she came to me because she realised, she was hit and miss on social media. After chatting, I could tell she was sharing nothing about herself online. Her website had the bare minimum and her social media was spasmodic. She didn’t share her expertise and experience or foster trust.
I helped her implement a content marketing strategy where she became an educator. She invited her customers in, gave them value and tips they could apply immediately and quickly built up her business. This lead, to a lucrative partnership with a large accounting firm who wanted to extend its practice into her area and created an opportunity for Angela to sell her business. Angela was able to take early retirement, something only a few months earlier she would have never thought possible.
3. Are You Failing Capitalise on Your Online Location?
In the past, you’d walk along the restaurant strip to decide where to eat. But now you use your fingers on your smartphones to walk down Google Lane, Facebook Boulevard and Instagram Road!
While a good location is still important for many businesses; today a strong online presence is critical. Have you ever wondered why so many small off the beaten track cafés are thriving? It’s because of their engaging digital footprint!
So how can you be seen online?
Meet Annie, a local café owner who has committed a fortune to a prime location on a busy city street to take advantage of passing foot traffic. In the past, this worked incredibly well for her. But year after year, the passers-by have dwindled, and they are now going to “that place” they had found online.
I helped Annie realise that people make their coffee decisions long before they arrive on her street. Instagram, Yelp Reviews, Google Maps and Facebook are the new go-to advisors. People make decisions instantly, often from something they’ve found on social media.
Annie focused hugely on all the tangible things that people can see in her café, the cute numbers, the beautiful mural, the unique décor but did very little online.
We implemented an easy, simple social media strategy and viral marketing campaign. In 3 weeks, the café was full to the brim. She’d gone from being really stressed, struggling to make wages and having an empty café to a thriving enterprise that she loves again. Her turnover has increased by 30% and she was able to employ more staff.
Annie bridged the gap between real life and digital and so can you…
If you’re anything like me, you take the time to put yourself together each day with care, knowing that the details matter. The choices you make will speak to the people you meet and show them what you stand for. And your online presence is the same, which is why when there’s an aesthetic mismatch to your business, you are selling yourself short.
As a successful female business owner, you have achieved some amazing things. However, there is a vast and lucrative frontier still to overcome.
It is as easy as creating an aesthetics match from your website to your business and doing what you do best by giving great value and engaging your customers. By connecting your content with your ideal prospects, you’ll attract your advocates. The customers who love everything you do and look to you as their industry expert.
I am passionate about every woman owning her patch of online space and driving the right customers to her business. Which is why I have decided to make sure you have no excuses!
I have created an Online Social Check-Up Quiz.
These simple questions will help you to evaluate what you are doing now and identify precisely how to accelerate to your full potential. You owe it to your customers and employees to crack this last business frontier.
Your time is NOW!
What are you waiting for?
Ps. . .
If you’d like more customised advice on how to “Channel Your Feminine Touch Online”
schedule a call with me. I look forward to chatting with you soon.
