International Women’s Day is more than an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our female leaders and innovators. It’s a key moment to inspire and empower future generations of women, fostering a spirit of perseverance and encouraging them to boldly pursue their dreams and ambitions.
In honor of International Women’s Day, I interviewed some of our own talented female marketing leaders to gather their valuable insights and advice. Here’s 10 tips we’d like to pass along to other women in the digital marketing field.
1. Stay Authentic and Keep Learning
As the Chief People and Culture Officer at Ignite Visibility, I bring over two decades of extensive experience in human resources and operations. I’m committed to fostering vibrant and adaptive cultures, infusing every operation with creativity and passion to inspire continual growth and innovation.
It’s no secret that the marketing industry is highly competitive, with new trends and technologies emerging constantly. To stay ahead in such a dynamic environment, I find it important to continue learning to stay relevant and competitive.
My advice for women in any business-related field is to focus on continuous learning, authenticity, and resilience. Never stop learning; stay curious and seek opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills. Being genuine and true to yourself will set you apart—your unique perspective and voice are your greatest assets.”
2. Advocate for Yourself
Morgan Dixon is Ignite Visibility’s Vice President of Digital PR. She has over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and public relations.
Throughout her career, Morgan has focused on finding key situations to highlight her expertise. She says to, “believe in yourself and your skills . . . Advocate for yourself in the workplace, negotiate for what you deserve, and seek out opportunities to showcase your talents.”
Just like Morgan, I encourage my team to always advocate for themselves, and as a female leader, I make sure to set an example and genuinely listen. Advocating for oneself in the workplace is vital for career advancement and personal fulfillment, especially for women.
Encouraging female employees to voice their ambitions, achievements, and concerns creates a culture of transparency and equity. It’s crucial for HR to facilitate an environment where women feel empowered to negotiate for fair pay, seek leadership roles, and address any instances of bias or discrimination.
3. Be Confident and Value Your Knowledge
Danny Conlon has a long history with Ignite Visibility, beginning with the company as a Jr. Project Coordinator 10 years ago. Today, she is our Vice President of Product and Marketing and works directly with CEO John Lincoln. In turn, she has worked with some of Ignite Visibility’s biggest and most complex clientele, with many years of experience in digital marketing and project management.
Danny encourages all women to, “Be confident! There are a lot of brilliant minds in marketing, don’t forget you’re one of them! When starting out, it’s easy to feel intimidated and doubt your skills. Don’t let this deter you from speaking up, sharing your ideas and taking on new challenges.”
I agree with Danny that a lack of confidence can be a major setback for women emerging into the marketing field. With a lack of confidence, one may tend to stay quiet and not share brilliant ideas, letting others take the spotlight.
Reminding yourself of the effort invested in acquiring your knowledge is essential in boosting your confidence.
4. Start Doing the Work to Overcome Imposter Syndrom
As Vice President of SEO at Ignite Visibility, Jen Cornwell has over 10 years of experience in marketing, design, and advertising, enabling her to seamlessly switch between digital and traditional marketing. She also specializes in the areas of content marketing, local SEO, and lead generation.
Wearing a lot of hats has helped her grow into the confident marketer she is today. Jen’s words of advice to younger women are to, “Use a variety of strategies to tackle impostor syndrome.”
Imposter syndrome can be a tough feeling to combat. While there are many coping strategies, Jen suggests the easiest thing to do is to prepare. “I designate time to learning and growing my skill sets so that I have no reason to feel like an impostor in my own career.”
5. Be Empathetic, But Also Intuitive
Our Senior Vice President of Paid Media, Meghan Parsons, has nearly a decade of experience in advertising, sales, and client success in the digital marketing space. She’s responsible for creating some of our clients’ highly successful ad strategies, including campaigns involving Facebook and Google Ads based on client goals.
Meghan prides herself on leading her team with empathy. She’s built her team based on loyalty and trust, delivering a seamless experience for clients. The more she gets to know her team members, the easier it is for her to offer support and motivation.
Meghan points out that, “Women are known for being more empathetic and intuitive. In a male-dominated profession of paid media, I would say these qualities are also skills when used appropriately.”
6. Get Your Foot in the Door
With over 10 years of experience in digital marketing working with large clients, Jenna Long is a highly valuable member of the Ignite Visibility team as our Associate Director of Paid Media. Jenna has worked to get results for her clients through cross-channel and paid social media campaigns, helping her maximize client retention and satisfaction.
Jenna focuses on networking with other industry professionals, exchanging not only ideas but building valuable connections in the paid media sector of digital marketing.
Her advice to young marketers starting our their careers is to “start following agencies or brands you like, start your LinkedIn profile, and look for internships available in your area or remotely to get your foot in the door.”
7. Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Chloe Oman, Ignite Visibility’s Program Manager, has gained over 8 years of experience in marketing, with a focus on areas such as social media, community relations, growth marketing, and project management. Her passion and dedication make her a true asset to our team and culture.
She believes in the potential for growth, no matter what role you hold. Having this growth mindset to drive you through your career will ensure that no matter what obstacles you face, you’ll continue to develop both personally and professionally.
Chloe says women in marketing should, “cultivate a growth mindset, craft compelling stories, [and] actively network and build relationships with other professionals, mentors, and collaborators. Never underestimate the power of believing in yourself and your unique strengths.”
8. Dive Head First and Face Your Fears
Tanisha Mitchell is our SEO Strategist with over 7 years of SEO experience. Throughout her career and time with Ignite Visibility, she has helped a variety of clients achieve their goals with data-backed, effective SEO strategies. Today, she is one of our top women in marketing as she leads the SEO team to develop solid solutions for medium- to corporate-sized clients.
And she wouldn’t be where she is today without taking a leap of faith. While embracing uncertainty Tanisha has navigated setbacks, gained valuable insights, and ultimately become the rockstar team leader she is today.
Tanisha says, “I’d advise young women not to shy away from diving head-first. You can’t be afraid to fail, and you have to be the type of person who seeks out information. Join marketing groups online; test out new strategies to see what works best.”
9. Collaborate and Share New Skills
Another of our vital women leaders, Senior SEO Strategist Ashley Mulder brings experience and resourcefulness to every SEO project here at Ignite Visibility. Ashley’s skills have helped our clients thrive with SEO strategies that exceed their goals and KPIs.
Ashley taps into the expertise of other Ignite Visibility marketing experts, fostering cross-collaboration, and bringing fresh perspectives to her clients.
Ashley’s words of advice to other female marketers is “Don’t be afraid to bring newfound skills to those around you. Teaching others is a great way to enforce your own knowledge while standing out as someone who’s aiming for growth.”
Being able to collaborate with other teams allows business professionals to share their newly acquired skills, while (hopefully) learning something new along the way.
10. Join An Organization
I’ll be honest: being a woman in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated can be challenging. For this reason, I make it a priority to make available mentorship programs, leadership training, and clear pathways for advancement at Ignite Visibility. These efforts significantly support women and help enhance their careers.
But aside from opportunities within Ignite, I always encourage employees to also seek outside support and join organizations. You’ll benefit from the guidance and advice of other experienced women and connect with like-minded individuals.
A great organization Jen Cornwell and others are a part of is the “Women in Tech SEO group” which was founded by Areej AbuAli out of the UK. It’s a great place for advice, reassurance, and connection that can be hard to find in a male-dominated industry.
Wrapping It Up
The valuable insights shared by our female leaders at Ignite Visibility can provide numerous women in marketing with the advice and guidance necessary to advance their careers.
We celebrate our women leaders on International Women’s Day and every day, acknowledging their continuous progress and significant contributions to our company’s growth and success.
Some final words of advice:
“Pat yourself on the back for even the smallest wins and never stop learning. The more I prepare and educate myself, the more confident I feel.” — Morgan Dixon