Donna Fox wrote an excellent blog post last week which prompted some interesting discussions about women in Internet Marketing.
I didn’t blog immediately about it, partly because I wanted to mull things over a little first (i.e. not be reactionary) but also because I made a lot of my feelings known previously in these posts: Where have all the good girls gone? and Celebrate your differences!
But, this topic is slightly different from the focus of those posts, and in light of my new project (Secret Women’s Business Network) with Allison Reynolds and Barb Sabathil, I wanted to highlight one or two things.
As mentioned before, there are simply fewer women in Internet Marketing, although this balance appears to be gradually shifting, especially with so many women choosing to be SAHMs and wanting a career they can pursue from home. The imbalance is reflected in business as a whole – in the UK the latest figures show that the male to female ratio of self-employed workers is 3:1.
Also, many women have a different focus when it comes to their Internet businesses. Their priorities are often dissimilar to men, and hanging out with the top Internet Marketers is not necessarily one of them.
I enjoy male company and most of my closest friends are men (perhaps a throwback to my years in what was a heavily male-dominated career – radio presenting), but I understand that many women prefer to socialise and “hang out” with other women. That’s why SWBN has been created: to offer an environment where women can learn, network and mastermind with other women. This will appeal to some women more than others.
There are all-female business groups throughout the world, established for just this reason, so it’s not fair to suggest that male Internet Marketers shouldn’t have their own mastermind groups and friendships. We are all drawn to socialise with others like us, and we all like to network with people whose company we enjoy. Internet Marketers are no different. This may mean networking with other women, with other men or with a mixed community – wherever is most comfortable.
However, that wasn’t really what Donna Fox was writing about in her blog post. There are women in Internet Marketing who want and deserve to be known for being at the top of their field, and being accepted into the upper echelons of this business is part of that. They have set themselves goals to be the best at what they do. Part of this would naturally include being invited to speak at seminars and be recognised as one of the movers and shakers. And I think that female marketers at all levels need to see that happening – in any career, we need our mentors and role-models.
While I have no problem with the “boys club” within mastermind groups and social networks (none of us has the right to tell others how to pick their friends and associates), at events and programs that are supposed to bring together the cream of online marketers it seems unlikely (and remiss) that this wouldn’t include a number of women.
There may not be as many women at this level as men, but they certainly exist. I set myself the task of naming as many as possible off the top of my head and in just a few minutes came up with 18 (Donna Fox, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Lynn Terry, Alice Seba, Michelle MacPherson, Rosalind Gardner, Julie Perry, Lee Milteer, Coach Deb, Kelly McCausey, Nancy Andrews, Sylvie Fortin, Sydney Johnson, Mari Smith, Liz Tomey, Mila Sidman, Lisa Preston, Loral Langemeier…). I’m sure if I delved deeper into the recesses of my brain I could name many more.
We all have our personal goals in life and our careers. Probably for most this will not include being recognised at Internet Marketing events. You may simply aim to be good at what you do and live the lifestyle that enticed you to online marketing. But for women whose goals include becoming a seminar speaker, writer and/or teacher in this field, it’s important to be recognised for their skills, not because they are women but because they are good at what they do. It shouldn’t be a question of sex, it should be a matter of talent.
And, before I upset all the men I respect in this business, I am happy to report that I have almost always been treated with respect at marketing conferences and meet-ups (not because I am a woman, but because I am a fellow marketer with as much to offer as anybody else). There are those that have patronised me for being a woman, but thankfully they have been the exception not the rule. Frankly, those that have been patronising are not people I want to hang out with anyway.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Secret Women’s Business Network and finding other women to network and mastermind with (or you simply want to learn more about online marketing in a fun and comfortable environment), please sign up for more information from SWBN.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Beautifully said Lisa. This is the best thing I’ve read in months. I agree 100%.
Ooooooh - what an amaaaaaazing lineup of fabulous women, Lisa!! You are so gracious. I’m deeply honored to be included in such a powerhouse group!
I’m totally with you on this: “It shouldn’t be a question of sex, it should be a matter of talent.” Yep, 100% agree. I wrote a similar post about the non-gender issue on my blog at http://whyfacebook.com.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Mari
@marismith
Excellent points, Lisa!
I’m checking out your link now
Great insight Lisa! I’m already on the list of SWBN, and I look forward to learning more. I like your quick list of female IM’ers, I regularly follow and learn from about half of them! Here’s to adding to the list!
Stefani
As a male and personally having the pleasure of meeting with several of the incredible female gurus mentioned above. There is no shortage of talent, brains or ambition. But an inability of several to j/v with the correct people to generate multi-million dollar yearly incomes. The strong personalities of these great female individuals leads them to be very independent instead of seeking j/v and many are insistant about acquiring the knowledge rather then seeking out the people who already have it. Procrastination over perfection is also an issue. Most male marketers turn out several projects yearly. Perfection is not a strong point with most. So ladies my advice crank up the volume and proof read twice not twice a day for three months. Stop being so indepenent and ask for help, you don’t have to do it all to get respect. You have already earned it. Just wave the white flag and admit you just might need a dumb male help to break the multi-million dollar level??? $$$ You don’t need to wait until your list is built, find someone who already has one.
Bill Barrett
Interesting comments Bill and you know what, I agree with some of them (even though both you and I will be talking in generalisations).
Women do not do business the same was as men, the same way that we don’t measure success the same way either. It is very much a apples and oranges argument. We get our feelings of satisfaction from a job “well done” rather than a job “half done but hyped up to the eyeballs to pretend it is well done”. That kind of behaviour does not build on anyone’s integrity in the eyes of a woman.
And yes if you think we talk in the background about why men “need” to be successful in this way you would be right. Ego and inadequacies are words that DO pop up.
As for the JV statement I would disagree with you that women do not do it well. It is in the genetic makeup of women to collaborate rather than confront (the building blocks for innovation actually). If you have been unsuccessful in partnering with a woman I would say the approach has probably not been one of collaboration. We can’t help but consider helping anyone out who asks nicely…
I honestly think that men and women have a lot to learn from each other’s approaches and build on the strengths of each other.
I’ve never been much into gender issues but this is an interesting post in a male-dominated field. However, it’s Bill’s comments I’d like to address. Bill, I think you make some valid points. Being independent, not seeking out JVs and perfectionism are all attributes that I identify with. Although I have met the same in male internet marketers too. But I think cranking up the volume is asking too much. It goes against the grain, and if I’ve learned one thing it’s that I cannot maintain the motivation to do something that just doesn’t fit well with me. I suspect it might not fit well with many other women either. The issue is not so much how to be ‘more like a man’, but how to be more successful as a woman. How can a woman’s approach work better in the internet marketing world… and maybe change it for the better? We’ve seen how internet marketing works from a male perspective. We need to find a way to achieve the same success… in a different way. Things are changing. As competition grows, a woman’s approach could offer the winning edge. But you’re right, we can’t do this independently.