The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. Social media users are encouraged to share images online using this hashtag in the lead up to and on International Women’s Day to show commitment to calling out bias, smashing stereotypes, breaking inequality, and rejecting discrimination.
This month at Talking Influence, we are releasing a series of podcast episodes in which Neve Fear-Smith chats with some of the excellent women in the influencer space, both agency and creator side, about the things that have influenced them in getting to where they are now. You can now listen to the first in the series of bonus episodes featuring content creator guest, Sravya Attaluri. The next episode will go live tomorrow, so ensure that you’re signed up for the Talking Influence newsletter so that you don’t miss it!
Breaking the bias in influencer marketing
There are so many inspirational women working within the influencer marketing space, with many agencies dominated by female teams supporting a huge variety of female content creators.
Channel Mum Talent is UK’s only all-female influencer marketing agency and was awarded for its progression at last year’s Influencer Marketing Awards. The agency’s director, Niki Herring, is passionate about discussing the strengths and benefits of running an all-female team in the influencer marketing industry. She says:
“A more equitable world needs womens’ voices to be heard and one-way brands and agencies can support this is with female-focused teams. A rising tide lifts all boats so the more women who are encouraged to speak up and build careers in the sector, the more we all achieve.”
Niki has shared with us some of the main reasons why she advocates for the success that working in an all-female team can bring.
- ESG built-in: As the predominant caretakers of the next generation, women consistently have their eyes on the future and the world we are building for our children. ESG isn’t a PR bolt-on, it’s part of our DNA.
- Compassion and caring: In the old order corporate world, showing emotion or that you even had a life outside of work was considered a weakness. But in all-female teams, sharing is caring. The more you know about your co-worker, the better you can support each other and the business.
- Consensus and collaboration: Most women tend to prefer working by consensus – it gives everyone buy-in and makes any job easier when the team agrees. As a result, all-women agencies and businesses often evolve into a flat structure where everyone is empowered to speak up, share ideas and know their opinion matters.
- Work-life Balance: Most of our team are mums and they have a healthy balance between family, self-care and work. This culture is empowering too for younger workers who are not yet parents or older staff whose children have left home, as it ensures everyone has the right to work in their most productive way.
- Leaders, not bosses: Why dictate when you can inspire? Women bosses are skilled at coaching and are encouraging, understanding that empowering people within the team is what contributes to overall success. They’re often more willing to hire someone more experienced than them too, as they don’t fear being ‘outshined’.
- Emotional Intelligence: It’s known as ‘women’s intuition’, but the ability to read the room, read the client and sense what is really going on is invaluable in business.
- Reaching your customers: UK mums make 85% of buying decisions. If you don’t have women in your team, you don’t know what the bulk of your customers are thinking.
It is important to acknowledge the impact that women have in the business sphere as a whole, not just today on International Women’s Day, but all year round. We encourage you to use today as an opportunity to show solidarity to the women around you, and to begin opening and encouraging more conversations about how gender equality can be implemented throughout your professional and personal life.
