The Spark Collective: Creating Opportunities for Women

Internet marketing has always been a male-dominated space.

I was super hopeful when I shifted more to the ‘Creator Space’ – but I don’t think it’s much better.

I spent ten years in the WordPress space, and for the majority of that time, it was a male-dominated space as well (it seems to be getting better).

Before you think this will be an anti-man or ranty episode, let me assure you that it’s not.

Much like Mother Teresa’s quote about not attending a march against war but instead attending a rally for peace, that’s what I want to do here.

Let’s take a little stroll down memory lane first, shall we?

When I started my business in 2008, I was very aware that internet marketing was predominantly male.

I was also very new, so, to be fair, I didn’t really know where to look for the women when I was getting started.

Once I did, I started a Facebook Group called “The Women of Internet Marketing” and even made a movie called “Women in Business, 2.0” (the movie was in 2010 – and no, you can’t find it. It was a unique experience, to say the least).

So, this desire to support and highlight women isn’t something new for me.

I’ve always wanted to, but I think somewhere along the way, I got a little disheartened and sort of fell into the “if you can’t beat em, join em” mentality.

I was also super nervous about alienating some of my audience, which has always been pretty split 50/50 between women and men.

However, when I realized that the majority of my customers (i.e., people who actually BUY from me) are women, I let go of that.

There’s also something that happens to women when you turn 50…

And I know, I can’t speak for all women, but the women I know and from a LOT of things I’ve read, when women turn 50, they stop caring so much about what other people think.

We’ve raised our kids, are established in our careers (or starting new ones), and finally feel like “YES! Now it’s MY turn.”

I also think a big turning point for me was when Roe v. Wade was overturned. I never in a million years thought I’d see that in my lifetime. I’m not going to get political here, but let’s say it lit a fire in me.

And let me be crystal clear… this isn’t just for women over 50.

This is for any woman who feels a strong pull to create a business and life that works for HER. It might be using your voice (like I’m doing here), maybe it’s writing a book, creating an e-commerce store, becoming a course creator, ad manager, social media manager… You get the point.

This episode is specifically for the entrepreneurial woman who is in this for the long haul.

You Can’t Unring a Bell

Once you start noticing things, you can’t “unnotice” them.

Here’s a little exercise for you.

Next time you see a round-up post or listicle that highlights a list of people, count the number of men to women.

It’s usually about 20-30% tops… if they’re even included.

This is why I feel SO strongly that it is up to us… as women, to support and amplify each other.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read, recommend, follow, or support good men doing good work. What I am saying is to start “choosing awareness” and see if this resonates with you.

The flip side of that is true as well…

You don’t need to support a woman simply because she’s a woman.

Let’s move on.

How to Amplify Women in Business

The first thing I’m going to do here is target women.

Both organically (with episodes like this) and with paid traffic.

Let’s talk about organic marketing first.

I subscribe to a lot of different newsletters and email lists (don’t we all, eh?). I’ve started a Google sheet where I’m listing the women I subscribe to, what they do, and their website.

From there, I’ll be doing the following:

• Social media posts
• Creating content
• Highlighting women via email (newsletter, solo broadcasts, etc.)

I did this when I was “The WPChick,” and I wasn’t sure which direction to go in with that brand, so I simply started sharing things I found interesting and valuable.

This grew my brand quickly.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t create your own content, but when you highlight and share other people, you quickly become someone people feel they can trust.

Win-win.

My goal will be to publish a NEW piece of content highlighting other women twice a month. This could be a podcast, post, repurposed video, or email. It doesn’t matter.

The goal will be long-form content with SEO value that simply gives credit where credit is due.

*NOTE*

Can you see how this is starting to “fill up” my own content creation calendar?

Ideally, this also creates new relationships with other entrepreneurial women. The key to new relationships is to embark on them with zero expectations.

If everything you’re doing is in alignment with who you are and how you move through the world, that’s all that matters.

The right people and relationships will happen.

That being said, if what you’re doing doesn’t bring you traffic or the right audience – then it’s time to re-evaluate.

You’ll also want to pay attention to which content is working the best.

Keep in mind, though, that there are a lot of factors that will contribute to content doing well. Focus on the things you can control:

• The quality of the content
• How well you’ve optimized your content
• How well you’ve shared and promoted your content

There will also be content you create and share that you do it just because you WANT to do it… not because it has the right keywords.

Which I see happening frequently with men.

For example, how many posts, comments, emails, and opinions have you seen about Alex Hormozi lately? We’re a week out from his record-breaking book launch, and it was all anyone was talking about the week after (not being a hater on Alex, I watched and bought the book).

Maybe I’m shooting myself in the foot, but I couldn’t bring myself to use his name in any sort of headline last week, even though I discussed a little bit of that in last week’s podcast.

It felt way too clickbaity.

I’ll also point out that some of my highest-performing content has ZERO search engine relevance or keywords.

They were personal stories that created a connection.

Always remember that.

The Easiest Way to Support Women in Business

Engage with their content.

Go beyond a like or a quick retweet (although that’s better than nothing).

For example, if you’re going to retweet, take less than a minute and write a comment about why you’re sharing, what you like about it, or why someone else should read it.

Here are a few other ways to support women:

• Comment on a blog post (yes, that’s still a thing).
• Clap and comment on Medium
• Comment on Social (yes, I know I already said that)
• Answer or reply to emails. When someone emails a survey or sends a “hit reply and let me know” – do it. Hit reply and let them know.
• Mention them in an email – with a link back
• Link to them in a piece of content
• Give them a shoutout in your podcast and/or video
• Create a quick short about them
• Subscribe & Follow: email, YouTube, and all social platforms (it is kind of hard to highlight women if you’re not following them)
• Buy from them! Even if it’s a friend (especially when it’s a friend)

Now, let’s talk for a minute about paid traffic.

I know I’ve been talking a lot about my commitment to mastering paid traffic (first starting with Facebook and Instagram) – and I’ll keep talking about it while I’m learning (with the hope of inspiring you to dip your toes in).

I currently have three Facebook courses I’m learning from:

• Claire Pelletreu’s “Absolutely FB Ads” course
• Jana Bishop’s “FB Ads Bootcamp”
• Laurel Portie’s “Ad Coaching for 7” membership (literally $7 a month)

O.K., I know this might seem a little redundant and like overkill, but let me explain my logic behind this.

I purchased Claire Pelletreu’s course back in 2020 at the recommendation of my dear friend, Maritza Parra. Martiza doubled down on herself and is doing phenomenal with paid traffic (half a million last year).

I bought this course with a business partner and was so burned out on ads from having worked with agencies that I couldn’t bring myself to go back through it.

It also seemed like Claire was going in a different direction.

When I realized she was back at it I’ve since jumped back in (and some of the content has been updated).

I bought Jana Bishop’s course because I kept seeing the ads on FB (how meta is that? And how meta is using meta for this? 🤣). It was $89 and was super easy to follow.

I had great results with the traffic ads, but my sales ads kind of choked – but that was on me. I used a previously created sales page, and I think there was a disconnect between the ad & the sales page. Fair enough.

I may go back to this – she’s a great teacher & it’s easy to follow.

Lastly, I signed up for Laurel Portie’s Ad Coaching for 7 at the recommendation of Amanda Bond (the Ad Strategist).

And I’m BLOWN away.

It’s literally only seven dollars a month. She has live training, an FB group where you can post questions (and get them answered), and tons of previously recorded content.

I jumped into that because of the recommendation of Amanda Bond (who I think is brilliant), and at that price point, it’s a no-brainer.

What do each of these courses have in common?

They’re all created by Women.

I’m telling you… I’m on a mission.

What I’m Creating for Women in Business

I’ve been in masterminds and coaching programs that were hosted by men, and as valuable as they were (and can be), I really wanted to create something where I wanted to be.

But I’m not starting with a mastermind (well, technically, because I am hosting my first LIVE event in Costa Rica this October! Click here to learn more).

In a recent newsletter, I talked about “flipping the Dream 100” – which is a concept by Chet Holmes and one that Russell Brunson has talked about for years.

Here’s what the Dream 100 is:

My idea behind “flipping the Dream 100” was that you can find thousands of people to do business with while you’re working towards your Dream 100 (if that’s what you want).

You can find people with similar audiences (both your target audience and audience size) that you can collaborate with.

You’ll notice this happening a lot in the newsletter space.

It’s not uncommon for newsletters to have referral programs – whether it’s native to the platform or using a tool like Sparkloop.

Another option is a tool like the Creator Network if you’re using ConvertKit – where you can recommend other newsletters after someone has successfully opted into your newsletter.

Sounds easy enough, right?

It is, but I’m finding that those subscribers tend not to stick around for very long.

I’m paying attention to the people who unsubscribe when I send a newsletter (or an email broadcast), and the bulk of people unsubscribing tend to be from the Creator Network.

I’m sure I’ll see more of that as I continue to pivot my messaging towards women (even though the content will serve either audience), but that’s to be expected.

I know what I’m doing to focus on the right audience, so I think I’ll see the inbound leads grow at a greater rate than the unsubscribes.

So, without further ado… let me be the first to share what’s coming.

Introducing…

My goal is for this to be unlike ANYTHING else you’ve seen.

First and foremost, it’s a community.

For Women.

This idea came from my video and post I did about a month ago asking for newsletters by women (for women initially).

I wanted to know where the women were.

In ANY niche (obviously, my niche is in the digital marketing space, but that’s not all I’m interested in).

So, not only will I be doing a live masterclass & member review every month (both live), but here’s what makes the SPARK Collective unique.

This will be a community for women who are ready for growth, and we’re going to help you create the opportunities.

Here is some of what you’ll find in the Collective:

• Brainstorm with a circle of fellow phenom females across industries.
• Receive introductions to potential partners, affiliates, or sponsors.
• Get matched with niche newsletters or podcasts for highly targeted swaps.
• Collaborate on game-changing joint ventures and partnerships.
• Find podcast and video guests (or opportunities to be a guest).
• Find sites you can guest post on.
• Gain visibility through community spotlights and features.
• Plug into an energizing space where women lift each other up.
• Access workshops and training on reaching the next level.
• Forge friendships and community with like-minded women.
• Share your wins and challenges in a space built on support.
• And so much more – this sisterhood sparks limitless opportunities!

There will be a weekly community newsletter that goes out with information about posts and opportunities. This may start as a bi-weekly as we’re getting ramped up, but as we grow, it will be a weekly newsletter where you can not only find opportunities but be featured as well.

Once this launches, this will be my primary focus for Kim Doyal.

I may have the occasional paid workshop here and there, but eventually, the only way to purchase anything of mine will be as a community member.

I’ve also got some proprietary content and frameworks (the SPARK Compass) that will be part of the foundation for every member.

The best part?

It’s going to be incredibly affordable.

I want to make this the PREMIER community for women who take action, are ready to grow, and believe in support and collaboration.

And, of course, I have every intention of making this ridiculously fun.

Because remember, if it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.