How to Market Your Business Online: A Proven 5-Step Roadmap for Women Entrepreneurs

Figuring out how to market your business online can feel relentless and never-ending, especially when you’re juggling everything else.
You know you need to reach your dream clients, but deciding where to start—or which strategies will actually work—can leave you stuck and frustrated. How do you connect with the right people without wasting time on tactics that don’t deliver results?
The good news? Marketing doesn’t have to drain your energy, feel like a dreaded chore, or be scary. With my 5-Step Content Roadmap, you’ll not only connect with your dream clients but do it in a way that feels natural, aligned, and—maybe even—enjoyable. (Or at least, less like a scary, dreaded chore.)
And here’s what I know for certain: You already have everything you need. Even if marketing isn’t your strength, your years of experience are a goldmine of wisdom that your dream clients are waiting for.
You don’t have to be a marketing guru or a social media expert—just someone willing to show up, share what you know, and connect in a way that feels authentic to you.
By the end of this Content Roadmap blog post, you’ll know exactly how to market your business online in a way that speaks to your dream clients, builds trust, and inspires action—without the stress.
Marketing your business will finally feel simple, effective, and refreshingly doable.
Action 1] Talk to your ideal clients’ pain AND desires
Creating content can feel like an uphill battle when you’re unsure what to say or how to keep your ideas fresh and relevant. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck with questions like these, you’re far from alone…
- What should I even write about?
- Hasn’t everything in my field already been said?
- How do I figure out both my ideal clients’ biggest struggles and the dreams they’re chasing…and turn that into content they’ll love?
As a solo entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel like you’re carrying the weight of it all on your shoulders. But here’s the best news: you already have everything you need.
Your years and years of experience have given you unique insights, wisdom, and stories—exactly the kind of content your unique ideal clients are eager to hear.
What’s missing isn’t knowledge, you’ve got that covered! It’s clarity around your audience and their specific needs and desires.
That’s where we can borrow questions and prompts form the Empathy Map 2.0.
According to the Norman Nielsen Group “As their name suggests, empathy maps simply help us build empathy with our end users.” For our purposes, and to make your empathy map easy for you, we’ll use a simple, shortcut version of the prompts (questions).
Empathy Map 2.0: The shortcut to content that connects
To create content that truly resonates, you need to nail your understanding of two things:
- What your clients are struggling with right now (their pain points).
- What they secretly wish for, even if they haven’t said it out loud (their dreams).
Take a few minutes to map out your ideal client’s thoughts and feelings using these prompts:
- What are they struggling with daily? (e.g., juggling too many tasks, feeling stuck, lack of self-confidence, low motivation.)
- What fears are holding them back? (e.g., fear of failure, fear of wasting time or money, fear of judgment.)
- What do they desire most? (e.g., recognition in their career or industry, financial freedom, more time with family, personal fulfillment, increased confidence in their abilities.)
- What would success look like to them? (e.g., better integrating work and family life, feeling confident in their job, getting a new job, accomplishing personal breakthroughs, feeling happy, achieving their health goals, being seen as a trusted leader in their company.)
To help you work through these questions, tap into all of your ideal client documents and notes…
- Results of surveys you’ve conducted
- Client emails, questions, and other inquiries
- Notes from all client conversations: coaching calls, discovery calls, onboarding calls
When you take the time to think through (and document) your audience’s challenges and aspirations, your content will practically write itself. Happily, you’ll know exactly what to say—and your words will feel like they’re speaking directly to your dream clients.
Pro Tip: Keep your Empathy Map questions and answers handy and revisit it regularly. Make it a part of your Ideal Client Backstory. Your clients’ struggles and desires will likely evolve over time, and staying on top of them will keep your content relevant and impactful.
Action 2] Write content that connects, serves, and sells
When it comes to how to market your business online, every piece of content you create should serve two purposes:
- Solve a specific problem for your audience, offering immediate value.
- Position your services as the natural next step for the bigger transformation clients want.
Without clear goals and being aligned with your ideal client’s situation, your content risks becoming noise instead of the powerful connection tool it can be. Let’s change that.
Start with your business goal: Center your strategy
Before you even start creating content, ask yourself: What’s my objective for this piece?
- Are you increasing visibility?
Example: Write an conversation-starting post on social media with quick, shareable tips. - Growing your email list?
Example: Craft a blog post that offers valuable insights and includes a free downloadable checklist. - Booking discovery calls?
Example: Share a personal or client success story that explains the benefits of working with you. - Filling your group program?
Example: Write an email that gives a behind-the-scenes snapshot of how your program works, emphasizing how it meets their exact needs.
Pro Tip: A single piece of content can support multiple goals when planned strategically. For example, a blog post designed to grow your email list can also include a soft CTA to encourage readers to book a discovery call.
Shift focus: create with your reader in mind
Your content will only resonate if it speaks directly to your audience’s challenges and dreams.
For starters, imagine your fave dream client is sitting next to you, she’s poured out her heart about her long-standing struggles.
What do you say to give her hope? What baby steps do you share? Say that in your content.
Here’s another way to stay aligned:
- Tap into their world
Use the prompts from Step 1 to understand their pain points and desires:
- What’s a problem they want to solve right now?
- What are they secretly wishing for?
- How can your expertise bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be?
- Ask these key questions before writing:
- How do I want my audience to feel after engaging with this content? Inspired? Relieved? Empowered?
- What action do I want them to take next? Join your email list? Book a call? DM you for more details?
- How can I make my message so clear and meaningful that it sticks with them?
When your business goals and your readers’ needs align, your content becomes more engaging.
Provide value: Solve a tiny problem
Every piece of content should deliver a quick win, a baby step—something your audience can act on immediately. Here’s how to ensure your content stands out:
Health Coach Example:
→ Post Title: “3 Energy-Boosting Foods You Can Add to Your Diet Today.”
→ Content: Share actionable tips that make a difference right away. For example, explain the benefits of certain foods and how they’ll help your audience feel better.
→ Subtle CTA: “Want to build a meal plan tailored to your goals and health situation? Let’s chat about how I can help—book your free call today.”
Leadership Coach Example:
→ Post Title: “How to Handle Difficult Conversations Like a Pro.”
→ Content: Walk through a simple framework for managing tough discussions, like active listening and clear communication.
→ Subtle CTA: “Looking for personalized guidance to elevate your leadership skills? Book a free call today and let’s work together.”
Mindset Coach Example:
→ Post Title: “5 Mindset Shifts to Conquer Impostor Syndrome at Work.”
→ Content: Offer reframes for common limiting beliefs, along with small but actionable practices to boost confidence.
→ Subtle CTA: “If impostor syndrome has been holding you back, I’d love to help you overcome it. Schedule a free session today.”
Make It Memorable and Meaningful
To ensure your content sticks, layer it with emotional depth and clear messaging.
1. Focus on Emotion
Your audience won’t just remember what you said—they’ll remember how your content made them feel. Use emotionally charged language to connect with them.
Instead of saying: “Content helps you connect with potential clients.”
Say: “Imagine sharing a post that speaks so directly to a new manager’s struggles that they think, ‘This is exactly what I needed to hear today.’ That’s how content builds trust and positions you as the go-to leadership expert they’ve been searching for.
2. Add a Story for Impact
Stories are memorable because they tap into emotion and relatability. Include a personal anecdote, client success story, or behind-the-scenes moment to bring your content to life.
Example: “One of my clients, a busy mindset coach, was hesitant to post online because she thought her content wasn’t good enough. After we mapped out her clients’ biggest struggles, she started sharing short, helpful tips—and got a flood of engagement.”
3. End With Clarity
Your content should leave no doubt about the next step.
Instead of: “Here’s some advice—hope it helps!”
Say: “Now that you’ve learned [valuable tip], let’s take it a step further together. Book your free call today, and we’ll create a plan tailored to your health goals and work schedule.”
Bridge the gap between helping and selling
Here’s the golden rule: Your content isn’t just about giving—it’s about guiding. Every blog post, email, or social post should gently guide your audience toward the next step in their journey with you.
Example Flow for a Blog Post:
- Hook: Open with a relatable question or challenge your audience is facing.
- Value: Provide 3 actionable tips or insights that address their challenge.
- CTA: Transition naturally to your offer.
“If you’re ready to [achieve a specific result], let’s work together. Book your free call today.”
When you want help getting your online marketing strategy in shape, let’s talk: click here.
Action 3] Sharpen your skills: write irresistible headlines + titles
For starters, you’d set simple online marketing goals.
Base your goals on how much content creation and sharing you’re doing right now, and how much more you’re willing to do.
When setting priorities, first think of how you can get more dream clients visiting your website.
Because social media is an excellent way to “meet” new future clients, but you don’t own your profiles or your followers. The Zuckerbergs of the world do. Facebook can (does) change its algorithm constantly. All the platforms do. What’s your best choice?
The best way for you to use social media is to share snippets of your expertise and encourage folks to join your email list, go to your website. So yes, here’s where your blog posts are gold. Because…
You own your website and your email list, so, do you want to:
- Grow your email list? (This must be a loud YES.)
- Attract more website visitors?
- Test your ideas for writing a book, adding a new program, or public speaking?
There are no wrong answers here, my friend.
Let’s say you’ve not paid much attention to updating your website content…
…Or writing emails to your list to deepen your relationship with them.
…Or focused regularly on adding subscribers to your list.
To get warmed up, can you write a blog post (or create another piece of content) twice a month?
Blogging.
Yes, your eyes are rolling at this moment, so let’s drill down just a bit.
Today, blogging is pretty much the old man of the internet. Yet, it’s an effective strategy for so many reasons, including building your credibility and more. Blogging is awesome for a ton of reasons:
- When you create a blog post each week, you’re educating followers and increasing your credibility. (The same goes for an article, video, or podcast.)
- You’re giving your audience a glimpse of what it’s like to work with you, or enroll in one of your programs.
- Bonus: while you’re helping followers get clarity about solving their problems, you’re also helping yourself.
- You’re gaining clarity about topics you want to teach.
- Blogging helps you work out the thoughts you want to teach clients and students.
- Writing out simple lessons, or tips, is so valuable to how you lead your clients.
- Time savings. Your blog post not only educates your website visitors, you can get a ton of social-media-mileage out of them.
When you blog, create content regularly, and write out simple lessons or tips, you’re clarifying for yourself the best ways to teach key lessons to your clients.
Website updates: you make the Google gods happy with weekly fresh content on your site.
Can you turn on your phone and create a short video speaking from your heart to your ideal client? Maybe once a week?
How about when you’re dressed to go to a business event anyway (and you’re camera ready)?

Be your exact, authentic awesome self when marketing your business online
Are you outgoing? Talkative? Funny?
- Is your style a bit quieter and reserved? Do you select carefully who you wish to talk with?
- When you first meet new folks, do you start conversations somewhere in the middle of a juicy story? (I envy women who can do this.)
- Are you (like me) a teacher at heart? A master of explaining step-by-step lessons?
Just so you know, these are all effective communication styles. My point is, it doesn’t matter what your “conversation starter” style is.
The important thing: you want to ensure your personality comes through when marketing your business online.
How do you do that? How do you be effectively yourself with your online marketing?
For starters, you want to dig deeper into your reservoir of inner gifts.
So you can show up as your best self—exactly like you would in person.
The best way to do that? Choose a content creation style based on what you are most likely to be faithful (consistent) at. It’s how you market your business online successfully.
Choose the content type you’re comfy creating
Yes, getting out of your comfort zone is important if you want to grow your business. And yet…
If today you’re becoming intentional about how to market your business online, start with a communication style that’s comfy for you.
Later, you can become bolder and take on a video show or a podcast.
This is going to be different for each of us. Some women are natural talkers, have the gift of gab, and are totally at ease in front of the camera.
Others of us, myself included, not so much.
You want to choose a style that works for you, so you can blissfully and enthusiastically show up for your future clients.

Step #1 to Create Content That Converts: Start with Your Ideal Client
Grab The 5-Step Client Clarity Guide
Inside, you’ll discover:
Because your ideal client backstory can’t just be one line on a sticky note you keep on your desk.
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6 Steps to comfy content creation
- Make a list of how you’re comfortable showing up online with your content: blogging, podcasting, Facebook lives, short videos on Instagram.
- Decide how to work your creation method into your schedule.
- Create a content plan of topics that matter to your dream clients.
- Add the activity (writing, recording) to your calendar.
- See what works.
- Adjust. Pivot. Refine.
Aren’t you glad you own your business?
You’re the boss: you get to decide when and how to change course and execute new strategies and tactics.
Be ultra-specific in your content so you can grab your clients’ attention.
You may be thinking that the online world’s just crammed, busy, and saturated with content. And you’d be right.
The good news: your ideal clients (the ones who can learn best from you) are still looking for your guidance, expertise, lessons, and coaching.
As long as you’re not spinning your wheels by creating content for EVERYONE who has the problems you solve, you’re on the right track.
Further reading: How to create content that makes your ideal clients say, “Tell me more!”
Avoid spreading your amazing self + your wondrous content too thin
As you’re stretching your online marketing skills, it’s a giant mistake to try to be on every social media site at once.
I promise you, you don’t have to be everywhere. Especially not when you’re beginning to focus on how to market your business online.
Later, you can adopt social media sharing tools like Tailwind, Edgar, Hootsuite, or another scheduling app.
Be Nancy Drew: invest one hour and see where your dream clients spend time posting and commenting.
- Having a profile doesn’t mean they’re active on the social media platform; be sure they’ve shared content regularly and recently.
- They’re likely posting regularly on Facebook, but confirm that.
- Are they active on Instagram?
- When’s the last time they made a post on LinkedIn?
- Where are your ideal clients commenting on others’ posts?
- Remember, don’t just look for their profiles; go further to check their recent activity.
For example, if their last post on Twitter was two years ago—decide if it’s worth your time to be there.
Once again, be selective
Use your investigation to choose one social media platform. Then, for the next two weeks actively post at least once a day and check your results. Are folks commenting or liking your posts?
Don’t forget, you want to engage with your ideal clients’ and prospects’ social media posts as well.
What does it mean to ‘engage’? That’s the fun part, because you’re going to interact with your audiences’ posts, for example:
- Cheer them on by liking and sharing their posts.
- Make meaningful comments on their posts, to show your support.
- Post 3 emojis that express fun, agreement, friendship, or whatever you want to say.
- Don’t simply say, “Great post.”
- Use your comments to tell them why you support, like, or agree with what they’ve posted.
You don’t have to post on social media manually all the time. Choose scheduling apps to make it easy-peasy to market your business online by sharing your content snippets automatically.
Pro tip: While it’s smart business to auto-schedule most social media posts, you must also show up live to engage with your potential clients’ posts and interact with them in real-time.
Devise a tough strategy to deal with your “Perfection Patty”
Whatever you’re doing now to market your business online,
First: You don’t have to be perfect. You only have to be yourself.
Sadly, as women entrepreneurs, we often tell ourselves we need to look perfect, sound perfect, and pound out a flawless image, article, or blog post. Every. Bloody. Time.
If you believe every post, comment, article, video, or web page you publish has to be perfect, let’s dump that belief right now.
Toss it where it belongs, in the giant ash heap of it’s-not-true.
Instead, remind yourself that online marketing (like a live networking event) is one giant, lively, messy, noisy, ongoing conversation.
Often, what you say at in-person events when meeting potential clients is gonna rock.
You’ll connect instantly with your next perfect client or student.
It’ll feel like you’ve been friends since high school.
And it’s the best feeling, isn’t it?
Other times, not so much, right?
And that’s totally okay.
It’s exactly the same with social media. If a post gets crickets, it’s a lesson learned for you. Try a different topic or theme in your next post.
When posting on social or your website, the only question you must answer, which I know you will is: only post online things you’d say in real life.
The reality of dealing with perfectionism?
If you want to market and grow your business online, you must share your true personality. You’ve heard it a million times, yet it’s true: be yourself so that future clients feel that you “get” them.
Have a chat with your inner mean girl
As for your inner mean girl, Perfection Patty, have a chat with her.
Let ‘her’ know that some of the actions you take, and the content you post online is going to resonate, make connections, and sometimes even be shared.
Other times, with other posts you make, you’re going to hear crickets.
Explain to Perfection Patty, that in the end, it’s all going to work out. Just like it does with your other business efforts.
Always use calls-to-action to deepen relationships
A colossal mistake we women business owners often make: not regularly asking our blog readers, social media followers to take a small next step (Calls to Action) to join our world.
Want to know how to best market your business online? For starters, you want to faithfully and consistently use “Calls to Action” (CTAs) in your marketing content.
What? I know what you’re thinking, that you’re not selling services or programs all the time. Such a smartie, look at you.
When you’re developing your online marketing processes, your main intention is to form relationships with your followers, isn’t it?
Exactly. That’s the reason your calls to action are small (or big) invitations to your followers online to take the next step in a deeper relationship with you. by small CTA, we mean you’re asking for “a smaller commitment” from your reader. Smaller commitments include subscribing to your email list or making a comment on your blog.
You have a bunch of choices here. Your small(er) CTAs can be:
- Want my weekly email packed with tips? I share [fill in the blank] tips (if you’re a stylist, organizer, mentor, or other expert).
- Leave a comment on my blog. Ex.: “What did you agree with, disagree with, or what did I leave out?”
- Want more lessons like this? Let’s connect on LinkedIn so we can share content and learn together.
- Share this post with a friend who could benefit from these tips.
- Save the date for my Fall Mastermind & Retreat
Then, of course, you’ll use strategic, bigger calls to action when you’re launching a new course, book, service, or program. That’s when you invite readers, subscribers to invest money or time to get on the path to becoming paying clients.
Strategic CTAs might look like:
- Looking to save time with technology? Enroll in my upcoming Masterclass
- Want to love your body again? Join my free webinar
- Wish you knew your next big career step? Get your Early Bird ticket now for my Spring Retreat!
Conclusion
As a woman business owner, life/wellness coach, course creator, retreat leader, or expert, one thing is mandatory in today’s digital universe.
There’s no getting around it, you must learn how to better market your business online.
At this moment, take 3 actions from this post:
1) Set your intention to learn more about how to market your business online.
2) Find your best way to show up online for your dream clients and students. Consistently.
- Is your chosen method blogging, writing articles, shooting video, or recording podcasts?
3) Be you. No matter which content creation method you choose, let your distinct, awesome personality shine through.
I can’t wait to see how you grow your business, after you begin showing up for your dream clients and students.

What if you could finally create content consistently?
If creating your marketing content has felt like a chore, a time-suck, or a massive mystery, you may have given up on content entirely.
But the truth is:
Content is key to attracting ideal clients and filling your programs. So don’t give up!
If your content ideas are buried in your beautiful brain, you want a process to help your words flow.
You want specific actions to implement so that the content you create stands out to your dream clients.
When you schedule a free Clarity Call, together, we’ll uncover your personalized marketing content actions. That way you can impact more clients. Click below to set up your FREE Clarity Call.