In marketing agency, North Star Inbound's 2020 State of SEO Survey, 68.4 percent of respondents identified as men, and only 29.3 percent identified as women. Although an agency representative acknowledged that this does not represent a scientific sample, she also noted that the results align with previous studies conducted by search engine optimization specialist Moz. Men outnumber women in the SEM space by a considerable percentage, and this, says Page, is a problem.

"There is currently a growing talent gap in the digital marketing space," explains Page. "There simply aren't enough marketing professionals to spare, and as a result, we constantly see snake oil salesmen rope in unknowing business owners with empty promises and half-baked rhetoric. The irony from where I stand is that the solution is staring us right in the face and people simply seem unwilling to acknowledge it."

"By bringing more women into the SEM field, we'll see a significant upturn in the pool of available talent," he continues. "Not only that, it's been proven time and again that diversity tends to be extremely good for innovation. The more unique opinions and perspectives you can bring to the table, the better."

According to Page, bridging the gulf between men and women in SEM is no simple task. It starts, he says, with understanding why that gap exists. From there, marketing agencies must take a measured approach to talent acquisition and payroll.

"Like many industries, digital marketing has a problem with misogyny," Page notes. "Women are consistently undervalued for their work, provided with fewer opportunities for advancement than men, and subjected to an often unwelcoming, hostile work environment. Addressing this requires a cultural shift, both in individual marketing agencies and in the industry as a whole."

"The first step is to coach organizational leadership on overcoming their own internalized biases," Page continues. "Management, especially hiring managers, needs to understand that the gender divide exists, and how it informs their decisions. Armed with this awareness, firms can provide women with more hiring opportunities, better pay, and more opportunities for advancement."

Page acknowledges that this represents only a partial solution. Even if marketing agencies begin hiring more female agents and leadership, misogynistic behavior will still persist elsewhere. Clients may still treat women as though their opinions are less informed, asking for a second opinion from a male agent.

"This level of systemic inequality isn't something that will be fixed overnight," Page concludes. "But it is fixable, provided we all do our part. By talking about it and holding people accountable when they fall prey to their biases, we can make the SEM space more diverse, more welcoming, and ultimately more successful."

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Source: PRWeb
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