In 30 seconds:
- International Women’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to create a social media campaign that highlights your brand’s commitment to gender equality.
- It has to be done thoughtfully, though, or you risk losing your audience (especially those of the younger generations.)
- Read on — we’ll show you how to make an IWD campaign an effective part of your digital marketing strategy.
- And may we be the first to say: Happy International Women’s Day!
We’re going to start out with a harsh truth here. International Women’s Day social media posts need to hit the right notes with Gen Z and Millennial audiences — or they have the potential to do more harm than good.
If younger consumers view your campaign as inauthentic or offensive, they’re going to let you (and the world) know about it.
So first up — the bottom line of any strategy is understanding where this audience is at.
According to the Deloitte Global Millennials and Gen Z survey, they believe the world has “reached a tipping point on issues such as racial injustice, inequality and the environment”. And they want to do something about it.
But they’ve also seen the power of social media to work towards equal rights for all. Hashtags like #lovewins, #metoo, and #blacklivesmatter have called for change and helped catalyse it.
One pertinent example, according to Oxford University senior researcher, Mahsa Alimardani, is how social media has played a significant role in the recent protests for gender equality in Iran. This has come at a time when access for international journalists has been seriously curtailed.
Put that all together, and you have a situation where activism and social media can do great things for each other.
And when it comes to your IWD campaign, this is good news.
But before you post, read on.
There’s a very real danger of IWD campaign coming off as performative or tone-deaf — and if this happens, there’s the potential it could do damage to your brand.
Rather than prevent you from posting out of fear of a misstep, use this as an opportunity to learn more about this young, engaged audience.
And you don’t have to do it alone. We’re going to help you post with confidence.
What should I post on social media for International Women's Day?
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8th to highlight the achievements of women in all spheres of society and raise awareness for the fight for gender equality.
Women empowerment is not just about “leaning in” and becoming a #girlboss. It’s about campaigning for women’s safety, ending period poverty and closing the gender pay gap.
So first up — your Women’s Day posts should be aligned with the intention of the day. You might want to honour women who are doing great things, partner with an IWD event, or align with a charity that’s doing the work.
The next thing to understand is who you’re posting for.
Know thy audience
Gen Z and Millennial audiences — the social media users at the high points of the usage graph — are after genuine, direct action. And they won’t stand for content that doesn’t feel like it comes from a real place. At ‘best’, brands can be called out for virtue signalling. At worst, they can be shown up for being downright offensive.
You may have heard rumours that Gen Z are lazy and self-absorbed. We disagree. And we’re not alone.
Their young lives have been inundated with pandemics, wars, financial uncertainty and environmental catastrophe. And they want to change to disrupt the balances of power that have been at the heart of these.
They’re also on track to become the most racially diverse, best-educated generation of humans this planet has known. Plus, they’re more connected than ever before, finding each other online because of causes that matter to them.
According to this McKinsey report, 66% of them will join someone with a shared cause, even if they think differently, and they’re 81% will stop buying brands they deem “macho.”
And then there are Millennials, one jump up the generation ladder. For them, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a major deal. From fighting poverty to supporting renewable energy to, yes, combating gender inequality, this generation needs their favourite brands to step up.
In fact, 94% of them would buy from a company with an excellent CSR program.
So what does this all mean for your IWD post?
What do you write on an International Women's Day post?
Well, we’re going to start off by telling you what not to do.
There is a host of examples of brands that have been called out for their double standards.
One example comes from this fast fashion company who broadcast IWD messages while at the same time hiding a substantial gender pay gap. And they were by no means the only ones. A range of other companies have been called out by the Gender Pay Gap Bot.) — Whoops!
Of course, social media didn’t let them get away with it. Hypocritical brands been called out again and again on TikTok. (The good news is, they took responsibility and have subsequently done much better at understanding their target audience.)
So yep, reading the room has never been more important. And that room is filled with a Gen Z and Millennial audience. The moment a campaign feels like lip service or, worse, self-service, you’re going to lose these vital audience members.
We’re going to tell you how to construct a campaign that really aligns with your values, is backed by action, and reaches the audience that matters to your brand.
International Women’s Day campaign ideas
#1. Raise awareness about women in your industry
There are various routes you can go with this strategy:
- Celebrate women leaders in your industry. Find your Nike + Serena Williams match. Regardless of what industry you’re in, there are women who have done great things within it. We love what Stabilo did here to celebrate pioneering ad exec Phyllis Robinson.
Source: IBB Online
If you are having an in-person event that you would like to tie into your social media campaign, IWD provides a location-specific index of speakers who are leaders in their fields.
And considering the whole of March is Women’s History Month, you have ample opportunity to dive deep into the key players in your field.
- Celebrate the women that make up your team. Make this as straightforward or involved as you like. This simple yet effective TikTok video from Warner Music Italy (@WarnerMusicItaly) highlighted the women in their company and their roles. Each person held up a description of themselves — ‘passionate’, ‘brave’, ‘smart’, ‘ambitious’, ‘supportive’.
# 2. Tap into the resources provided by IWD
As part of their 2023 #Embrace Equity, IWD has provided social media cards that you can share on various social media platforms.
These cards can be used for various purposes, from elevating female leaders in your community, promoting IWD events, and stating your commitment to achieving specific goals.
This resource is a great way to amply your voice. You can pop these cards on your own socials and send them into IWD for inclusion on their website.
IWD also provide a host of other resources, including web meeting backgrounds, guidance on writing a IWD speech and help planning an IWD activity.
# 3. Support a woman’s charity
This really is a case of putting your money where your mouth is. Show that your words are backed by action through financial donations or product giveaway campaigns.
You may want to join the fight to end period poverty, work to help survivors of violence, or advocate for the education of girls.
Just some of the companies that have created partnerships with charitable organisations include:
- Clothing brand Whistles who partnered with The Prince’s Trust for the #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign.
- Jo Malone who donated proceeds from a limited edition Peony & Blush Suede cologne to Phoenix Futures, who provide mental health services to women in the UK.
- Burberry, who partner with the charity Smart Works to help women on their road to employment.
- Organisations like Equality Now are officially partnered with IWD, making it easy for brands to support their work to protect and fight for women’s rights.
# 4. Find the right creators
TikTok artist and author Maiha Abidi (@malihazart) undertook an incredible creative project for IWD 2021 — to draw 100 iconic women. In her videos, she showed the illustration process and gave information about the woman she drew. She now has over 90K followers on the platform.
(Read our article on Gen Z activists to watch.)
Venturing into the world of influencer marketing can seem daunting at first — but it’s certainly worth the effort. Of course, there’s money to be made here, with the industry worth about $16.4 billion and rising.
But this is not just about the bottom line. It’s about finding the people you want to align your brand with and building community around shared ethics and interests.
(Psst. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help. It’s what we do. Check out our work with music streaming app Deezer. Partnering with the LGBTQ + community on TikTok around Mila Jam’s single “It’s raining them,” we achieved 7.1 million organic influencer views)
# 5. Make sure your messaging aligns with your internal practices
To avoid the wrath of the Gender Pay Gap Bot and the like, it’s imperative that your public initiatives match what’s happening within your organisation.
As an entrepreneur, you can use IWD as an opportunity to do a gender audit of your company. Are women able to access leadership positions? Is there a (ahem) gender pay gap that needs to be addressed? And what about your marketing strategy? Do you feel there are any blind spots?
In this way, IWD can become a very practical self-reflection tool for your brand.
# 6. Get hashtags to work for you
Of course, there’s:
- #IWD2023
- #InternationalWomensDay2023
- #International WomensDay
The theme for IWD 2022 was #BreaktheBias. On TikTok, this hashtag brought together videos from creators as diverse as pilots like Safia Amira (@safiamira), DJs like Dj Ana (@djanaofficial)— and of course, those who had something to say about the gender pay gap.
The 2023 theme is #EmbraceEquity.
# 7. Create an engagement-boosting strategy
There are various ways to do this — but the main idea is to get your community actively involved through user-generated content. If your audience is creating and sharing content about your brand, you have the chance to amplify your message exponentially.
Source: LEGO
When it comes to International Women’s Day Instagram Post Ideas, we love what Lego did in 2021 with their #LEGOfuturebuilders campaign.
There are many things that this uplifting campaign got right.
Off the bat, it promoted the creativity and ingenuity of young women. It also linked directly to the work the company is doing to build their company into a more inclusive workspace.
The other thing that makes it a standout campaign is that it promotes interactivity and engagement with Lego’s audience, compelling them to insert themselves into the picture (quite literally).
But you don’t have to go to these lengths. If you’d prefer to keep things simple, one option is to ask your audience a question.
What should be done to change the gender imbalance in the ____________ industry?
How do you believe we can close the gender pay gap?
# 8. Reinforce your message through the year
Finally — and perhaps most importantly — while IWD technically falls on one calendar, it’s your efforts throughout the year that really count for your brand.
Use March 8th to showcase your commitment to gender equity — but then continue it throughout the year.
Align with influencers who are doing the work, make structural changes within your company if necessary, and partner with a charity on a more permanent basis — show that you’re serious about real change.
That’s how you can create meaningful messaging that continues to do the work all year round.
Social media content that makes a difference
IWD can be a great opportunity for your brand to shout about the awesome work you’re doing to empower women. But as we’ve mentioned, it doesn’t need to be – and, indeed, shouldn’t be – the only time you use your brand’s social media presence for good.
Whether it’s Instagram stories with a real inspiring story behind them, uplifting tweets (yes, it’s possible!) or a full-funnel TikTok marketing strategy to support your social cause, we’ve got you. Get in touch to discuss social media post ideas that’ll make a difference to your bottom line – and do some good too.
For more about Gen Z activism and why it matters for your brand, head over to these articles:
