21 Sep Using Twitter To Empower Women

Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of the popular dating app, Bumble, has been a game-changer in many ways. Wolfe Herd launched the female-focused dating app back in 2014 with a vision to empower women. While many thought the idea would fall flat, Bumble ended up becoming a household name with its unique twist on dating apps by encouraging women to make the first move. As a woman who believes in amplifying the voices of other women, Wolfe Herd has strongly positioned herself as a progressive and a feminist. Her speeches at conferences, interviews, and her Twitter feed echoes all the notions she exemplifies.

In today’s Executive Spotlight, we analyze her Twitter profile to see how Wolfe Herd has translated her ideologies to her social media. By using her social media to share her thoughts about gender, race, and other issues, visitors learn more about her as an individual and the type of content she wants to draw attention to.

Using the platform to amplify other female voices

Promoting Women-Owned Businesses

Wolfe Herd has been very vocal on Twitter when it comes to supporting other women-led businesses. She has shared developments about other businesses owned by women to shed light on their existence and to uplift them. Not only has she encouraged them but also has collaborated with a couple of them to expand their network. On International Women’s Day this year, Whitney announced Bumble’s investment in four women-led start-ups. 

Too often, Black and Brown women are shut out of the venture capital ecosystem. @Bumble Fund is teaming up with @BGirlVentures to build a bigger table in the business world. Learn more and apply for funding: https://t.co/lriX9agwFy

— Whitney Wolfe Herd (@WhitWolfeHerd) August 14, 2020

Questioning Gender Disparity

When women in power question the issue of gender disparity, positive changes towards workplace equality can occur. As a C-suite executive herself, Wolfe Herd is in a position to enact clear changes and has written tweets questioning the gender disparity ratio and low representation of women in different professional capacities. Whitney’s tweets not only feature her personal thoughts but she also shares facts and stats to strengthen her arguments. Every now and then, she shares tweets highlighting stats about women representation in different spheres. She often retweets posts that mirror similar thoughts from reputed sources and verified accounts. For executives who want to share factual information, we recommend sourcing content from reputable sources.

Women represented only 19% of the lineup at festivals in 2018. Let's change the ratio! https://t.co/JpUAxu90h4

— Whitney Wolfe Herd (@WhitWolfeHerd) June 5, 2019

Partnering With Strong Female Role Models

A core messaging across Wolfe Herd’s Twitter content is that women should stand up for other women. She has partnered with a variety of well-known female role models to promote women among marginalized groups. For example, ace tennis player, Serena Williams, is an investor of the Bumble Fund, which backs ventures led by women of color. She also announced Bumble’s move to hit the streets of India with actress Priyanka Chopra as the face of the campaign. When announcing key partnerships, executives on social media must remember to include any tags, such as in the example below.

“We are going in as a full-fledged social network, one that is safe and empowering to women. It is the first time anyone has done that in India." TY for this great writeup, @Barry_Samaha! And couldn't take @Bumble to India without @priyankachopra. 💛 https://t.co/TRAVpyrek4

— Whitney Wolfe Herd (@WhitWolfeHerd) October 31, 2018

Tackling online harassment on Twitter

What separates a leader from others is their courage to speak up against injustice and their continued work towards fighting it. Wolfe Herd has also used her Twitter platform to respond to trolls, speak out against sexism, and fight against online harassment. She announced on Twitter that she testified before the Texas State Senate in support of a bill that would take action against those sending unsolicited lewd images online. By sharing causes they are passionate about, executives not only share more about themselves as a person but also effectively draws attention to these issues.

Establishing her thought leadership by sharing leadership/company-related content

CEOs often have busy schedules, which limits their interaction with top-level management. Some executives do not have time or simply lack interest in getting to know middle-level and bottom-level employees. However, Wolfe Herd is a CEO who believes in empowering her workforce and acknowledging them. She shares developments about her team on her Twitter profile and compliments them on their hard work. This shows a more human side to the CEO and also highlights the fact that their employees are important to them, which is often something job seekers today are looking for.

Wow. The best possible Friday afternoon pick-me-up. Grateful every day to work with this team. @bumble 💛https://t.co/kalEDbs4f0

— Whitney Wolfe Herd (@WhitWolfeHerd) May 17, 2019

Improvements: Increasing Twitter Engagement

While Whitney’s Twitter feed is a reflection of everything she believes in, there are ways for her to improve her engagement. Social media is a very fast-paced forum where consistently posting is a must in order to increase engagement and visibility. Posting more regularly and consistently on Twitter is a strategic way for executives to gain and maintain their audience’s attention. This allows followers to learn more about the latest company updates or content the executive wishes to share. In general, we recommend posting at least once per day on Twitter.

With how vocal she is about women empowerment, feminism, and other issues catering to the upliftment of women, a content topic she may want to share includes her views on issues like Black Lives Matter. Today, brand accounts are expected to speak out about social issues and this is certainly the case with executive marketing as well.

One of the first things other Twitter users notice is the individual’s bio section. An interesting 160-character bio can help engage with new users and enhance brand image. Wolfe Herd’s current bio simply states the facts, which may not be very compelling for other Twitter users to read. We recommend that she work on a more effective bio that speaks to her as an individual that would pique the user’s interest and encourage them to follow her activities on Twitter. 

While Whitney has made good use of tagging on her profile, she could use more hashtags in her posts as this will help to increase its reach.  

Conclusion

Whitney Wolfe Herd’s online presence is unique because it perfectly aligns with what her brand, Bumble, stands for—women speaking out and making the first move. Her Twitter content effectively demonstrates the values that both she and her brand stands for. By voicing her thoughts publicly on social media about issues she is passionate about, she presents a more authentic and relatable persona.

For executives who are looking to enhance their social media feed and better their audience engagement, our team can help. Click the button below to book a consultation with our experts and let us show you how executives can be a powerful marketing tool for your company.