Strong Rapport with Angelica Gilleran: Empowering Women-Owned Businesses

As we kick off this episode, I give you a peek behind the curtain with my naming strategy for with my presentation at Up Next Charlie West’s Professional Development series. I decided to play a little experiment with two different titles: “Inoculating Yourself Against Agency B.S.” and “Marketing Secrets for the Savvy Spend.” Why the gamble? Well, I believe in testing, experimenting, and letting the audience decide. So, I presented both options and watched as they chose “Marketing Secrets for the Savvy Spend.” Lesson learned: adding a little spice with “B.S.” might have been too much. And that’s totally okay.

Our guest today is Angelica Gilleran from Strong Rapport, a marketing agency with a unique focus. They specialize in helping female leaders solve visibility and connection problems through digital and traditional marketing. Angelica’s commitment to nurturing mutually harmonious relationships between clients and their audience is inspiring.

One thing that caught my attention during our conversation is her niche specialization. Her team exclusively work with women-owned or women-led nonprofits. Angelica acknowledges the differences in how women tend to lead their businesses, placing a strong emphasis on aesthetics and storytelling. They dig deep to bring out relatable narratives that resonate with their audience.

Angelica’s expertise in community building is a real asset. In marketing, the “know, like, and trust” factor is paramount, and community building is her secret sauce. By being involved in various community initiatives, she helps clients organically establish connections and trust with their target audience.

We also delve into the need for more representation of women in the business world. Only a small fraction of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs, despite women’s significant influence in household purchasing decisions. Angelica’s mission is to change this by amplifying the voices of women-owned companies through impactful marketing.

In this episode, Angelica reminds us of the power of community, the importance of niche specialization, and the value of authentic storytelling in marketing.