Yasmine Khosrowshahi: Bridging the Digital Divide

The number of females entering leadership roles has been on the rise. Women are no longer sitting back and observing. They are showcasing the capacity to be good leaders and proving their worth in corporate board rooms. The gender gap in leadership persists and is one of the biggest challenges hindering humankind’s overall growth. However, there are many women who support each other and create an atmosphere of female empowerment. We came across one such powerful lady, Yasmine Khosrowshahi, who runs a digital marketing agency named BlueTickSocial. 

One of the unique things about her agency is that it is entirely women-led and women-run. At times, every individual is in a race and trying to defeat one another, but Yasmine is an influential leader who leads the path for other women. Leading by example, she inspires women who are anxious to take big steps. 

Story behind BlueTickSocial 

BlueTickSocial is a digital marketing agency located in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland (DMV) area. It is an all-women-run agency that aims at promoting and helping other women. Yasmine discovered that brands often face a challenge on social media. There is a gap in terms of promoting and selling content. She founded BlueTickSocial with an aim to fill that gap that brands experience every day on social and digital media platforms. Yasmine realized that many brands just posted and displayed their businesses on social media platforms, and there was a lack of understanding regarding creating and building engagements. Therefore, she wanted to utilize her knowledge and help businesses build engagement with their target audiences. 

Educational Background 

Education is one of the critical factors that often helps us take the right path. Yasmine has done an Integrated Marketing Course at the university level, which helped her gain interest in the field and understand marketing basics. She also enrolled in Wake Forest University’s (WFU) Entrepreneurship Program in 2016, and it further exposed her to the nuances of the marketing profession. Over the years, she discovered how an individual should design startups, which ignited her passion for starting her own agency. 

“The younger you are, the more risks you can take. Mindset is all that you need to start your venture.”  ―Yasmine Khosrowshahi 

Prioritizing Custom Strategy 

Yasmine truly believes that every industry is unique, and every brand needs to have a different approach. This is why she prioritizes and aims to create a custom strategy for her clients. She conducts audits and psychographics and creates social communication after understanding the audience. Yasmine says audiences and targets are different for each social media platform; Instagram has a distinct target, whereas LinkedIn may have other target groups. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and find the right target group for your business. If you’re a B2B or a professional brand, the ideal platform would be LinkedIn. On the other hand, Instagram would be a perfect platform if you’re aiming to build and showcase social proof. 

What Sets Us Apart from Other Digital Agencies 

The number of digital marketing agencies is growing, and several professionals are even offering freelancing work. However, Yasmine follows a different approach and mentions how she customizes the strategy in accordance with the brand. There are indeed two things that set her company apart: custom strategy and focus on trends. 

• Custom Strategy – The first thing they do is create a custom strategy for their clients. They focus on determining keywords that are relevant for the specific industry. Based on that, they create a strategy that aligns with the goals and audiences of the brand. 
• Focus on trends – Additionally, the digital platform is all about trends and engaging with the audiences. Therefore, they ensure focus on what is trending and create content accordingly. 

Yasmine’s focus is to create an authentic image for her clients’ brands. She believes the TikTok platform can be used for different industries. But it is necessary to share-worthy content and post around 2-3 videos each day to increase engagement. 

Challenges She Faced 

Challenges and difficulties are part and parcel of life, and Yasmine is not unfamiliar with them. She was pushed into entrepreneurship early in life when she got a job offer but could not work due to the COVID-19 layoff. She also realized that it would take a few years to build a business, so it would be better if she started early. She says, “the younger you are, the more risks you can take. Mindset is all that you need to start your venture.” 

Both Social Media and PR are Important 

There is a growing need for digital marketing, and Yasmine believes it has become significantly important, especially after COVID-19. 

Brands must maintain their social and digital presence and can expect to make huge fortunes by leveraging social media and digital marketing platforms. 

Our lifestyle is changing, and we make decisions based on what we see on social media. She says it can be helpful for small businesses when somebody else posts about them on their social media, and that is how they help brands create organic engagement. However, PR is still important and can play a huge role in marketing a brand and its services. 

Podcast for Sharing and Networking 

Yasmine also has a podcast channel where she talks about digital platforms, business marketing, email, and other perspectives. To improve her network, Yasmine interviews people from the same industry or people who have the same or different experiences as her. It helps her learn and take inspiration from what others have achieved in life. 

She advises young entrepreneurs to believe in themselves and never give up on their ideas. “You must stop worrying about the results and keep following your passion. Manifest and don’t give up. Everyone is going through struggles. Keep following your passion.”