Women Built Modern Marketing
And it’s time we said it out loud.
Fifteen years ago, something started to shift.
It wasn’t loud or flashy. It wasn’t covered by Forbes or studied in business school.
It was happening in kitchens and living rooms. On laptops and early smartphones. During nap time and late at night.
Women were quietly—and radically—changing the way we connect, sell, and build businesses.
And they weren’t trying to reinvent marketing.
They just wanted to tell the truth.
They wanted to share their stories, connect with other women, maybe make a little money, and feel less alone. And in doing so, they created the model for what we now call “content marketing,” “influencing,” and “personal branding.”
This is part one in a series on personal branding—and before we dive into the strategy of building yours, I want to give you the truth behind how we got here. Because if you don’t understand the movement you’re part of, you won’t fully step into the power of what you’re building.
You didn’t just show up in a vacuum. You’re part of something bigger.
Let’s talk about it.
A Blog, a Baby, and a Beginning
When I had my first baby, my husband was in medical school, and we were living on very little. I was home most days, trying to figure out how to be a mom. I loved that new role—and I also had this deep pull inside of me. I wanted to contribute. I had more to say. I just didn’t know where to say it.
Then someone sent me a link to a blog: The Pioneer Woman. I clicked. I read one post. Then another. And then I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading every word I could find.
Ree Drummond was a city girl turned ranch wife writing about her kids, her cowboy, her cooking, her messy and beautiful life. It was romantic and real, gritty and funny. Her writing didn’t feel like a magazine article. It felt like sitting across the kitchen table from a friend who was telling you everything.
That was the first time I saw what online influence could feel like. Not through a TV ad. Not through a magazine. But through a woman with a keyboard.
And that’s when something clicked: This was different. And it was going to change everything.
From Interruption to Invitation
For decades, marketing was about interrupting people. Commercials during your favorite shows. Radio ads between songs. Magazine spreads between articles. The model was simple: Pay to get attention. The bigger the budget, the louder you could be.
But in 1999, Seth Godin introduced a different idea: Permission Marketing. He said the future wouldn’t be about forcing your message into people’s lives—it would be about earning the right to speak. Building trust. Starting conversations, not shouting over them.
He was right. But what he didn’t say—what maybe no one could have predicted—is that this shift would be led by women.
Because when the tools of the internet became available, it was women—often at home, often raising children—who picked them up. Not to go viral. But to connect. To create. To tell their stories. And in doing that, they changed everything.
What Came First: The Blog or the Brand?
Let’s zoom out and look at the timeline.
Early 2000s: Blogs explode. Platforms like Blogger and WordPress make it easier than ever to share your thoughts online.
Mid-2000s: Digital cameras become more affordable. Suddenly, thousands of women start photography businesses.
2006: Ree Drummond starts her blog The Pioneer Woman.
2009: Time Magazine names her blog one of the top 25 in the world.
2010: Instagram launches, originally built for photographers.
2012 and beyond: Personal brands and influencers take over. Women dominate the platform. And marketing is changed forever.
This wasn’t a marketing strategy cooked up in a boardroom. This was women sharing their real lives, one post at a time.
They weren’t selling at first. They were showing up.
And that’s what made it work.
A Different Kind of Influence
I want to pause here and acknowledge something that’s easy to overlook if you didn’t live it.
Back then, connection looked very different.
We didn’t have unlimited texting. You paid per message. Phone minutes were rationed. There were no group chats. Instagram didn’t exist. Facebook was still limited to college campuses.
When I was alone at home with my baby, I had two ways to connect with other women: call my mom (if I had minutes left) or go to park day and hope someone else showed up.
So when I stumbled across a blog written by a woman in Oklahoma—a woman who didn’t know me but whose life somehow mirrored mine—it felt like magic.
It was the internet, yes. But it was more than that. It was a lifeline. And it was the beginning of something huge.
The Shift: From Storytelling to Strategy
We now talk about personal branding like it’s a marketing buzzword. But its roots are deeply human. Deeply feminine. And deeply connected to that moment in time when women started showing up online—not as experts, but as themselves.
And they built something powerful.
Here’s how I break it down today: the Three C’s of a modern personal brand.
Connection – The human story behind the brand. Your values, voice, why, and vision.
Community – The people you serve and the space you create for them to belong.
Content – The way your story and your message move through the world.
When you combine all three—connection, community, and content—you create a personal brand that is clear, compelling, and deeply trusted.
That’s the foundation. But how do you build it intentionally?
That’s where the VIBE Framework comes in.
The VIBE Framework for Personal Branding
VIBE is the process I use with clients to build out their personal brand from the inside out. It’s not about being someone you’re not. It’s about choosing which parts of yourself to share with clarity and purpose.
V – Voice
This is your story, your why, and your vision. It includes your origin story (what got you here), your deeper motivation (why this work matters to you), and your vision for the future (what you’re building and where you’re headed). People connect with your story long before they trust your solution.
I – Identity
This is your brand messaging. Who do you serve? What problem are you solving? What transformation do you offer, and how do you help people get there? This is where strategy starts. It moves you from just “posting content” to clearly positioning your brand.
B – Brand
This is your presence and personality. How do you show up? What tone do you use? What kind of expert are you? What do you want to be known for? You don’t need to be loud to lead. But you do need to decide who you are and how you want to be seen.
E – Expression
This is how your brand looks, sounds, and shows up. From your colors and fonts to your content format and posting strategy, this is where you start showing up consistently in a way that builds trust and recognition.
Together, these four elements make up a personal brand that’s rooted in both strategy and soul.
What You’re Building Is Bigger Than You Think
If you’ve ever felt behind, if you’ve ever felt like your story isn’t interesting enough or your following isn’t big enough, I want to remind you:
The women who built modern marketing didn’t have a formula.
They just showed up.
They told the truth. They shared their stories. They created from what they had.
And in doing so, they opened the door for you and me to do the same.
The only difference now is that the tools are more advanced. The principles haven’t changed.
We connect. We build community. We share content. We lead with clarity. And we do it on purpose.
Next in the Series:
Old Money vs. New Money on Instagram
We’re talking about why early Instagram influencers are struggling, what’s changed in the algorithm, and how to grow a brand in 2025 without chasing trends or going viral.
Spoiler: It’s not about being the loudest. It’s about being the clearest.
If this article resonated with you, share it with a friend who’s building something bold and personal. The marketing revolution started with one woman saying to another: “You have to read this.”
Let’s keep it going.
—Michelle