Why Your Marketing Strategy Should be Built Around Inclusivity
What is inclusive marketing?
Inclusive marketing is a combination of two key concepts: showing diversity and being accessible. One without the other is fine enough, but there are steps we can all take to make sure we’re being inclusive of both sides of the coin.
If you want to show diversity, you need to show a range of ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, religions, and more. If you want your digital presence to be accessible, you need to follow marketing best practices, like having high-contrast text, captions on videos, and straightforward website navigation.
Why is it important?
It’s time we made an effort to deeply understand our customers; who they are, what their story is, and what they value. By understanding them and taking the time to reflect on the background of each choice we make, you can ensure people feel included by your work and not alienated.
Inclusive marketing shouldn’t be an afterthought, an add-on, or a “nice to have”; it should be ingrained in every part of your marketing strategy. As society grows, it’s no longer just an option to be inclusive but rather that you’re, in most cases, expected to be. Did you know;
Over 65% of millennials are more likely to choose one brand over another if that brand demonstrates inclusion and diversity. And,
64% of consumers took action after seeing an ad they considered to be diverse or inclusive.
There are so many brands out there who don’t consider their potential audience; what they might look like, what their abilities might be, and how they’re represented in the media. You can be the brand that does. It’s incredibly rewarding when you see how much people enjoy interacting with your brand on and offline when it may normally be inaccessible for them. It also helps expand your reach and lets you access previously untapped markets.
Of course, every business has a target audience. It’s impossible for everyone to attract everyone and we’re not saying you need to. But, by subconsciously (or consciously) excluding certain people because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or even ability, you’re often unnecessarily reducing the size of your audience.
People buy products to resolve a problem (whether real or perceived), so why not focus your messaging on resolving that problem instead of anything else? Think about how Woolworths recently renamed their “feminine hygiene/care” section to “period care” – this simple change aims to reduce the stigma associated with the term ‘period’ and means is more inclusive of those who get a period who don’t necessarily associate with the word ‘feminine’.
We encourage you to think about your current marketing practices and digital presence. Are you happy with how you represent your audience? Can your audience easily access all of the content you produce?
