Full disclosure:

“I am not here to be right. I am here to get it right.” –  Brené Brown

We’re white women from Minnesota (founder Maddie M. and intern Grace S. here). We NEED to do the internal work and we are. But we have so far to go. So, take these suggestions as us sharing where we’re at and what we’ve learned from our BIPOC friends combined with obsessive reading habits. If you have additional suggestions (or need to call us out on something) PLEASE let us know. We’re here to listen, learn, and amplify people who are doing amazing things!

1. Do The Internal Work

Educate yourself and your team on diversity and inclusion efforts

Diversity and inclusion go far beyond the images used in advertising. It should go without saying that when your team has diverse people on it, stronger ideas emerge and profits follow great ideas.

Learn about diversity and inclusion with your team. Listen to podcasts or watch short videos about diversity and inclusion. Invite guest speakers. Host a lunch and learn. If you’re not sure how to tackle diversity conversations in the workplace, seek out additional resources. If you have the resources to do so, hire a consultant. In the meantime, check out our reading list. 

P.S. If you’re looking for diversity consultants or other resources in the Twin Cities and across the U.S., consider these options: 

• YMCA Twin Cities – offer a variety of training around inequality, intolerance, and exclusion.
• deepSEE Consulting – help individuals understand diversity in themselves and others
• Minnesota Racial Equality – features a full list of racial equality resources in Minnesota.
• Racial Equality Institute – offer virtual training, online resources, research, podcast episodes, and more.
• Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training – workshop opportunity based on dismantling racism and building racial justice institutions.

Hiring to increase diversity in teams

Of more than a million people working in marketing and sales in the U.S., only 47.6 % are women.  Of these women in marketing, only 6.7% are Black, 5.4% Asian, and 9.7% Hispanic or Latinx. This statistic doesn’t even include non-binary, non-cisgender, or non-white talent. 

Yikes. We need more diverse talent if our profession is going to meet consumer demand and changing trends.

When we hire people, we must keep these stats in mind. We must also be willing to look for talent in “unusual” places. Most marketing skills including writing, design, and critical thinking can be self-taught. As long as someone is dedicated to serving customers and has a willingness to learn, chances are they’ll be a great fit.

Look at your marketing job descriptions. Consider if you really need a 4-year degree and 5 years of experience for an entry-level position. Spoiler alert: you do not.

When hiring, consider people of various backgrounds and talents that would add value to your business. If hiring for diversity has been a challenge for your business, look into programs that are designed to enhance diversity in the workplace such as recruiting and company culture advice. Don’t discount tech schools or community colleges when looking for interns either. 

We’re not HR experts, but here are our tips for seeking diversity in hiring:

1. Conduct blind interviews when possible. 
2. Scrub names from resumes. 
3. Promote business diversity initiatives (and really mean them).
4. Do an anonymous analysis of who’s already on your team (with the help of HR). 
5. Evaluate the diversity of teams you work with.

2. Implement Diverse Marketing Efforts

Beyond making sure you’re amplifying diverse talent, you need to examine your marketing efforts to see if they’re meeting your inclusivity standards. Start by asking the following question. 

“Am I reaching all potential members of my target audience?”

Unconscious biases can blind us to lucrative opportunities and exclude would-be customers. An example of gender bias would be expecting moms to be the ones taking care of the children. Don’t forget that dads, grandpas, or siblings could be the ones watching the children too. 

When you’re creating any marketing campaign, get multiple sets of eyes on it. Outside perspectives can help you catch problems and anything you missed, even if it was created with good intentions.

Craft a diversity strategy to engage with your customers

True engagement begins when customers feel recognized. And they need to feel that the effort is authentic. 71% of LGBTQ consumers said they are more likely to interact with an online ad that authentically represents their sexual orientation. 

Building your inclusive content marketing strategy:

1. Identify your ideal target audience by conducting a customer analysis.
2. Research what type of content your target audience wants from your business.
3. Share content and images that go beyond selling your product or service but provide value for your audience.

Lack of cultural intelligence is one of the most common reasons businesses struggle with inclusive marketing. Empathetic content helps with this by allowing people to connect with others on a deep level through shared feelings. This connection promotes authenticity in which 86% of consumers claim is a driving factor in whether or not they support a brand. The ability to authentically connect with your audience lets all involved feel included, building trust. The next time your customer runs into a problem, they’ll turn to your business first. 

It will take time to fully diversify your content marketing. But do the work every day. Small steps lead to big changes. 

Next, let’s dig into using inclusive language.

3. Use Inclusive Word Choice for Diverse Marketing

Write content that connects with your customers on a deep level by using inclusive words. The words used in your content have an impact on whether or not your audience feels included. Word choice can be harmless or harmful.

Here are a few tips for writing inclusively:

• Mention the person first. For example, say a man who is blind, instead of a blind man. This is especially useful when talking about people with disabilities. 
• Avoid derogatory language. 
• Use gender-neutral language. Instead of saying guys, use the term folks or people. 
• Use the term “woman” rather than “girl” for those over the age of 18. 
• Swap the word “handicap” for “disabled.” 
• Instead of using the term, “minority,” specify the ethnic group and when talking about an individual, check with them about how they want to be identified.

Check out the Conscious Style Guide for more assistance on choosing words that will include, empower, and respect your audience.

Tell diverse stories

It’s hard to tell one story that everyone can relate to because everyone comes from different backgrounds and lifestyles. Instead, consider telling many different stories. This way all of your fans are able to relate.

Example: Bumble’s Campaign

Bumble uses a variety of stories in their “Find Me on Bumble” campaign where they interview a diverse group of people and let them tell their stories which include powerful life lessons. Bumble’s use of real people, stories, and lessons highlight diversity in a powerful way that allows other people to feel a part of the stories.

4. Show Your Audience What You Want to Communicate with Images

You only have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression on your potential audience, which is why diverse marketing images are so important. The human brains respond quickly to images and color in comparison to written text. 

Images are a visual representation of your business. If people don’t see themselves in your visual marketing they won’t feel welcome and will find a different product or service that makes them feel included. 

How to use diverse images

To ensure your audience feels seen, welcome, and included your images need to be inclusive. A good goal is to include at least one image with every piece of content you share on your social media pages, emails, and blog posts. 

Not every image tells the same story. Don’t just grab the first picture you find. Be sure the image will add value to your content. 

Use images that help tell your brand story. Share your product or service in action. Are you a software company? Share an image of a person using your service. Depict your values through the images. Does your company value teamwork? Share an image with a group of people using your product.

Stock photos are great but can mislead your audience. Be sure you share authentic images. It would be unfair to potential customers if they see images featuring Latinx and later find out you’ve never provided services to Latinx. When possible, share images from your own photo library or photos from your customers. This shows potential customers a true picture of your business. 

An example we love (Levi’s!)

Levi’s does a wonderful job of diverse marketing campaigns. In their “I Shape My World” commercial, they highlight a variety of women owning their titles and going against style “norms” confidently. 

Share images that match the lifestyle of your audience

You want your audience to feel like they belong when they experience your brand. Get familiar with your target audience’s lifestyles. This will help you choose images that fit their geography, behavior, demographics, and personal preferences.

A quick guide to image resources

• Stock photos – A quick search for “stock photos” in Google will return thousands of free options or paid stock photo options. Choose what fits your business. Find diverse stock photo options here or check out the Gender Spectrum Collection for images featuring trans and non-binary models. We also recommend Shutterstock, Adobe Stock Image, and Pixaby.
• Personal photos – keep a handful of your own brand photos on hand. Use a program built into your computer or the free Adobe Lightroom app for simple editing.
• Branded images – these could be graphics or logos. We recommend using Canva or Photoshop to create your own.
• Infographics – an easy way to display data or quick facts in a visually appealing way. Piktochart or Canva are good options for creating your own.
• User-generated content – images shared by your customers. Ask your costumes to share photos on their social media with your product or service and tag your account. Ask if you can share that with your account. This is a great way to engage with your customers.

5. Be Accessible

Accessibility extends to websites and marketing across all channels. Be sure to include an accessibility audit into your diversity marketing efforts.

Are your images accessible?

It’s easy enough to insert an image on a page, but it still needs to be explained for accessibility purposes because assistive devices read image captions. 

The most common way to explain images, tables, and graphs is with alternative text, or alt text, which is a description of the image. When writing alt text, be sure the description is accurate and succinct. Try to avoid using words like “image of…” or “graphic of…” to describe the image. Basically, explain what is happening in the picture and why it’s significant.

Is your content inclusive of all abilities?

Accessibility is a crucial part of inclusive marketing as it ensures all people will be able to access your content.

2.2 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness according to the World Health Organization. Low vision, blindness, and colorblindness make it harder for your audiences to view your content. Make sure words are viewable and accessible to these audiences by considering font colors and sizes, captions, and by including alt text to images. Blue and orange are color-friendly options. A 12-point font is often recommended for body text, as most devices have a zoom function.   

The words you use need to be cognitively accessible for those who are have learning disabilities, struggle with memory, or decision making. Make your content easy to understand and not overly long. 

Check out Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for more information on accessibility standards. 

A real-life story about how commitment to diverse marketing is good for business

One of our clients, a software company, was able to complete a sale by demonstrating their commitment to accessible design. Their customer wanted a partner who was committed to diversity and accessibility. For our client, accessibility is a top value. They are living that value by sharing stories about how their software is committed to accessible practices. The customer took note of our client’s values and inclusivity practices in action which made the difference between “maybe” and “yes!”

Bonus! 3 More Steps for Diverse Marketing

1. Work with brand ambassadors who come from a variety of backgrounds and lifestyles to promote your product or service.
2. Reach out to customers and fans for testimonials and stories about the product or service your business offers. Share this feedback with your fans.
3. Include your audience in your diversity and inclusion education. Share resources with them. Let them know what you are doing at your business to include more diversity and inclusion efforts.

Remember, we are all on our own journey. Diversifying your marketing will take time. Don’t feel the need to rush into it full speed ahead. Start by slowly incorporating more diversity into your marketing. Continue learning along the way. There will be mistakes. But, be humble in the process. We don’t know all of the answers. In the meantime, as we transition, we can own up to our mistakes and let our customers know we are putting in the work. Honesty wins. 

Contact us today for a free consultation. We’re here to help and learn with you on your journey to inclusive and diverse marketing.