Diversity And Inclusion In Digital Marketing

topics of diversity and inclusion, they need to move from sentiment into action and explore how to progress the narrative from a marketing exercise into something more cultural. This involves applying diversity and inclusion principles not only to their digital marketing content but also to their day-to-day goals and activities.

Some companies do this by setting up dedicated task forces to promote diversity and inclusion. Others incorporate these principles into their mission statements and business objectives. And others make it an integral part of their business practices, such as refusing to interact with businesses that don’t adhere to these principles.

How can your company better promote diversity and inclusion? Let’s look at 5 key ways you can do it.

5 ways digital marketers can promote inclusion and diversity

Digital marketers can advocate for diversity and inclusion with their clients by:

Raising awarenessUnderstanding their audienceAdjusting their messageGathering insightsDriving change

Raise awareness

Digital marketers have a crucial role to play in raising awareness about diversity and inclusion. This can involve including more diverse ranges of people in their ads or creating ads that specifically target people who may previously have been excluded from mainstream advertising. Then we all win a campaign by Microsoft is a good example of this. It specifically highlights the needs of gamers with disabilities, challenging people’s stereotyped images of gamers.

Understand your audience.

As a digital marketer, you need to find ways to craft your message so that it resonates with your target audience without, at the same time, excluding or alienating other people. Marketing must reach out beyond the core audience and embrace new potential customers.

Adjust your message

Digital marketers reflect changing times and shifting demographics, companies often have to adjust their message to ensure it’s more in tune with the times. For example, a life coach has advocated on behalf of human rights, social activism, and issues such as sexual abuse. In the wake of Black Lives Matter, she started to adjust her messaging so that it would resonate more with women of color. She brings them into the conversation and ensures that her message speaks to them too. She has even created scholarships focused on Black indigenous people of color so they can better advocate for themselves.

This shows how even a small business can lead the way in promoting diversity and inclusion.

Gather insights

It can be difficult for digital marketers to create truly diverse content if they are unaware of their own biases. As discussed below, it’s essential to develop self-awareness when aiming to be more inclusive in advertising.

It’s also important to gain greater insights into the brand you’re promoting. What makes the brand important to people? Look for the universal qualities that transcend race, color, gender, ability, and so on. Try to think beyond the labels and gain insights into how the brand could appeal to all people. For example, how could Jeep have ensured that its Super Bowl ad resonated with working-class black women in Florida?

Drive change

Often, digital marketers respond to change, ensuring their messages are timely and relevant. However, they can also drive social change by exposing their target audience to opinions and insights that they may not normally be exposed to. We saw above how the Ad Council challenged people’s ideas about what love is, for example.

If you don't see the African American consumer market as a market that is viable for you, then you're not going to message to reach that market. However, if you want to grow your business and reach a broader audience, you have to be willing to drive change and bring those other audiences along with you. Your brand needs to be reflective of what a diverse world looks like.

 

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