5 Resources to Help You Create an Inclusive Marketing Strategy in 2021

We’ve spent the last month researching, reflecting, and learning about how we can better dedicate ourselves to diversity. As Black History Month comes to a close, we wanted to share 5 of the most helpful resources that we’ve found for being more inclusive in the marketing space.

1. This video of Sonia Thompson at LaterCon 2020

We’ve included this at #1 because we highly suggest watching the video before diving in! Sonia Thompson is a customer experience strategist, consultant, and CEO of Thompson media group; she specializes in helping brands implement diversity and inclusion to deliver exceptional customer experience. In this video presented by Later Media, Thompson outlines what it means to be inclusive in a marketing space and the steps to doing it well — this includes reevaluating your buyer personas, committing to cultural intelligence, and even auditing your customer experience to find out where you might be lacking — using her own personal experiences as a Black woman to illustrate each point.

2. Think with Google

If you’re not already using it, Think with Google is a fantastic platform for consumer insights, data, editorials and marketing resources that can seriously aid and inform your approach. You can search any keyword connected to your campaign, and the platform will provide you with stories and data points relating to the topic. Try searching “diversity” and take a look at the data there; while it may not be surprising that consumers want to see themselves and their culture reflected in your marketing, having the numbers to back it up can help you see exactly how much of your potential consumer base you may unintentionally be sending somewhere else.

3. Inclusive language guides

So now you’re aware of what you might be missing in terms of diversity in your marketing, and you’re ready to change your approach — one of the most important, and often most overlooked elements is inclusive language. Obviously, the easiest way to ensure that you’re using inclusive language is to get input from someone in the community about or for which you’re writing. However, if you don’t have someone on your team who can help (which we’ll talk more about later), the next best thing is to do your research and consult some inclusive language guides. Language is ever-changing, and keeping up with proper usage, especially relating to sensitive topics, is a commitment we should all be making. We’ve linked some of our favorites here:

Words Matter: How to Adopt More Inclusive Language into Your Communications

Inclusive Language Guide by Boston University

Inclusive Language Guide by Northwestern University

P.S. Using inclusive language shouldn’t end with your marketing strategy— adopting inclusive language in the workplace and in your everyday life is something that will make those around you feel more comfortable, and can even improve team morale.

4. Grow Your Circle

This is an advertising industry gem that needs to be shared with the world! As we mentioned a few times previously, one of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure that you’re being inclusive is to directly receive input from someone within a specific community during the creation process; while diversity in hiring is ultimately the goal and will guarantee that you’re bringing varying voices to the table, a great option to give you access to those often marginalized perspectives is Grow Your Circle. It’s a tool that connects ad agencies, companies and brands to underrepresented creatives in the industry — for example, if you’re looking for a BIPOC creative director for a project, or an LGBTQ+ copywriter, or a female video producer, Grow Your Circle can help you find the perfect freelancer or company for the job.

5. This article highlighting 7 brands who did it right

What better way to wrap up than to give some recognition to the brands who are doing it right? This article on HubSpot shines a spotlight on 7 brands, including big names like Google and Coca-Cola, whose recent ads have demonstrated what inclusive marketing can do when it’s done with care (and style). Having such high-profile examples to take inspiration from can definitely help when creating your own campaigns, but make sure to keep your carefully-evaluated target market in mind to ensure that the marketing fits your brand identity.

While, yes, diversity and inclusion are hot topics in any industry right now, it’s important to recognize that they aren’t trends that will fade out down the line. A more inclusive approach is something that we all benefit from, and should be integrated into your brand as a whole — not only to maximize your consumer base, but to contribute to a future in which marginalized communities feel comfortable, safe and represented.

To learn more about Dyverse’s commitment to live up to our name, take a look at this message from our CEO.