The purpose of inclusive marketing is to create a sense of welcome to a target audience. Then building on that, create a sense of belonging and thereby a loyal community. It encompasses marketing strategies, tactics and technologies that enable brands to appeal to a diverse representation of people. Inclusive marketing is also known as diversity or inclusion marketing. In today’s market promoting and embracing diversity is an essential part of remaining relevant and building a successful business. It is also an important aspect of and a non-negotiable from a corporate social responsibility perspective.
What is Inclusive Marketing?
When designing and rolling out a marketing strategy, inclusive marketing considers all different forms of diversity. Practically, this means, it’s about realizing that your target audience is dissimilar and not homogeneous. For example, people of variable ages, appearances, backgrounds, socio-economic context, ethnicity, religious or spiritual beliefs, and gender identity.
Why is Inclusive Marketing Important?
Through inclusive marketing, a brand shows potential customers that it cares and is prepared to cooperate as well as empathize with them. Overall, the result of this is an improved public appearance, more opportunities, and the potential for higher profits.
Research shows that there’s a 50% higher chance of a brand being recommended if its advertising is diverse and representative. Furthermore, amongst audiences younger than 55 years of age there is a growing trend towards supporting brands that reflect their political and cultural beliefs. 70% of Gen Z are more trusting of brands that engage in diverse and inclusive marketing. And 83% of millennials state that they choose to align with brands that are reflective of their values. This means that they require a brand to demonstrate their stance on social issues. It has also been found that 56% of people will pay higher prices for brands that are committed to social values. Accordingly, a global survey found that 66% place personal values such as inclusivity above personal benefits like cost and convenience.
5 Ways Inclusive Marketing is Beneficial for Companies
- Appeals to a wider customer base.
- Potential customers are more likely to engage with a brand’s services and products.
- Portrays a good public image.
- Creates business opportunities because your brand is more appealing to other companies.
- Ads and messaging are more likely to be passed on or shared on social media platforms.
Companies that use inclusive marketing encourage a more diverse group of people to apply for vacancies. This results in a better selection of potential employees as well as a wider variety of skill sets that can be tapped into.
What Happens if You Get It Wrong?
Forgoing an inclusive marketing strategy or getting it wrong can be detrimental to your company. For example, it can lead to decreased engagement, negative feedback, and erode a company’s image. This results in a brand failing to resonate, the potential alienation of a brand and decreased company profits. Market research has found that 36% of people have boycotted a brand because they have issues with how it presents itself concerning diversity and representation.
5 Challenges in Implementing Inclusive Marketing Strategies
- Absence of diversity in a marketing team.
- Lack of knowledge or understanding of the needs of diverse audiences.
- Advertising that doesn’t resonate.
- Excluding or alienating non-diverse audiences.
- Limited resources, such as time and finances.
Overcoming Challenges in Inclusive Marketing
Inclusive marketing goes beyond ticking the boxes of diversity. This means it is about actual people being reflected in advertising and creating a lasting connection with your audience. Audiences are astute and look for authenticity. Therefore, they require a company to have a genuine commitment shown through action, rather than token window dressing.
One of the biggest challenges when designing a diversity-appealing marketing strategy is navigating cultural sensitivities. Essentially, people with different life contexts understand norms, values, and taboos differently. This means that there is always the risk of an advertising-inclusive campaign being misinterpreted or misunderstood. Working alongside an expert marketing agency is one of the ways to avoid the pitfalls and challenges inherent in inclusive marketing. However, ahead of choosing a marketing agency, it’s important to research the actuality of the company’s diversity and inclusivity policies.
What Makes Inclusive Marketing Successful?
Inclusive marketing is a successful strategy because, when carried out correctly, it resonates with a wide and diverse audience. These strategies reflect real people within the real world, from the mainstream to the marginalized and underrepresented. They create deep connections between audiences and brands. This is done through campaigns that make everyone feel welcomed, understood, and valued, regardless of their context. Furthermore, nurturing a sense of inclusion and belonging enables an audience to choose brands that align with both their values and preferences. This cultivates a strong sense of brand loyalty and a positive brand image. At its roots, an inclusive marketing strategy is a win-win as it benefits both the company and the customer.
Strategies for Implementing Inclusive Marketing Strategies
The first step in designing a successful inclusive marketing strategy is to create a company culture that values diversity and is representative. Practically, from an advertising standpoint, doing so means building a diverse marketing team. This results in a wide range of perspectives and therefore potentially proposed ideas.
Secondly, audience research and analysis are required for a campaign to effectively resonate. Data can be collected in many ways. For example, surveys and quizzes, conducting focus groups, and social listening. Numerous online tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot and Hotjar assist you in analyzing data. As well as help you determine the success of your advertising over time. Additionally, advertising agencies such as SocialQ are invaluable expert resources when it comes to designing and implementing successful inclusive marketing strategies.
To prevent alienating a non-diverse audience, it’s often necessary to promote why your company values diversity and representation. This means engaging with an existing loyal customer base and emphasizing the advantages of being associated with an inclusive-aware company.
Budget allocations should take into account the requirements of building a successful inclusive marketing strategy. There are various ways to streamline and decrease the overheads needed. Some options are to leverage technology and automation tools or engage a diversity-sensitive advertising agency.
Can Inclusive Marketing be an Optional Extra?
Inclusive marketing is an essential part of a successful advertising campaign. In the longer run it is a vital building block for a thriving, relevant and sustainable company. This makes it a must to have, and not a nice-to-have, for any company that wishes to resonate and flourish. Contact Us to chat about how you can bring authentic diversity and representation into your marketing strategy.
