The Importance Of Diversity and Inclusion In Marketing

Modern day society reveal that diversity and inclusion in marketing is more important than ever. While diversity extends beyond race, it’s crucial for marketers to know their audience.

Recent statistics reveal that America is not only more diverse, but also ethnic populations surpass that of Caucasians. But for many years, big brands focused their marketing efforts predominately on a white, older, male audience. Given that they represented the majority of the consumer market, it made sense at the time.

However, that is no longer the case; not even close. In fact, that kind of blatant disregard for diversity and inclusion in today’s marketing can be devastating for brands. Not only is it completely outdated, but it intentionally disregards the changing reality of today’s market.

A point worth noting is that the largest living generation in the United States are millennials. Giving that this group is coming into their prime spending years, it’s marketing suicide to ignore them.

In addition to that, millennials are also the most diverse generation in history. For this reason, marketers can no longer afford to create the kind of one-sided campaigns that worked years ago.

Here’s another point worthy of attention. Millennials value diversity and inclusion in marketing when it comes to their purchasing decisions. As a result, over 70 percent state that they prefer shopping with inclusion-conscious retailers.

What does this mean for your marketing and advertising efforts? In essence, it means it’s vital that your business adopt this concept of diversity marketing.

Below is an overview of diversity in marketing as well as inclusion in marketing strategies. Feel free to integrate them into your marketing mix.

What Is Diversity and Inclusion In Marketing?

The basics of diversity marketing is not difficult.

Within these categories, you could further segment your marketing using factors like occupation, income, marital status, etc. In short, if your advertising does not adequately represent the aforementioned groupings, you need to shift strategies towards diversity and inclusion.

Is Diversity Marketing Different From Other Forms Of Marketing?

In a word, yes. But let me explain. There are many types of online marketing including content marketing, affiliate marketing, and email marketing. Of course, you also have offline methods like TV advertising, telemarketing, print, and direct mail.

But diversity marketing does not refer to the method used for message delivery. Instead, it’s a shelter term that outlines the purpose and reason of the content of a marketing message.

To sum up, there’s no standard way to devise a diversity marketing campaign. They should be uniquely created to fit each specific case. And marketers should embrace universal strategies to ensure that happens. Here’s what they are.

1. SUPPORT DIVERSITY IN YOUR CREATIVE TEAM
Your creative team must first reflect the market you’re targeting in order to create authentic messaging for a diverse market. One way to accomplish this is by embracing diversity in your hiring practices. Doing so helps you build a marketing team that can provide messages and content that resonate.

2. THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND THE SUBGROUP
If you don’t collect data on the group you’re targeting, your marketing message will miss the mark. Thus, it’s important to collect ample data as well as use modern data analytics techniques. In a word, these tools will are helpful in extracting meaningful insights. Even using a focus group can prevent disastrous campaigns. Or at least offer a more suitable approach.

3. DON’T USE LEFT-OVERS
If you feel the urge to create a unified campaign to use messaging elsewhere…don’t do it. Each campaign should be organic rather than copying and pasting. With a unique message for each group, specific needs are recognized. Not to mention, a better connection is established with your brand.

4. KNOW THE AUDIENCE YOU’RE SPEAKING TO
Understanding the language of inclusivity is crucial to create messaging that doesn’t exclude others. Therefore, not having clarity regarding the way the language is used in a campaign can have undesired effects. For example, it can promote unconscious biases or even create barriers. To prevent that, ensure that inclusive language is used in all aspects of each campaign. Not only will this make it target specific, but also welcoming to others.

5. ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO HAVE A VOICE
To ensure authenticity in marketing diversity, let your target customers have a voice in it. Listen to and collect customer feedback during and after the launch of each campaign. Take it a step further and allow customers to provide content that reflects what your brand means to them. As a result, you have authentic data to use for future campaigns as well as messaging that resonates with others.

If you’re interested in learning more about different types of marketing, check out our resources.