Marketing is the backbone of a business. New products and services are rolled out daily, and we only get to know about them because of the marketing efforts companies put in to get the word out. Often, companies market their products and services to audiences they have conceived as their target. As effective as this is in conversion, it risks overlooking the potential of lead generation, in a broader market out there. This is in an event where all your targets have become customers. That’s why you need to think about inclusive marketing. Create campaigns that not only speak to the persona in mind but also appeal to even more people.
What is Inclusive Marketing?
Also known as inclusion marketing, this is a technique that incorporates diversity in campaigns and advertisements. This form of marketing recognizes that your target audience and consumers come from different ethnicities, are of different ages, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and race, have different physical and mental abilities, and also varying socio-economic backgrounds. It then aims to meet the needs of all these diverse target groups.
What are the Advantages of Inclusive Marketing?
Increases reach.
Inclusive marketing widens your scope and enables you to harness larger audiences. This is because you are casting the net wider and deeper into the ocean: you are reaching out to consumer bases in their broadest and heterogeneous senses.
Increases lead generation and conversion.
In 2019, research by Google yielded that people are more likely to purchase or even just consider a product if they think an ad is more inclusive and diverse. Additionally, Amazon Ads and Environics also established in 2022 that 67% of consumers believe that DEI is crucial for brands, a statement supported by the fact that 49% of consumers in the US confirmed that DEI heavily impacts their purchasing decision-making.
Attracts new customers.
Consumers change as generations go by. Target-specific marketing ignores this fact and you can highly miss out on reaching new consumers. On the other hand, inclusive marketing allows you to direct new customer cohorts to your company and make an impression on them.
Gen Z – the newest customer on the block – is a great example. In this article, we learned that Gen Z’s spending power is on the rise and they are intentional about purchasing from companies that have achieved diversity and progressiveness.
An inclusive campaign enables you to reach this fresh group of customers and others who share their mindset.
Boosts brand image.
With inclusive marketing, you are advocating for diversity and representing people while offering great products. This changes people’s perception of your company and your brand will be synonymous with belonging, acceptance, and advocacy for social change.
3 Ways to Set Yourself On The Path To Inclusive Marketing.
Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) holistically.
The first step to inclusive marketing is being intentional about diversity, equity, and inclusion and showing that in your marketing and advertising. From this post, we explore why this year’s Valentine’s Day was our moment to reflect on how we can adopt a culture of diversity and inclusion, and it is evident that embracing DEI is a strategic decision that’s good for a business’s bottom line and more.
In agreement with that, 44% of 5,131 consumers surveyed by Amazon Ads in 2022 said that DEI, especially inclusivity is very important to them and needs to stand out in your marketing.
Incorporating DEI starts with you creating an inclusive team that recognizes and understands the perspectives of the broader audience. This applies to all the ladders of the team, from the senior leadership to the acquisition of new talent. Diversity brings fresh perspectives and boosts your brand’s relevance and reputation with customers.
Curate inclusive campaigns.
Once you have an inclusive team with diverse voices, varying creative insights, and points of view, you can now curate inclusive advertisements for all your platforms ranging from social media, blogs, promotions, and ads.
When it comes to content, use language that diverse groups of people can identify with. Avoid language that discriminates against a sect of people or assumes identities.
For imagery, consider factors like race, age, gender, religion, and physical abilities. People want to see people who look like them in ads and campaigns.
Ensure inclusive web design and UX.
Most digital marketplaces are hosted on websites and it’s important that everyone can easily access, navigate and use these sites. This speaks to both web design and user experience.
Your website should cater to the needs of all people irrespective of their access abilities. This calls for you to engineer your website architecture to accommodate people with disabilities. Here is a list of some of the components of inclusive web design you can integrate into your site:
- Accurate links – ensure all the links on your sites are working. For external links, provide more information about the same.
- Color contrast – this is very helpful for people with visual impairments such as color blindness. Run your website through a color contrast checker to ensure words and backgrounds are distinct.
Avoid colors like blue and red that pose challenges to color-blind people.
- Audible alternative text – this is specific text that audibly describes visuals and imagery for children and people who are visually impaired or blind.
- Minimalistic visual effects – these are visual animations that are made up of clear and short, straightforward graphics that enable your users to understand the content on the website without experiencing cognitive fatigue.
- Scalable text – this enables visually impaired people to adjust the size of text on your website. This aid should be easy to find, preferably at the top or bottom of the web page.
- Navigation by keyboard – this enables people with motor difficulties to access and use the website without requiring a mouse or touchpad. Navigation also involves information guiding a user, e.g skip, next, and continue reading.
Further, inclusive web design involves the accessibility of your website on all devices: be it a desktop, tablet, or mobile phone. It goes beyond the content on the web to also include collaterals such as forms.
Choose Inclusive Marketing Today.
In conclusion, marketing is as much about consumers as it is about your products. You must demonstrate that your business is on a mission to make a difference for everyone. With inclusive marketing, you are not only open to listening and learning from your consumer but also understand that they matter to you as much as your product does.
Add inclusivity to your marketing strategy today with the help of our team of experts at Reactionpower. Our seasoned professionals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. We are ready to help you transform your marketing strategy into a proactively diverse, equitable, and inclusive one. Schedule a conversation with us today and see how we can help you achieve your goals.
