Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are being cancelled by public institutions and private companies. But the end of formal DEI initiatives shouldn’t signal that your content and marketing should stop representing the many voices of your brand’s customers.
After all, that’s just bad business.
As Michael P. Krone explains in his classic and often cited article, Diversity Marketing & Cultural Awareness, “If your customers are different than you and they feel unrecognized, you will begin to lose them.”
That makes sense.
Now, consider non-white people make up over 40% of the U.S. population, according to a 2023 U.S. Census report. And the percentage of Black, multiracial, Hispanic, and Asian populations is only expected to grow in the coming years.
And those numbers speak only of racial identity. They don’t address gender, age, disability status, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. Also, add to the big picture that your company likely sells to customers outside the United States. A global view is not only welcome but necessary.
Think about the 2019 consumer survey by Google and The Female Quotient, in which 64% of respondents took some action after seeing an ad they considered to be diverse or inclusive. However, some segments experienced even higher engagement: millennials (77%), Blacks (79%), Latinos (85%), and the LGBTQ community (85%). (Google’s original link to the survey has been redirected to Think With Google’s content hub about marketing in the era of AI.)
Carlos Santiago, co-founder of Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, said in the report, “We found that highly relevant ads go beyond winking and recognizing diversity and inclusion … These ads enhance brand perception, increase brand effectiveness, and significantly lift purchase intent and loyalty.”
So, even if your organization’s climate isn’t receptive to advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion, you should still embrace the general principles. Perhaps, though, you address it by opting for an implementation strategy adapted from a good writing tip: Show, don’t tell. Show you value all types of consumers without announcing to everybody that you’re doing it.
See the big picture
Does this scenario sound familiar?
A marketer searches for a stock image to accompany a blog post titled, The Top 10 Business Lessons Every Young Professional in Our Industry Should Know.
The first result for “business” appears:
Knowing the importance of diversity, the marketer scans the image.
- Women? Check.
- Men? Yes.
- Black people? Yes/probably.
- White people? Yes/probably.
- Other minorities? Maybe.
- Young people? Yes.
- Middle-age or seniors? No.
- Office workers? Yes.
- Industrial workers? No.
Satisfied with the racial and gender mix and OK with the lack of age and worker-type diversity given the topic, the marketer includes the image with the article and checks off “diverse content” on their list.
Unfortunately, that checkmark isn’t deserved. Representing your audience can’t be done in a single image. Your audience wants to know that you see them — physically, geographically, psychologically, etc. They want to make sure you get their needs, their pain points, and their thoughts.
To accomplish all that, your content must resonate consciously and subconsciously. It requires far more than an image. It requires thinking more deeply, from your audience research to your team structure, from your style guide to your user experience.
Understand diversity and inclusion aren’t the same thing
When adopting that holistic strategy, it can be helpful to start by understanding the meanings of diversity and inclusion.
I like how Rita Mitjans, former ADP’s chief diversity and social responsibility officer, explains it: “Diversity is the ‘what’; inclusion is the ‘how’.”
She continues: “Diversity focuses on the makeup … demographics such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, just to name a few … Inclusion requires that everyone’s contributions be valued.”
Does your content demonstrate that your brand sees the importance of the many differences of your audience members AND values everyone’s contribution?
Salesforce offered a great perspective on the value of inclusivity when it announced the inclusion module for its online learning system (Trailhead):
“(T)ruly inclusive marketing can elevate the stories and voices of people that have been typically marginalized or underrepresented, deepen connections with customers, and even influence positive social change.”
Imagine what a differentiator it would be if your content incorporated voices from people who haven’t experienced being represented or heard in your industry.
You need only look at Unilever’s Dove Real Beauty Pledge, which began in 2004 and was recommitted to in 2024. Over 20 years, the campaign to appreciate women of all ages, races, sizes, etc., has evolved into a brand differentiator, one from which the company still garners positive media attention and customer praise.
How to demonstrate your brand welcomes many
Committing to connecting with many segments of your buying audience is an ongoing effort. You can start (and continue) with these areas of work:
Dig into your audience
While you should respect everybody, you don’t have to address groups with no relevance or interest in your company’s products or services. For example, women would not be the primary audience for a beard-care product company. And college students would not be the primary audience for AARP.
However, you can’t fully understand your audience and its many nuances until you do the research. Look at the available data to understand representation that can be documented such as gender, income level, geography, race, etc. Then, go deeper. Ask front-line team members, go to industry events, and conduct focus groups in part to better understand those characteristics that are not easily tracked, such as physical ability or a point of view.
Develop or update audience personas to ensure that they reflect the characteristics important to your audience and/or your business. Most importantly, don’t operate from a single, homogeneous persona.
Look at your team
How well does your content marketing team reflect your audiences? If it doesn’t, how can you change that? I’m not suggesting you fire someone. But when you hire your next team member, first think about what characteristics and qualities are missing from your team. For example, if you’re hiring a new content creator, think about who can deliver a fresh voice or unrepresented perspective that will resonate with your audience.
Of course, you don’t have to wait for the next vacancy on your team. When you hire freelancers or contract with agencies, think about what voices they can provide that your team doesn’t have. Or create and listen to a more representative editorial advisory board (internal or external members) who can share ideas, react to your team’s plans, and inspire you to think differently.
It’s a good business move as Del Johnson, a principal at Backstage Capital, explained in the Google research report: “The more distance there is culturally between your team and the market, the less ability you will have to execute. We all fall into particular biases. That’s why you need to have culturally competent people in the room who have the power to affect decisions.”
One needs only to look to Gucci in 2019. Shortly after apologizing that its balaclava-style top resembled blackface (the black turtleneck was designed to be pulled up on a person’s face and had red fabric around the mouth), it had to atone for another cultural mistake — turning Sikh-like turbans into a fashion statement. The garment adorned their runway models and was sold as “Indy Full Turban.”
Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper.
We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.
Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/P2iXL9uOhs— gucci (@gucci) February 7, 2019
Perhaps if its team had included people of color and/or the Sikh faith who knew their input would be welcomed, these scenarios would have turned out differently. At a minimum, a team should be sensitized and trained to ask tough questions and encouraged to consult with those communities where a possible problem or misunderstanding could arise.
Edit for all
Ensuring that your text reflects inclusion requires writers and editors to avoid assumptions and instead question what they know. And that often requires a major shift in thinking.
Prime your writers and editors to think critically when they write and to regularly use their style guides when in doubt about phrasing. Most professional style guides address diversity-related topics. The 58th edition of the Associated Press Style Guide included many updated entries for race, gender, and disabilities that would be helpful for content marketers.
The National Center on Disability and Journalism guide “covers general terms and words on physical disabilities, hearing and visual impairments, mental and cognitive disabilities, and seizure disorders.” The guide is also helpful because it details the background of the topic, its recommendations, and what the AP Style Guide says about it.
The important thing is to ensure that your brand’s style guide addresses the language components used most frequently and that your team members proactively ask questions so they can make the most helpful and relevant edits.
Incorporate into end marketing product
But don’t stop at the text. Think about elements such as navigation for people who don’t see or hear as well as others in your audience. For example, use alt-text for every digital image published. Don’t distinguish options by color only. Use captions for all videos. Include transcripts for audio or video interviews.
Hobo, a U.K.-based SEO service company, offers a detailed resource to help: How to Design Websites for Blind/Visually Impaired, Deaf, Disabled, & Dyslexic Visitors. UserWay also has a robust guide for deaf accessibility and inclusion for visual impairments.
Bookmark this one-stop resource
The Conscious Style Guide is designed as a “helpful resource for better understanding and knowing what to say, how to phrase something, be sensitive to, etc.” It was created by Karen Yin as a resource for inclusive, empowering, and respectful language.
Through articles and links to resources (including topical style guides), it covers:
While you should bookmark the Conscious Style Guide as a reference document, it’s also extremely helpful in educating your team members about topics they don’t know around diversity and inclusion.
Expand your audience to increase customer engagements
Letting your audience recognize themselves in your content marketing doesn’t require a formal DEI program at your company. It can’t be accomplished in a single image or checklist. It requires thinking differently to welcome all of your target customers. Fortunately, it’s a never-ending opportunity to do good for your audience and your business.
Updated from a June 2020 article.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute