Have you ever seen an advertisement and felt like it was meant for someone else and not for you? You must have felt alienated like you were unimportant. Sadly, societal bias and stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, and religion are all too common and this reflects in the inclusive marketing.
For instance, males are shown more in adverts than women are. On the other end of the spectrum, women appear more in revealing adverts than men. Very often brands fail to include all members of society yet expect everyone to purchase their products or services the same.
What is Inclusive Marketing
Inclusive Marketing is the concept of marketing to everybody. While most marketers tend to focus on just one type of market, inclusive marketing targets, everyone.
Inclusive marketing is all about making sure your message and marketing are designed to fit everyone. It’s not about being specific, it’s about being all-encompassing. Inclusive marketing doesn’t mean that every single person is going to like you or buy your product or service. But it does mean that you’re going to be appealing to everyone, regardless of their age, gender, race, or sexuality.
How To Make The Best Use Of Inclusive Marketing
Inclusive marketing is more than just including faces of minorities in adverts or changing the colours of your products. This is not all that is needed to get people to purchase products.
So where do you begin?
Culture! That’s where. Dedicate your resources and research on understanding the political, social, and economic views of your target market.
Understand their challenges. This will mean immersing yourself in their world and putting yourself into their shoes.
This in turn will equip you with the information necessary to create adverts that appeal to customers and that will offend them.
Get the right team
And the right team represents the different cultures and ethnicities in the greater society. Look at it this way, can a man sell beauty products? Sure he can! But would it be better if there was a woman on the team?
Similarly, can women sell shaving products? Of course! But would it be better if there was a man in the team who shaves on a regular?
This same concept should be considered with different ethnicities. A Mexican knows more about his people and understands their perceptions more than a black man. Similarly, a black man knows more about the black community and its challenges than a white man.
You get it!
Understanding the role of women
Women for instance make up the female economy. Last year alone, women spent over 24 trillion dollars. What’s more, it is expected that as more and more women enter the workforce, this number will continue to grow.
Savvy marketers are aware of this and are now representing women more in their marketing campaigns. This can be an excellent way to ensure your marketing budget goes even further. Many businesses are now realizing the potential and are changing their marketing tactics to appeal to more women.
Inclusive Marketing And Its Effects on Consumer Behaviour
Consumers are much more likely to buy products from brands that make them feel recognized and appreciated as a valuable part of the community.
For instance, black consumers are more likely to buy products from a brand that shows black people in their adverts.
With inclusive marketing, your campaigns can have more impact and persuade more people to choose your products.
A great example of inclusive marketing is Rhianna’s Fenty Beauty. It markets to different races and ethnicities in over 137 countries. One of her adverts even showed a Muslim girl with a hijab.
Ultimately Inclusion Is For All
When it is all said and done, inclusion is not about creating ads that target a certain ethnicity or group of people. It is about creating a successful campaign that takes into consideration the feelings, emotions, and views of everyone in society. The goal is to make everyone feel appreciated without alienating some.
Inclusion marketing is an ongoing process of evaluating and re-evaluating societal concepts.
Benefits of inclusive marketing
As a business owner, you know that marketing is important to the success of your company. But what you may not realize is that inclusive marketing is essential to reach the widest possible audience and to ensure that your company is seen as welcoming to all.
Inclusive marketing is about more than just making sure that your marketing materials are available in multiple languages or that you have a diverse group of people in your ads. It’s about creating a marketing strategy that includes everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or ability.
There are many benefits to inclusive marketing. For one, it allows you to reach a larger audience. When you include everyone in your marketing, you’re more likely to appeal to a wider range of consumers. This can lead to increased sales and profits.
Inclusive marketing also helps you build a better reputation. Consumers are more likely to do business with companies that they perceive to be welcoming and inclusive. By being inclusive in your marketing, you’re sending the message that you’re a company that values diversity and that you’re committed to serving all customers equally.
Inclusive marketing can also help you attract and retain the best employees. When you have a diverse workforce, you’re more likely to attract top talent. And when you have a workforce that feels included and valued, they’re more likely to stick around and help your business grow.
Finally, inclusive marketing is simply the right thing to do. It’s important to remember that we’re all human beings, and we all deserve to be treated with respect. When you market to everyone, you’re helping to create a world that is more tolerant, understanding, and compassionate.
If you’re not already doing inclusive marketing, now is the time to start. It’s good for business, and it’s the right thing to do.
Final word
Inclusive marketing goes beyond selling products. It can be a powerful tool to help fight biases in society. It makes everyone feel part of the same community which ultimately also brings people together.
