Creating Inclusive Content Requires Intention

Inclusivity has always been important, but it’s become more widely embraced in recent years. People are demanding a society in which individuals and businesses acknowledge and speak to a wider range of diverse audiences - and rightly so. So what if you want to be an inclusive business, but aren’t sure how? The best place to start is with inclusive content. Here are some tips.

Understanding Your Customers

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In order to communicate with people from all walks of life, you have to first understand them. To begin, take a look at who your customers are. Do you have buyer personas you use regularly? If so, you’re already on the right track. Review your personas to rediscover the exact demographics that make up the majority of your ideal customer profiles, and who you should be marketing to (and if not, read this post and then come back here).

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Let’s say your product sales are highest in Latinx regions, and your top persona is female, between the ages of 40 and 50 with an annual income between $80K and $120K. You need to make sure you understand the Latinx culture, language, pain points and other specifics that make this group who they are. If you don’t, it’s time to interview your customers to better understand them and their perspectives so you can properly and respectfully reflect that back to them in your content.

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Extending Beyond Your Customers

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To be truly inclusive, though, you can’t just speak to a select group - even if it represents your target buyer. This is where marketers often get derailed. They want to be inclusive, but they know that their product or service is best suited for a particular type of person. You can’t market to everyone, after all, right?  Well, yes. There’s a balance here that can be tricky to strike, but the good news is that it can be done.

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First, as mentioned above, keep your top personas in mind when it comes to content creation. Use content that caters to these folks primarily, making up about 75% of your content. Second, think outside these confines. Use the remaining 25% of your content to include messaging that resonates with other genders, ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. These are rough numbers, but the point is to get focused on your ideal customers with the lion’s share of your content, while also making sure other people aren’t left out in the cold.

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Revisit The Idea Of Content

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Content is a broad term, and it’s important to remember that it doesn’t just mean blog posts. It also refers to your website copy, guest posts on third-party websites, email marketing, videos, social media posts and so forth. Additionally, it means the language you use and the imagery. So, for example, you might launch a retargeting campaign that targets only your top two personas. But then, you might update your website photos to reflect more diverse groups and start incorporating some more inclusive content into your social media posts.

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One final point - you can’t hope to be an inclusive business just by creating inclusive content. It’s also important to consider your team and whether you have people from different cultures represented on the inside. After all, the more perspectives you have internally, the better you can speak to people with different perspectives externally.

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Looking to create an inclusive content strategy? We’d love to help!