The Importance of Inclusivity and Authenticity in Your Brand Strategy

In honor of June being Pride Month, we want to talk about how important inclusivity is in your marketing strategy. Did you know that 38% of consumers are more likely to trust brands that do well with showing diversity in their ads? It is important to outline that inclusivity does not simply mean promoting diverse pictures in your feed or sharing educational statistics about the LGBTQ+ community — it means being authentic. The definition of brand authenticity focuses on the extent to which consumers perceive a brand to be faithful toward itself, true to its consumers, and motivated by caring and responsibility. Here are our best tips for remaining authentic while promoting inclusivity for your business.

Dive Into your Audience

Inclusivity is relevant for all businesses, but that does not mean all businesses should approach their strategy in the same way. For example, if you make content for a small real estate business, posting inclusive content doesn’t always make sense. Instead, you could research LGBTQ+ areas in different towns and start building real-estate campaigns based on your target audience’s likes and dislikes when it comes to your specific business strategy. Strategy is sometimes most valuable when it is done behind the scenes. Here are some of our favorite Pride month campaigns for reference.

Diversify your Team

Not having an LGBTQ+ team member, especially for small-scale teams is perfectly okay. However, the key is to make sure you include (or consult with) people who are allies to the community you want to be inclusive of. Additionally, encourage your team to promote inclusivity and diversity in their actions in the office and at home. If you want your business to have a collective voice, be mindful of who you choose to include on your team. After all, it only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole barrel.

Take Real Actions

Something we are continuing to see in brands is a lot of talk and little to no action. For example, brands like Glossy, H&M, and Bubly have all come up with rainbow-inspired campaigns over the past few years in honor of Pride month. When you look deeper, you can see that these campaigns don’t have any depth behind them. Asad Dhunna, director of communications for Pride in London and founder of The Unmistakables says “people can see the bullshit. They see it’s just a campaign that you’ve slapped a rainbow on.”

Authenticity is more important than ever, especially with inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of corporate campaigns and culture. So how can your business promote its beliefs effectively? By focusing on these main takeaways: