The LGBTQ+ community has come a long way in the past few decades. Not too long ago, identifying as anything other than heterosexual meant having fewer rights and legal protections. While things aren’t perfect, the fight for equality has led to a more inclusive world today.
Inclusive marketing is a hot topic, and it’s essential for modern businesses to embrace. Representation matters—not just for those in the LGBTQ+ community, but for everyone. Using exclusive language and lacking LGBTQ+ visibility in your marketing or advertising can negatively impact your business.
Most businesses don’t intentionally exclude LGBTQ+ customers, but an unintentional lack of diversity or inclusivity can damage your brand image.
How? Customers support businesses that share their values. Many people are willing to boycott brands that don’t align with their principles, even their favourite brands. LGBTQ+ shoppers, who have significant buying power, are especially careful about where they spend their money. Not being inclusive could mean missed opportunities and fewer sales.
You should realize in business that inclusivity matters to most of your audience. That’s why you build customer profiles, and personalize your messaging specifically to each audience. People want to feel safe and supported and want others to feel the same. LGBTQ+ friendly marketing helps ensure everyone who sees your content feels seen, heard, and included. But, let’s not just brush the surface. Let’s explore why inclusive marketing is key to the growth of your business and we’ve got a few tips to help your content resonate with everyone as well whether they are LGBTQ+ or not. Because every human matters and deserves your product or service.
There’s More To Inclusive Marketing Than Being LGBTQ+ Friendly
Many brands with LGBTQ+ customers consider themselves friendly to the community, but that’s not enough. Being LGBTQ+ friendly means saying, “You’re welcome here,” but it doesn’t go beyond basic acceptance.
To truly support the community, brands need to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, proactively creating safe spaces and environments at every touchpoint. How do you do that? You…
- Ensure everyone displays their pronouns in virtual meetings or on name tags in stores.
- Represent the LGBTQ+ community in your marketing and imagery.
- Support organizations that uplift and address important issues for the community.
Shifting to this mindset will help you become a truly inclusive brand.
The First Steps To Being More Inclusive In Your Business
Inclusive marketing isn’t simple. It’s more than just tweaking a few words; it requires a complete shift in how you view your customers. While you don’t have to disregard established buyer personas or demographic info, you must recognize that each person who sees your marketing is unique. You can’t know their lifestyle or background. Inclusivity means being mindful of these differences and creating campaigns that resonate with everyone. A great example that comes to mind is Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. It was way ahead of it’s time and yes, we love it. Taking the time to care about the communities you serve beyond just your product offering will demonstrate that your brand is one they are proud to support.
Be Aware. Educate yourself, your team, and even your existing customers about the LGBTQ+ community. This could be as simple as understanding the various identities within the community, learning terminology, and developing empathy for the community. Don’t think of awareness as something you can check off with simple training. It is an ongoing learning process.
Amplification means lifting up the voices, experiences, and perspectives of LGBTQ+ individuals. You can achieve this by sharing your marketing platforms with them. Feature experts from the community in podcasts or conferences, co-create projects and products with them, or simply share their content and work on social media.
Action involves making tangible changes within your business to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. This could mean implementing policies that demonstrate inclusivity, such as adding gender-neutral restrooms or hiring LGBTQ+ individuals. It also involves degendering language and ensuring your marketing is representative of LGBTQ+ and all other people too.
How To Make Your Marketing More Inclusive
Making your marketing more LGBTQ+ inclusive is easier than you might think. These are some core principles to keep in mind when creating your campaigns or when updating your website.
Avoid Stereotypes, Cliches, and Tokenism. Focus on genuine representation rather than tokenism or stereotypes. Tokenism is when you include diverse representation just to seem inclusive. Many brands do a one-off inclusive campaign, then revert to old strategies. True inclusivity should be permanent, not just during Pride Month.
Showcase Diversity. Visibility and representation make a big impact. Featuring a lesbian couple or a gender-nonconforming individual in your marketing materials may seem small, but it means everything to LGBTQ+ shoppers. This doesn’t mean having a “token” LGBTQ+ person in every ad but ensuring your overall marketing is diverse and appeals to everyone. To sell to an individual they have to envision themselves using the product or service. If they never feel represented, they won’t make that connection.
Be Mindful of Language and Terminology. Always check your language. Pronouns and gender-neutral titles are important, but don’t stop there. Make sure everything from your website to product descriptions are inclusive. How do you do that? Ask your team and your customers for their feedback, take it into consideration, and hone in on the right wording. Again, it’s an evolutionary process.
Get Involved With The Community. When you’re creating inclusive campaigns, don’t just talk the talk; you gotta walk the walk too. Some companies get called out for just pandering to the LGBTQ+ community with their ads. But being a real ally means more than just throwing in some LGBTQ+ representation. Think about teaming up with LGBTQ+ groups to really show your support. Donate to a charity, fund a scholarship, or partner in a local initiative.
Inclusive marketing isn’t going anywhere; it’s here to stay. When you produce LGBTQ+ friendly content, you’re not only supporting a marginalized community but also staying true to your values and connecting with your customers. It’s the little, thoughtful changes that matter most.
At 3SIXTY Marketing Solutions, we’re proud allies and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to continuing our efforts to promote inclusivity in all aspects of our work. If you want to take the steps needed to make your brand, marketing, advertising, or content more inclusive, give us a call today at 647-250-1494, or book a free consultation to get started.
