Globalization leads to a clash of very different people, points of view, realities of life, and identities. In addition, broad global networking has made digital marketing and advertising accessible to more and more people and part of everyday life. As a result, digital marketing and its tools offer companies the excellent opportunity to bring more diversity into their marketing campaigns. For a long time, mass media only reached broad target groups, which can now be differentiated more clearly and diversely in digital marketing to compare specific subgroups of society.

In addition, as a younger, more connected generation begins to make up a more significant portion of your customer base, it will be crucial that your brand be reflective of the demographic you can now reach. Gen Z and Millennials, in particular, want to see representations of people from all walks of life in a company’s marketing production, even if those people don’t fit the demographic profile of the target audience. Seventy percent of millennials say they will select a brand solely based on the inclusiveness and diversity they see in their marketing materials. For some, applying diversity in marketing is no longer a nice-to-have but an absolute requirement.

Knowing about cultural and societal shifts in your community and among your clientele is essential to the success of any business, and this is where diversity marketing comes in. It is crucial first to establish a foundation of diversity to ensure that all your marketing efforts are successful. That resolution can be communicated to employees internally and reflected in marketing materials externally. Your brand identity, tone, and backstory will all be influenced by this.

Criteria to focus on for any brand that wants to be diverse include addressing age, gender identity, special needs of social groups, religion, appearance, ethnicity, personal identity, sexual orientation, language, education, and socioeconomic status.

Your team can be your greatest source of diversity in advertising. The unique blend of talent can provide insights and perspectives to your marketing and audience insight. Encourage your team to find new and engaging resources to bring a more diverse approach to their jobs.

Review your current marketing diversity and challenge your teams to find new ways to represent your brand and grow your audience authentically. Make use of language and visuals that are representative of a wide range of your audience, but do so in an authentic way. Today’s consumers are savvy enough to know when they are being manipulated by inauthentic advertising by brands.

Being receptive to comments and suggestions from your target demographic is a crucial part of any diversity marketing strategy. Those who view your work can give you honest feedback on whether or not they feel you accurately represent various communities. Involving your target demographic in your marketing efforts can also help spread your diversity message.

Implementing diversity marketing makes a brand easily recognizable as inclusive and diverse. That helps them gain positive awareness and build their core brand message around acceptance. Audiences didn’t expect or require their brands to reflect diversity. Now, that’s all changed. But this alone should not be the motivation for more diversity, but the desire to contribute to more diversity in society in general.