Inclusive Marketing: Definition and Strategies for Branding

Hi, Volks! If you have a brand, you need to develop a business strategy first, right? There are a lot of approaches that you can apply when developing the strategy. One of them is inclusive marketing.

Within intense business competition, of course, you have to think outside the box when it comes to creating a marketing strategy that suits your target audience.

So, how do you create a strategy that is appropriate, yet unique and still relevant to your brand's target audience?

This article will discuss what inclusive marketing is and how to implement this strategy so that your brand is unique and more relatable to consumers. 

Here are the definitions, elements, benefits, and how to implement it.

What Is Inclusive Marketing?

Inclusive marketing is a marketing strategy that raises issues of diversity in society through content and campaigns created by a brand. 

Diversity issues raised can be about beliefs, ethnicity, and age from various demographic groups, especially marginalized groups.

This strategy aims to ensure that every individual feels represented, respected, and valued in various marketing campaigns.

Through this marketing strategy, brands can implement diversity values through how they structure their products and how they interact with customers.

Elements of Inclusive Marketing

In understanding this strategy, you need to know some elements that will be very helpful during the marketing strategy development process. Here are 6 elements of inclusive marketing:

1. Representation

Representation means showing the diversity of individuals across various demographics, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.

This representation must reflect the real conditions of the target audience of a brand.

2. Authenticity.

Authenticity is crucial in business strategy. Brands must truly understand and portray the experiences and perspectives of various communities. So, you need to focus on understanding and appreciating the diversity that exists.

3. Accessibility

Next, you need to ensure your products, services, and information are accessible to people with disabilities by designing websites, apps, and physical spaces that can accommodate different groups.

4. Cultural Sensitivity

A brand should be sensitive to culture by avoiding stereotypes. Also, pay attention to how your brand represents a group.

Of course, when using this marketing strategy, the method used must be polite, not humiliating, and not offensive to any party.

5. Consumer Engagement

Actively involve consumers from various communities to provide feedback on marketing strategies.

The feedback will help brands understand their needs, preferences, and concerns. This will create a good connection between the brand and consumers.

6. Business Impact

Building a good business image will certainly have a good impact on a brand. In this case, inclusive marketing helps your business to reach a wider audience, increase customer loyalty, and improve reputation.

Advantages of Inclusive Marketing

In its implementation, this strategy has various advantages. Here are the reasons why it is so important for brands:

1. Expanding Marketing Reach and Targets

Representing diverse communities authentically allows brands to expand their reach and attract more audiences. This can increase the brand's target audience and sales potential.

2. Building Brand Loyalty

When customers feel seen and valued by a brand, there will be a sense of belonging and loyalty among those customers.

This loyalty will have an impact on customer retention. It means that a consumer will be willing to buy products or use services repeatedly and also give positive recommendations to people around him.

3. Create Innovation

Diversity in marketing encourages the creation of a culture of innovation in business. By considering various perspectives and experiences, a brand can develop better products and services to meet consumer needs.

How to Implement Inclusive Marketing

Here are 3 steps you can take to implement this in your business:

1. Know Your Target Audience

Before implementing a marketing strategy, you need to identify who your target audience is. By learning various demographic details, you will find it easier to determine the target market for your marketing campaign.

After determining the target audience, you can consider the techniques that will be used when marketing a product, program, or service.

This can help you when creating a marketing strategy most efficiently and effectively, with a higher chance of success.

2. Gain Feedback

You can hold focus group discussions to get feedback on your marketing strategy or compare it with existing marketing strategies.

Obtaining and learning information about diversity from the public's perspective is very important as these groups often include individuals who are your marketing targets.

All these responses will make your business strategy more accurate and relevant to your target audience.

3. Arrange the Campaign Creation Plan

After making sure that the marketing campaign represents everything you want, you can then make a more detailed plan on how to execute it.

In this case, you can create a timeline for the launch, including details such as when to finalize photography or design, when to hold status update meetings, and when everything should be ready.

You can share this plan with everyone involved in the campaign so that everyone can access the latest information.

Brand Example that Implements Inclusive Marketing

It turns out that there are a lot of big brands that apply it in their business strategy. Here are some brands that have successfully implemented this strategy:

Barbie

Previously, Mattel mostly only made beautiful white and blonde dolls. Then, when Barbie became famous, Barbie was considered the standard of beauty for women at that time.

However, in recent years, Mattel has made new products that carry the theme of diversity. Mattel made Barbie with new characteristics, such as black, disabled, and many more.

The new Barbie characteristics aim to show real beauty that is more realistic. Of course, the use of this strategy has received many positive responses.

Branding & Marketing Solutions for Your Business!

Inclusive marketing is not just a branding strategy, it is also a way for brands to engage with their audiences. 

By embracing diversity and equality in your business strategy, companies can create stronger relationships with customers, drive innovation, and contribute to a more inclusive society.

To execute an effective marketing strategy, Visuwisu is the right partner to help build a brand identity that represents diversity and equality. We provide services that can shape and strengthen visual elements that are authentic and engaging, in line with the inclusive values you want to convey.

By partnering with Visuwisu, you don't need to create a new internal creative team to fulfill your company's branding needs. Let's consult your company's branding needs with Visuwisu!