How Brands Can Emphasize Diversity on Their Social Media Channels

Today, diversity is non-negotiable when it comes to social media and marketing, but brands can’t promote their support for diversity through posts alone. 

Diversity needs to be incorporated into every brand’s long-term social media strategy. It’s so important that a survey found that 40% of consumers will pick one brand over another if it aligns with their values.

Supporting diversity requires work both inside your brand and out, and your social media channels are a great platform to express your commitment to equity and inclusion. Here are some helpful tips you can use to guide your diversity efforts.

1.    Start from within.

While diversity is external in terms of marketing, you can’t accomplish it without first looking inward. Understand diversity, equity and inclusion values within your brand before you publish content on your social channels. Focus on elements you can control and change, like representation within social creative; who/what your brand retweets or reposts; where you source user-generated content; etc. By developing a plan that’s truly representative of your brand and the people you serve, your approach can truly resonate with your target audience.

2.    Highlight representation.

As you set diversity goals for your brand, think about your core audience’s demographic and who isn’t well-represented within your social feeds. Determine what processes you’ll use to improve and track representation in all your content, including photos, videos and even written content. There are some creative ways to improve representation, including:

·      Choosing models, images and video with intention. Include a representation of backgrounds, identities, perspectives, religions, etc.

·      Focus on accessibility. Representation also involves removing obstacles. Make sure your social posts are accessible by adding alt text to image, closed captions to videos, and even include multi-language campaigns, if applicable.

·      Share user-generated content. You can uplift marginalized voices on your social media page by seeking out and sharing user-generated content from underrepresented followers or their networks.

3.    Show your commitment.

While your brand’s mission statement can communicate what you stand for and how you plan to deliver value to your customers, your social media strategy should show them how you’re doing what you’ve promised. Back up your words with action, like volunteering or making financial commitments. 

4.    Filter your content through a diverse lens.

If you want strong marketing that resonates with your audience, you need to do some work behind the scenes and filter your content through a lens of equity. Ensure you’re avoiding appropriating elements of marginalized cultures or using insensitive language or phrases. Focus on how your content can support values of equity.

Today’s most successful brands prioritize and celebrate diversity

Need help prioritizing diversity on your social media channels? Promoting diversity over all social media platforms takes time, but the goodwill it generates is a valuable return on your investment. Say hello to Spin Creative. We’re a branding partner specializing in social media marketing, and we can help you promote diversity externally to your target audience, so you can foster credibility and trust for your brand. 

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Spin Creative is a video production company and creative agency helping marketers create winning video and creative strategies that engage, inspire and activate targeted audiences. Spin is headquartered in Seattle with offices in San Francisco and London, serving brands around the globe.