Frictionless Growth Marketing

As more leaders focus on building diverse teams, they often resort to a common practice of focusing on the percentage of diverse candidates you interview. While this may feel like you're making progress, it actually doesn't often work to significantly move the needle to build a diverse team. In fact, it really is just a vanity metric. In this episode, I cover what you should focus on instead to actually hire the diverse team your customers need you to have.Get the episode transcript hereEpisode 19: The Critical Link Between Equity and Customer Success with Deborah PickettEpisode 22: Common Ways Brands Treat Diverse Talent Like Unpaid Consultants (And What To Do Instead)What Inclusive Brand Type are You? Find out by taking this short quiz: www.inclusionandmarketing.com/quizWant to dive deeper? Check out www.inclusivebrandacademy.com to see if the program is right for you

Visual imagery, and making it more representative is the on-ramp for many brands into inclusive marketing. And while in recent years, a broader range of stock photography and videos has come available showcasing more diverse faces, body types, and families – simply changing up your imagery to include more diverse people isn't automatic in terms of making them feel like they belong.So to help you know how to ensure the stock photography you use is inclusive, I chatted with Deyra Jaye Fontaine, an inclusive marketing strategist and certified diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioner who has done a lot of work in the area of inclusive stock photography, and has even created a handy guide on it.We cover lots of important topics in this discussion, so you definitely don't want to miss it.Key Points: The power visual imagery has on shaping perceptions Why marketers play a role in influencing society with the visual imagery they produce How inclusive stock photography is different from traditional stock photography Common negative stereotypes that are perpetuated with stock photography used in marketing campaigns The biggest mistake brands make with trying to diversify their visual imagery Best practices for choosing inclusive stock photography How to avoid tokenism in your visual imagery Here's a free guide on resources for sourcing inclusive stock photographyGet the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletterMore on how to make your visuals more inclusive in my program Inclusive Brand Academy. Get more details at www.inclusivebrandacademy.com.

Every inclusive brand doesn't have to look and sound the same. They don't have to speak on the same issues, serve the same customers, or show up in the same way.That'd be pretty boring -- and would seem kind of odd with the lack of diversity of approaches. So just because Rihanna's brands serve everyone, that doesn't mean that you have to as well. Just because Ben & Jerry's is deep in the trenches from a social justice standpoint, that doesn't mean that you have to too.Do you Boo.Inclusive marketing is all about being intentional about choosing who you will serve, and how you will show up. That means you also get to choose which type of inclusive brand you will be. Not sure how to do that?Take this quick quiz to discover what inclusive brand type you are: www.inclusionandmarketing.com/quizGet the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter

Building an inclusive brand is a lot like tending a garden. For both, having the right mindset is essential to enable you to not only weather any challenges, but to also get the results you're looking for. Here are a few key lessons to embrace to give you the mindset you need to build an inclusive brand.Get the episode transcript hereFind out what your inclusive brand type is: www.inclusionandmarketing.com/quiz

When it comes to cultural events and celebrations, particularly those honoring underrepresented and underserved communities, your brand’s participation is a great way to make these communities feel seen by you, and a way for you to demonstrate that they do indeed belong with you. Now, I'm not saying that you have to celebrate these events to communicate and send signals of belonging to the people you want to serve. But this is one way that you can do that. Creating an inclusive marketing calendar is a smart way for you to be intentional about figuring out which celebrations your brand will take part in, and which ones you won’t.Get the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter

Key points covered in this episode: The role of inclusion in performance marketing Where many performance marketing campaigns fall short with regard to inclusion Why so many people are often excluded from performance marketing campaigns Why inclusive marketing is a solution to ad fatigue The key question you should ask to enable you to include more people in your ad campaigns The data you need to build more inclusive campaigns and the caution you should use when analyzing it How to ensure your partners in performance marketing have an inclusive mindset Get the episode transcript hereLinks and resources mentioned in this episode: www.apiarydigital.com Algorithms of Oppression The End of the Majority, and What it Means for Your Brand with Julye Williams - Inclusion & Marketing podcast episode 11 About Karen Amundsen:I'm a white lady named Karen, passionate about racial equity. As the Founder and Chair of Apiary Digital, the area I'm able to have the biggest impact is in business and marketing. Apiary Digital is a full-service performance marketing collective headquartered in the cloud. We believe that humans are greater than business, and that inclusive performance marketing is one and the same as succeeding in our client's customer acquisition goals.What inclusive brand type are you? Take this quick quiz to find out: www.inclusivemarketing.co/quiz

Representation matters. It isn’t enough to just have representation of the talent in front of the camera. It is just as important to have representation and or expertise behind the camera that is poised to capture diverse talent in the proper light (pun intended).Remember, the people you serve need to see themselves or who they aspire to be reflected in the visual imagery your brand puts forth. If your brand regularly publishes imagery of diverse communities that they don’t think is flattering, then they will get the message that they don’t belong with you. The effort you put into securing representative talent won’t yield the results you like if people are disappointed with the imagery.The next time you and your team start preparing for a photo, video, or content shoot that features and includes diverse talent, it is imperative that you take the time to give proper thought to these roles behind the camera to ensure you get a final product all can be pleased with.Get the episode transcript hereElleUK Wakanda Forever Cover: https://twitter.com/ELLEUK/status/1575763902121803776/photo/1Elle Brasil Viola Davis Cover:https://twitter.com/ellebrasil/status/1570475582160240640/photo/1Vogue Simone Biles Cover: https://twitter.com/BritniDWrites/status/1281713398963564544/------What inclusive brand type are you? Take the quiz here to find out. www.inclusionandmarketing.com/quiz

A big barrier to effectively engaging with diverse consumers and communities is the way we think. In many instances, we default to our own frame of reference, perspectives, and ways of doing things. However that limits your ability to practice empathy and to give consumers who are different from you exactly what they need from you.In this episode, I walk you through the essential practice of decentering yourself, they key areas you need to focus on doing it, and of course, I offer up practical ways to do it as well.Get the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter

Some brands do really well when it comes to celebrating communities during their heritage months, like Black History Month, Women’s History Month, PRIDE, Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Month. However, there are plenty others that struggle. And there’s also a large group of brands that stay on the sidelines, because they aren’t sure how to engage, or even if they should.So as we get closer to a new year, and it’s time to decide about what your brand will celebrate and what you won’t - I thought it’d be helpful for you to bring in some reinforcements to help guide you.That’s why I chatted with Arturo Gutierrez, the SVP of Strategy at Codeword, an integrated marketing agency. Arturo and his team at Codeword did a survey to find out what consumers want with regard to these types of celebrations – and the insights, and the discussion we have around them is relevant and applicable for you – no matter your size, your budget, or your experience engaging with communities in this manner.Get the episode transcript hereKey Points: Why brands should consider celebrating heritage months for diverse communities How you should be thinking about the people who are buying your product Why so many diverse communities are indifferent to heritage month campaigns, and what to do about it What you should and shouldn’t be measuring as it relates to heritage month celebrations How brands should think about the objective of heritage month campaigns How to ensure your heritage month celebrations leave a lasting impact What diverse communities want from brands during heritage months and beyond About Arturo GutierrezArturo Gutierrez is the SVP of Strategy at Codeword, an integrated marketing agency that develops smart marketing strategies, manages editorial and social channels, and drives news coverage for tech clients both big and small. A former management consultant having advised Fortune 500 clients across The Americas, Europe and the Middle East, Arturo’s expertise include leadership, marketing strategy, and organizational growth.Linkshttps://twitter.com/Art_Gutierrez https://www.codewordagency.com/ Get the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter

"Hire a diverse team" is often the advice and cry people tout when brands struggle with being inclusive with their marketing. So common practice, is to tap into diverse talent to get them to provide their feedback and expertise on various topics related to campaigns and internal initiatives. But this isn't always the right thing to do, and can impede your efforts to make your diverse talent feel like they belong with you. No bueno.In this episode, I walk you through common challenges with this approach, and what you should do instead to get the feedback you need, tap into the power of having a diverse team, while also making them feel like they belong.Get the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter