Six Tactics for Diverse Audience Acquisition
I was recently in the market for a new set of luggage. I eagerly searched the blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram to find the perfect travel set for my upcoming vacation. I scoured through hashtags and came across a brand promoting boutique-luxury travel bags and accessories. At 2 a.m., I scrolled through their Instagram and, to my dismay, discovered that their product and lifestyle photography lacked people of color. With a dwindling light of hope, I continued to scroll, desperately wanting to find diverse representation in their marketing campaigns. To my disappointment, the few "inclusive" photos I found were simply not enough for me to make a purchase or move through the marketing funnel. I continued my search and thankfully found a brand that promoted quality travel luggage, in addition to showcasing diversity through their imagery, influencers, and campaigns.
Unfortunately, this is all too common as a Black consumer. It's no secret that minorities drive the economy and have the largest buying power. While this research is continuously updated and accessible to B2C marketing teams, somehow, we continue to see brands lack diversity through their marketing strategies. According to a report by Nielsen, 38% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 and 41% of those aged 35 or older expect the brands they buy to support social causes. This means minorities care about brands caring about minorities. Considering the influence minorities have on trends and pop culture, one would think that companies would lead their marketing strategies with people of color in mind. After all, it was Dwight Schrute who said, "first, you gotta get the Black people to do it to get the white people to do it."
Acquiring diverse audiences isn't a difficult task. However, it takes intention, support from leadership, and financial resources to attract diverse audiences. Here are six tactics to help diversify your audience.
Enlist minority influencers
Want to insert yourself into already developed audiences? Invest in minority influencers. Influencers have worked diligently to build their content and digital communities. Building a network of diverse influencers creates an opportunity to leverage their communities to attract new audiences.
Develop diverse target personas
Target personas are fictional personalities that represent members of your target audience. Marketers need to develop diverse target personas that represent their ideal audience. Here's a tip: if your target personas don't include minorities, then you've identified your first problem. Including minority personas in your marketing strategies will help you develop tactics to directly engage and build a diverse audience.
Create content that celebrates culture
Want to create content that will attract minority audiences? Create content that celebrates their history, heritage, and cultural holidays. Honoring and acknowledging their culture with content that ties in your brand lets targeted audiences know that you care about their culture and lifestyle.
Partner with minority-owned brands
In many B2C organizations, brands often partner with local businesses to share their brand. Campaigns are a great way to engage local minority-owned businesses. When planning your campaigns for the year, consider opportunities to partner with minority-owned businesses. For example, many companies partner with Black businesses to promote Black History Month messaging. I encourage brands to think outside of the box and partner with Black organizations beyond Black History Month.
Allocate a budget for diverse campaigns
Budgets are the key to developing marketing strategies. In Q3, when you begin drafting your marketing plans for the upcoming year, consider including paid and organic strategies specifically targeting minorities and people of color. Getting the budget approved will require you to provide leadership with data and insight into the direct financial benefits. (The stat mentioned earlier about minorities having the largest spend is a great place to start). Creating a proposal to support your efforts will make it difficult for leadership to deny your request.
Hire minority marketers
Here's a secret: nobody knows how to speak to minorities better than minorities. Do you want to target Black audiences? Hire a Black marketer. Interested in attracting members of the LGBTQ+ community? Attract a marketer who associates with the LGBTQ+ community. I can suggest the same about the differently-abled community, veterans, additional ethnic groups, and any other minority group. After all, hiring minorities will directly benefit your company's bottom line. According to this CIO article, companies with a diverse workforce, perform 30% better than non-diverse companies.
When you look at the big picture, it’s hard to deny the benefits of building a diverse digital community. Diversifying your target audience can seem daunting, but with intention and strategy, it’s possible.