![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Inclusivity-Superpower.jpg\")
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What is inclusive content?<\/h2>\n
Before tackling what it means to\u00a0create inclusive content<\/a>, let\u2019s look at what inclusion is, how it can be expressed in products and services, and also learn about a few closely related concepts that are crucial to the success of your quest for content inclusivity.<\/p>\n Authors Boyuan Gao and Jahan Mantin of\u00a0Project Inkblot<\/a>, a collective of designers, writers, and other creatives dedicated to designing for racial equity, included the following definitions in their\u00a0online guide<\/a>\u00a0to creating products and services that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive:<\/p>\n As you\u2019ll soon see, understanding these concepts and how they work together will provide you with a strong foundation for creating inclusive brand experiences with content.<\/p>\n If your lived experiences are more mainstream and less like those who exist in misrepresented communities, approaching inclusivity with tact and sensitivity can be intimidating. This is due to the myriad variables such as ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, and appearance (to name just a few) that must be considered before you get started.<\/p>\n With those variables in mind, here are a few guiding principles to help you in the pursuit of creating content with an\u00a0inclusive mindset<\/a>:<\/p>\n While this may seem obvious, the team of content creators at Intuit responsible for creating the brand\u2019s\u00a0inclusive style guide<\/a>\u00a0listed it as their number one principle: \u201cWe put people first and choose words that are inclusive and respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n Creating inclusive experiences isn\u2019t a box you tick off on a DEI checklist of things you should do (or things you should\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0do). That approach suggests that inclusivity is a task \u2014 a chore, even \u2014 to be taken care of, and it is the antithesis of what inclusive content aims to do: to genuinely recognize and value the existence of\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>individuals.<\/p>\n Codifying inclusivity as a principle in your brand’s\u00a0style guide<\/a>\u00a0or similar documentation will go a long way to ensure that the commitment to building inclusive experiences remains a priority for your client or brand.<\/p>\n The essence and importance of creating inclusive content are found in doing the work. It starts with taking up the mantle of inclusivity as a brand priority, and continues with the discoveries you make along the way.<\/p>\n This includes how some of the words and phrases that are woven into our lexicon are rooted in oppression, and it is expressed in using\u00a0conscious language<\/a>\u00a0that intentionally considers the diverse cultures that are representative of our ever-changing society.<\/p>\n Following are some tactical methods you can use in pursuit of creating inclusive content, along with a few examples of what those methods look like in action. Use these tips to create inclusive social content<\/a>, web copy, and blog posts.<\/p>\n If your brand or team isn\u2019t as diverse or inclusive as the customers you wish to attract, let your marketing research help guide you to discovering who isn\u2019t at the table \u2014 those who might be unintentionally left out or excluded. You may not have the ability or resources to change the makeup of your team, but you can still do the work to understand your customers \u2014 both existing and potential \u2014 by seeking diverse points of view that can be used to inform your inclusive content strategies.<\/p>\n This can be a game-changer around when developing\u00a0inclusive holiday marketing<\/a>, for example, where it\u2019s important to strike a balance between neutrality and religious or cultural differences in a way that avoids alienation and appropriation.<\/p>\n Image source: Coca-colacompany.com<\/em><\/p>\n While not necessarily holiday-centric, Coca-Cola\u2019s groundbreaking 1971 commercial, \u201cI\u2019d Like to Buy the World a Coke<\/a>,\u201d features a diverse group of 65 young people standing atop a hill intoning the importance of peace and harmony. The ad, which generated over 100K letters from consumers (the 1970s equivalent of going viral), is considered by many to be one of the earliest\u00a0examples of diverse and inclusive marketing.<\/p>\n Unless it\u2019s appropriate for your brand, don\u2019t get locked into creating content for a singular audience or a narrow set of marketing personas. Go beyond and ask who might be missing from those personas and consider who might be unintentionally excluded from the content and experiences you\u2019re creating, and by extension, excluded from your brand.<\/p>\n A great example of this principle in action is\u00a0Fenty Beauty<\/a>\u2019s approach to inclusivity. Created by singer and fashionista Robyn Rihanna Fenty, this makeup line was created in part \u201cso that people everywhere would be included.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s true that inclusivity is central to the mission of the brand, Fenty Beauty (and the complementary Fenty Skin) delivers inclusive experiences through the use of content that continually demonstrates a commitment to that mission.<\/p>\n Image Source: Fentybeauty.com<\/em><\/p>\n Where Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin push the boundaries of inclusion as it relates to race, gender, and related attributes, brand mate\u00a0Savage X Fenty<\/a>\u00a0unabashedly features lingerie \u201cfor every mood, every vibe and every BODY.\u201d<\/p>\n Savage X Fenty also makes no secret that inclusivity is a priority. The brand has been lauded for using social media as a way to engage and empower its target market and has been recognized for being a leader in shifting the culture by not only recognizing but representing diversity among ethnicities, body shapes and sizes, and gender.<\/p>\n Sometimes brands jump on the inclusivity bandwagon with the best of intentions but end up falling prey to trying to sound “hip” or relatable, whether visually or via voice and tone. Though your efforts may be genuine, they may also be taken the wrong way, and may not resonate with your target audience the way you intended.<\/p>\n Consultant and DEI analyst PK Sundar explains the\u00a0differences between appreciation and appropriation<\/a>\u00a0this way:<\/p>\n \u201cAppreciation happens when the desire to understand and celebrate cultures and specific facets of that culture, or individuals connected to it, is the driving force for referencing or using aspects of a culture. Appropriation, on the other hand, occurs when brands adopt facets of culture without understanding their importance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
![\"Inclusive](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Principles-Inclusivity-Content.jpg\")
<\/p>\nInclusive content principles<\/h2>\n
People come first<\/h3>\n
Chuck the checkboxes<\/h3>\n
Inclusivity is not one and done<\/h3>\n
How to create inclusive content<\/h2>\n
Gather inclusive insights<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Inclusivity-Content-SS1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPeruse your personas<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Inclusivity-Content-SS2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAppreciate don\u2019t appropriate<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Inclusivity-Content-SS3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Bottom-line-Inclusive-Content-Marketing.jpg\")
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