The more diverse your customer pool is, the more sustainable your business model can be. This is because you will be working with people from many backgrounds, and that kind of a large and diverse audience can help you to weather the storms of business and prevent your business from being merely a short term trend. But attracting diverse demographics takes time and work, so it is important that you invest in the process.
Some people may not realize that I have a fairly diverse family, and living this diversity has taught me so much about what I didn’t actually know about diversity. My husband is Taiwanese (don’t let my last name confuse you, I don’t look Asian because I am not – my last name is from him!) My oldest son’s wife is half Malaysian. My second oldest son’s wife is a black Brazilian. The grandkids from those two families are a mix of my sons whose Irish background of pale skin and red hair is very evident and their wives – and I will say that I obviously have the cutest grandkids in the world. (The other three sons are not married yet, so our family’s diversity may increase even more.)
One thing I’ve learned is that as businesses we all need to do a better job at embracing this diversity more completely and delve deeper into how we can actively expand knowledge outside of our own cultural backgrounds. The cultural differences will also mean that your marketing message will likely need to shift slightly for additional audiences.
Shift Your Messaging
The first step is to change your messaging. What works really well for one group may not be as effective for another group, so you want to make sure that you are appropriately targeting your audience, especially when you are trying to branch out into new audiences.
One pitfall that some companies can experience is that they make assumptions about the new groups they are trying to target. Instead of doing that, work to do your research and really approach your new diverse audience with respect and creativity. This will help you to connect with them more deeply.
Make Your Brand Recognizable
When you have strong brand recognition, you will automatically start to create a more inclusive and diverse audience base. You can increase brand visibility both online and through some of the more traditional marketing outlets, such as outdoor marketing that targets people in your local area.
For online marketing you want your website, ads, and social media to all coordinate with your brand – visuals especially since that’s what the audiences processes at first glance, and also messaging. And for your outdoor marketing, you want to find easy ways to share your brand with the people in your area. Custom wraps turn your vehicle into a moving billboard to gain more exposure for your brand. Make sure that all your branding is consistent across platforms.
Diversify Your Marketing Team
When you are trying to reach a more diverse audience, it helps to have a diverse team. With more diversity on your team, you will have a greater variety of ideas to share, and more eyes to look over the marketing you do.
Start by making your workplace an inclusive space that is welcoming to team members of all kinds of backgrounds. Prospects and customers can tell when your message includes an authentic understanding of their culture. Your diverse team’s varied experience will help to increase your customer base.
As you start implementing a plan to increase your diversity, be attentive to feedback. You should actively seek feedback from your own team and from your wider audiences. The feedback you receive will help you to better understand how your business is doing in reaching any particular audience. With that in mind, you can start creating a more successful and inclusive business.
Check out this article on how to market your business on a budget!
