Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach and engage your target audience, but it also comes with some challenges. One of them is ensuring that your influencer campaigns are diverse and inclusive, reflecting the values and needs of your customers and society. In this article, you will learn some tips on how to achieve this goal and avoid common pitfalls.
Diversity and inclusion are not only ethical and social issues, but also business ones. They can help you improve your brand reputation, customer loyalty, and market share. According to a study by Google and Ipsos, 64% of consumers said they took some action after seeing an ad that they considered to be diverse or inclusive. Moreover, diverse and inclusive influencer campaigns can help you reach new and underserved audiences, expand your creative potential, and avoid cultural missteps or backlash.
One thing I’ve found helpful in crafting diverse influencer campaigns is nurturing authentic relationships. Engage with influencers beyond their metrics. Understand their values, passions, and how they engage with their audience. This genuine connection ensures alignment between their voice and your brand, fostering authentic and inclusive content. It's not just about diversity checkboxes; it's about meaningful, impactful collaborations that resonate with diverse audiences.
To ensure diversity and inclusivity in influencer campaigns, focus on variety in your influencer pool, representing different ethnicities, ages, genders, and abilities. Align with influencers whose values and messages promote inclusivity. Regularly seek and incorporate feedback from diverse audiences to keep your campaigns relevant and respectful.
Before you start looking for influencers, you need to have a clear idea of what diversity and inclusion mean for your brand and your campaign. You can start by reviewing your mission, vision, and values, and identifying how they align with the needs and expectations of your audience. Then, you can set some specific and measurable goals, such as increasing the representation of certain groups, addressing social issues, or challenging stereotypes. You can also use tools like the Diversity Marketing Framework or the Inclusive Marketing Scorecard to assess your current performance and identify areas for improvement.
Finding diverse and inclusive influencers requires some research and outreach. You can use platforms like AspireIQ, Traackr, or Upfluence to filter and analyze influencers based on various criteria, such as demographics, location, niche, content, and engagement. You can also look for influencers who are already advocating for diversity and inclusion, or who have a diverse and inclusive following. However, you should not rely solely on numbers or algorithms. You should also check the influencer's content, tone, and values, and make sure they match your brand and campaign goals. Additionally, you should reach out to them personally and build a genuine relationship based on trust and respect.
Don't use the same pool of influencers over and over. Choose influencers from a variety of backgrounds, different ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, and sexual orientations. Not sure where to start? Look at tags like #DiverseCreators, #BIPOCreators, #LGBTCreators, etc. and see who's posting with those tags.
Collaborating with diverse and inclusive influencers requires some flexibility and communication. You should not impose your brand voice or message on them, but rather let them express their authentic opinions and experiences. You should also give them some creative freedom and input on how to best reach and engage their audience. However, you should also provide them with some guidelines and expectations, such as the campaign objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, and disclosure requirements. You should also monitor and evaluate the campaign performance, and provide feedback and recognition to the influencers.
Avoiding diversity and inclusion mistakes requires some sensitivity and awareness. You should not treat diversity and inclusion as a trend or a checkbox, but rather as a long-term commitment and a learning process. You should also not tokenize or stereotype influencers or their audiences, but rather celebrate their uniqueness and diversity. Moreover, you should not ignore or dismiss feedback or criticism, but rather listen and learn from it. If you make a mistake, you should apologize and take action to correct it.
Firstly, understand the diverse backgrounds and experiences of your audience. Your influencers should reflect this diversity. This isn't just about race or gender. Think about different ages, body types, abilities, and even life experiences. Listen and learn. If you're unsure about something, it's okay to ask. Reach out to communities or experts. It's better to ask and learn than to assume and make mistakes. Always be genuine in your approach. Don't include diverse influencers just for the sake of appearance. Audiences can spot inauthenticity a mile away. Your influencers should align with your brand's values and message.
Measuring your diversity and inclusion impact requires some data and analysis. You can use metrics like reach, impressions, clicks, conversions, and sales to track the quantitative results of your campaign. You can also use metrics like sentiment, engagement, feedback, and loyalty to track the qualitative results of your campaign. Additionally, you can use metrics like representation, awareness, and perception to track the social and cultural results of your campaign. You can also use tools like surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather more insights and feedback from your audience and influencers.
When ensuring your influencer campaigns are diverse and inclusive, remember it's about representing real people. Avoid just ticking boxes or choosing influencers based solely on their appearance. It's deeper than that. Remember, it's a learning process. You might not get it right the first time, and that's okay. Learn from mistakes, listen to feedback, and keep improving. Keeping your approach human, respectful, and open-minded is key to avoiding diversity and inclusion mistakes in your influencer campaigns.