How do you create outreach materials that appeal to everyone?

The use of inclusive language is vital when creating a marketing strategy. The imagery used in your materials should represent our diverse community. Inclusive language such as “we & ours” will create an inviting and welcoming environment for your target audience to engage in your content. Inclusive graphics are not only an opportunity to connect with your audience but to reach a broader demographic.

In my experience, I think culture-sensitivity and accessibility are key to successful outreach. In other words, communities will be more attentive and attracted when the service speaks to them and believe that they can use it without any barriers.

One of the most effective things we did was get a group of our clients and customers in a room for an informal discussion about the challenges they were facing. They told us about things that weren't anything we expected from what the data was telling us. Some of the problems we could quickly fix. Knowing more about them and the challenges they faced allowed us to step out from behind the data and create really useful materials. This was a real-world win-win.

An inclusionary and collective process in developing the goals, desired outcomes, messaging etc., is vital. You don't want an outreach effort to feel like you are parachuting into a community. The HOW (as in how you decide the goals and desired outcomes of a project, not how you outreach) is as important as the what.

To promote a needle exchange service in Luton years back we developed a postcard, I wanted to make it perforated card so it could be used to make roaches for roll ups but as it was being funded through local authority this didn’t happen.

For community-based outreach consider using a second language (e.g., English and Spanish). Consider both the written comms and the design of the outreach materials. Both should be approachable, inviting, and easily understood.

Acronyms are one of the most, generally unintentionally, exclusive forms of language there is. Each industry has its own set of shortcuts; sharing what those shortcuts mean showcases your knowledge AND your inclusivity. For example, most everyone has heard of Chat GPT but did you know that GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformers? Now you know!

For immigrant and other minority communities 'whatsapp' marketing is huge and inexpensive. Same goes for utilizing Facebook groups. Just one warning people and group 'managers' can get upset if you post to often so make sure to follow each groups rules.

Choosing the appropriate formats and channels relies so much on knowing your audience. What demographic are you trying to reach? Where do they work and play every day? Videos are the most popular format right now. Interesting note: A survey of U.S. consumers found that 92% view videos with the sound off on mobile and 83% watch with sound off, according to a new report from Verizon Media and ad buyer Publicis Media. Are you closed captioning your video? Or creating it so the message is evident without sound?

I think the points made by Lisandra and Farah are very valid. Language needs to be inclusive and culturally sensitive when reaching out to diverse groups. Something that is sometimes not considered is printing for visually impacted. We encourage the use of Arial for all printing as it has been indentified as one of the fonts that is easier to read for all. And no tiny print. We also include messaging about how their input is valued and used. It is the "what's in it for me" rationale for their participation - sometimes its as basic as your voice will be considered in the final decisin-making outcomes.

Integrating visuals and selecting the appropriate visual tools such as infographics, photographs, and technical drawings, are incredibly important to help a diverse audience understand, interpret, and evaluate the key points being made. Consider using concept maps to show relationships between multiple concepts or a concept circle to show similarities, differences, and distinguishing qualities of each concept by using size, overlapping or distance to represent relationships. Enhancing visual literacy for your audience will be key to ensuring your message is understood and received.

I also believe that just asking people F2F is also a personal and can be a caging way to gather information that you require in your analysis

If you are able to do this, great, but budget and timeline may restrict ability to do that. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. Stick to strategies that work and have succeeded with the audience/community before.

Don't forget to establish a proper distribution process for any materials you create. Too often, departments request materials for outreach that end up in a closet or the trunk of someone's car, only to be forgotten. Make sure that there is an "owner" who will monitor inventory, make timely requests for updates and re-orders, and take responsibility for ensuring that materials get into the hands of your intended audience. The time and money spent creating quality, compelling communications is too much to squander through inefficient distribution.

One thing that has helped me is finding my personal, professional voice. I call on Heart and Humor whenever possible. I temper each marketing touch from a social media post to boardroom presentation to be appropriate while maintaining my authentic delivery. As much as we promote companies and institutions we must build our own personal brand. Authentic delivery for the win.

In my experience, the adage that "done is better than perfect" is important. As a perfectionist, I struggle with consistently creating material. Sometimes the inspiration is just not there or I cannot get the "perfect" wording. Artificial intelligence (AI) has helped, either by creating an initial outline or perfecting the voice. But, getting something, albeit imperfect, out is highly preferable to getting nothing out.

Everyone appreciates a genuine story. Become a story teller. Use pictures to support your story. Must appeal to emotions. Be relatable!