5 WAYS TO SHOW UP ONLINE & IN-PERSON AS A SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS BRAND
It is important to us to always be considering how we show up for each and every community that we serve through our marketing and consulting services. Quite often we see brands lose sight of paying attention to how the business they do can impact that safety and visibility of disenfranchised or marginalized communities.
Did you know that EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) can be increased by 33% by increasing the diversity, equity, and inclusion core values and ideas within your brand? (Forbes)
Here are some resources for you to consider the way you show up online & in-person as a socially conscious brand:
Educate Your Audience and Be Transparent
Brand transparency can actively increase customer trust & positively influence brand loyalty
Be specific about your core values & how they correlate to every day business
Engage with community partners who align with your core values.
Create opportunities for underrepresented community members to educate your audience on the core values that make up your brand's identity to maximize the amplification of marginalized communities.
Hire an I.D.E.A. Consultant
CONSULT a Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Professional that can lend their expertise on social justice initiatives that will relentlessly create a culture of acceptance affirming spaces
COMPENSATE said Professional competitively to do an audit of how your brand functions. In order to be equitable, it is important to ensure that as a brand you're relentlessly transparent about the steps you're taking to dismantle hate, prejudice, and discrimination at every level
CULTIVATE meaningful connection with all internal and external community members that come into contact with your brand. If you're an executive or leader of your brand, implement active listening skills to ensure you're create safe spaces for all people
Make a Public Commitment to Honoring Marginalized Communities
Take the time to BE VOCAL through brand experiences that focus on the impact that social injustice has on the communities where your brand services or does business
Utilize your social media accounts, website, and any other public facing media channels to raise your brand voice in support to stand in solidarity with marginalized communities
Honor underrepresented voices through monthly or national holidays that celebrate and rejoice their stories and history
Annually Commit to an I.D.E.A Audit of Your Organization
After you've hired an I.D.E.A Consultant, commit to public taking the counsel suggested and actively taking steps to rectify oppressed people within your organization. This could take form in a multitude of ways that include: Impact report(s), panels, events celebrating underrepresented voices.
Equitably compensate any individual who works to analyze the ways your brand has impacted marginalized communities.
Publicly denounce hate of any kind through advertising, social media, and digital marketing channels.
DONATE to organizations who's mission directly support underrepresented people
As a brand, put your $$$ money $$$ where your mouth is
Find nonprofit or community organizations that your brand aligns with and support them in their endeavors
Survey your workforce to see what causes and social injustices that they are concerned with & support those causes
Sponsor local community events that not only raise brand awareness but to give back to causes you care about
The Takeaways:
It is evident that social change when implemented through actionable steps in your business model can wield high yielding profitability for your brand. Committing to make a change to the systems that directly and indirectly impact marginalized individuals will generate higher brand awareness, wield camaraderie between your workforce, partners, and competitors. Ultimately, increasing your bottom line, making MONEY.
