Many brands and corporations have started listening to the demands from consumers about representation, which is why they’ve started prioritizing inclusion when developing video content. Last year alone, diversity searches for digital content with an authentic representation of communities on the basis of race, size, age, ability, and sexuality have increased by over 100%. This data indicates that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn’t a new trend, but that diverse video content development and consumption is increasing. That information has turned diversity in advertising and video content into an intentional marketing practice that businesses carefully plan, strategize, and invest in.
Community research
One of the most powerful tools that companies need to invest in when they are trying to create diverse video content is research. Companies need to learn all about the community that they want to represent in specific content before they’re able to join the conversation about them. Companies that avoid this first step can end up damaging their reputation and the relationship they have with customers, creating a PR crisis.
Strategy
When it comes to diverse video content, companies need to set measurable and clear goals that involve different, cross-functional teams and workstreams. Every diverse initiative shouldn’t just be focused on a singular group of people. Instead, the initiative should be incorporated into a company’s entire strategy. When a business is serious about its diversity efforts and creates a results-driven strategy by dedicating financial resources to the way the content is developed in a similar fashion to how marketing and sales have a quarterly and an agile budget, it can achieve success with its campaigns.
Representation
When a company wants to focus on a specific community, it first has to recognize whether it has adequate representation internally. For instance, a company that wants to create a campaign centering around plus-sized body types, but that doesn’t have people with those body types internally, should focus on increasing their representation of people with plus-size body types first. They can do so by hiring a board of external consultants from the plus-size body type community, for example. These people will act as guides on the best way the company can communicate with the public, encourage compassionate messages, avoid harmful misrepresentation, and understand the pain points of that community. Companies should ensure that any decision-making teams for their content strategies include people who represent their consumers. . They should ensure that their messages are fully inclusive and that they resonate with their audiences.
To create diverse video content, companies should look at their existing video content strategies, and approach diversity in a thoughtful manner. By learning from the successes and failures of other companies, and by bringing in diverse voices and talents, companies can perfect their approach to inclusion.