Inclusive marketing is important. As marketers, we are particularly sensitive to ensuring that any of our organization’s messaging is welcoming to all audiences. It can feel challenging and overwhelming to ensure everything that goes out into the abyss is welcoming to all who may consume it.
There’s good news. With the use of AI, we can not only get our message out there faster but also use these tools to increase inclusivity across all channels.
Let’s dive in!
What is inclusive marketing?
First and foremost, let’s take a moment to define inclusivity as it relates to marketing communication and campaigns. Our friends at HubSpot do a good job of explaining what this means:
“Inclusive marketing describes campaigns that embrace diversity by including people from different backgrounds or stories that unique audiences can relate to. While some inclusive campaigns make an effort to break stereotypes, others simply aim to reflect or embrace people in the real world.”
And, why is inclusivity and accessibility so important? Yes, there are some legal ramifications to not having an accessible website for those with disabilities or being biased or inconsiderate of certain audiences. But, by being inclusive, a brand builds loyalty and a positive reputation, which is important in this world of cancel culture.
As marketers, an important part of our job is ensuring our messages resonate with our entire audience — not just a small subset. This extends to the words we use, the images we select and our overall intentions. It also means our websites, content and ads are accessible to those with disabilities. And while producing inclusive and accessible content is not overly challenging, it can be time-consuming.
But now, AI has entered the chat.
My prediction: Inclusive AI tools will enhance marketing content
Whether you need help ensuring your website is ADA compliant, or your recent whitepaper uses inclusive language, there is an AI tool for that. Of course, the capability and assortment of tools feel endless. Here are a few use cases to get your creative juices flowing about how you can use AI for your organization.
- Train your content creation tool to use inclusive language. Most paid versions of AI content creation tools allow for some sort of personalization and training to create brand-specific content. For example, a highlight of using the paid version of ChatGPT is to train it on your organization’s branding and voice, which subsequently makes even less work for you as it produces targeted content. Your training should include teaching your tools to use inclusive language and avoid biases and stereotypes.
- Use AI to audit your algorithms. Any algorithm or script is only as good as what is put in. As humans, we tend to be naturally biased (even without realizing it). This leaves AI tools open to generating exclusive outputs and creating more clean-up work down the road. To help mitigate these issues, Github, an AI-powered developer platform, has created Audit-AI, which allows developers to test and audit their algorithms for any exclusive language and bias tendencies.
- Make your content accessible across the globe. In this global economy, our content doesn’t just stay in our backyard. The internet makes it accessible to everyone, and we need to ensure they can read it. Companies like Unbabel partner with organizations to create AI-generated translation services to fit the needs of their audience and products. The end result is faster content in their customer’s languages.
A word of caution, don’t think uploading your content into ChatGPT for a quick scrub is enough. Inclusivity cannot be overlooked or taken lightly. The brands that invest the time and effort to ensure they are reaching their audiences correctly, will be the ones that stay around the longest:
“Now more than ever, brands are looking for efficient ways to reach a more diverse audience set. It’s imperative that they look to evolve their marketing tactics at the rate of the industry’s involution. Adopting new strategies, looking through new marketing channels and making technology a key part of every decision will be a driving force to see which brands will stand the test of the next 20 years.” —AdAge List member Whitney Headen, CEO of 19th & Park
Before you start using any AI tool, first start with your strategy. This will help you select the right tool and spend less time spinning your wheels to find a solution.
Keep hold of the human element
As with any use of AI, human oversight is essential. I mentioned this before, but it’s worth saying again: A tool is only as good as what is put in. Be critical when selecting tools. Take the time to research the company, and evaluate for ethical AI practices. Learn how they collect and use data, and what that means for your organization.
In addition to hand-selecting the best tools, it is also important for a human to review all the output. A human eye is more sensitive to nuances and implicit biases than a machine. Your team members know your organization’s voice better than a trained tool, so one final review before it goes out the door can save hours of heartache and cleanup down the road.
“Brands should not shy away from audience-specific content that leans into their understanding of their consumers. Consumers increasingly are choosing the brands where they feel affinity. If a brand is not speaking to the diversity of their consumer base, the brand will be leaving money on the table. And, if a brand does not know how to authentically speak to their consumer base, the brand needs to bring more diversity into their marketing room.” —AdAge List Member Obele Brown-West, President of Tracer
When it’s time to phone a friend
For teams already pushed to their limits, the thought of dealing with one more thing can feel overwhelming. Here at Content Matterz, we’ve worked with numerous organizations to ensure their brand is conscientious, and their content is inclusive and accessible.
Whether you need help executing through AI or adding that human touch, we’re here to help. Reach out today to learn more about what we can do for you.