Content Marketing Blog mint

Content Marketing Blog

It's Time to Stand Together Against Racism

Your Content Must Reflect Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

The peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests in the past few weeks following the tragic death of George Floyd have revealed the systemic racial division across the United States. Fortunately, people all over the world, including here in Canada and several European countries, are recognizing that we have to work together to fight racism. We must speak out against police brutality, racist policies, and bigotry. Our children need to be taught to be kind and fair, regardless of race, skin colour, gender, or socio-economic status.

As a business, you can take a stand, by promising to be more diverse and inclusive in creating content. Remaining silent and relegating to the sidelines is showing complicity in the injustice around us. It’s time to show support by speaking up, not by turning a blind eye and keeping silent.    

What Does Diverse and Inclusive Content Look Like?

In 1971, Coca-Cola gathered young people from around the world to sing their famous, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.” At the time, it was a ground-breaking phenomenon because it brought people of all races and ethnicities together. Over 40 years later, when the “Share a Coke” campaign came out, Coca-Cola continued its commitment to diversity by including ethnic names on their bottles. Inclusive and diverse content includes people of all types. Dove Beauty products did it well in 2004 when they began their “Campaign for Real Beauty.” An inclusive and diverse platform isn’t a checklist of items, but an underlying attitude of celebrating all races, ages, genders, and any other demographics that matter to your brand.

Building a Diverse and Inclusive Content Marketing Platform

Your content can’t be a knee-jerk reaction to recent events. It’s not enough to create one or two posts that identify your commitment to standing against racism. Racism has been a problem for generations. We can use the current issues as a catalyst and address the situation through content, but real change will only come through building a diverse and inclusive platform. Here are some ways to do this within your organization:

  • Offer training on multiculturism or look for multicultural marketing strategists.
  • Do a content audit that looks at diversity or the lack thereof, to know where to build diversity into your marketing strategy.
  • Identify implicit bias, which is the unconscious stereotypes that impact and shape our decisions about other people.

Style and Grammar Matter

Writers and editors can’t assume that they know and understand the correct terms to identify race. When creating inclusive content, you may be wondering is it “black” or “Black”? Or should it be African-American? The correct answer isn’t easy. The Associated Press Style Guide calls for black to be in lower-case letters, but it also has a new section relating to race coverage. The Chicago Manual of Style lets the author decide. Some believe that Black should be capitalized when it is used in a racial context. When editing, it’s important to look at content and make sure that what you are saying is inclusive. Here are some resources:

Shift Your Thinking to Make Long-Term Changes

Many well-meaning businesses are using the current climate to demonstrate support, but without lasting commitment to inclusion and diversity, nothing will change significantly. Good content marketers will need to recognize implicit biases in their content and work hard to make changes. Don’t just say that your business is going to change. Actively work to be more diverse and inclusive in your content.

Get diverse viewpoints to elevate your content strategy from the context of increasing inclusivity by partnering with MintCopy. Our team of SEO writers provide quality content that a diverse audience can appreciate. We support your content strategy to let you focus on your business.

Use our online form to get in touch. You can also follow us on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest content marketing trends.

Reference articles:

https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/06/content-perpetuate-racism-inequity/?elq_mid=464&elq_cid=86464

https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/06/diverse-inclusive-content-marketing/

http://abundantcontent.com/favorite-writing-resources-why-capitalize-black/

Share


Recent Posts

Sheetal Pinto - 11/23/2023 06:00

Why Quality Content Still Is, and Will Always Be Important

Ever pondered the intricacies of Google's search process? In the blink of an eye, the algorithm serves you tailored answers to your queries. It's a seamless dance of technology and user intent. Google's mission is crystal clear: deliver precisely what users seek. At the heart of their business model lies the commitment to provide top-notch search results. As your copywriters craft content, steer away from rigid algorithmic formulas that are in a perpetual state of flux. Instead, dive deep into understanding user intent and champion the creation of content that resonates with quality, setting your brand apart in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Sheetal Pinto - 11/2/2023 00:03

Let Your Local Retail Business Outshine Big Box Stores!

It’s a common misconception—bigger is better. As a local retailer, you know that isn’t true. With your personalized attention, carefully sourced, unique products, and a charmingly different brand experience, you can serve holiday shoppers far better than many big box stores. To do that, however, you have to start with drawing attention away from those mega retailers to your local business. Here's a 10-point checklist that will have you competing with those brand name stores and leaving a trail of tinsel envy.

Sheetal Pinto - 10/19/2023 14:03

Connecting with Your Audience

In today's fast-paced digital age, businesses often rely on automation and AI-generated content to reach their audience. While these tools have their merits, nothing can truly replace the authenticity and impact of content that speaks from the heart. The ability to forge genuine connections and elicit emotions from your audience is where the magic happens. Let me illustrate this with a recent experience.

Sheetal Pinto - 10/5/2023 06:00

10 Insightful Tips to Refine Your Content Strategy

Picture this: you're strolling down the street, leash in hand, with your furry friend by your side. As you navigate the sidewalks, you might be able to rediscover the art of content marketing – one step at a time. Yes, you read that right! There are uncanny similarities between dog walking and effective content marketing. Intrigued? Let's take a leash and dive into some pawsitively awesome tips, tricks, and techniques you can apply to your content strategy. As your friendly pooch does her ‘moonwalk’ and you prepare to ‘stoop and scoop’, you can soon declare, “We have liftoff!” Engage your audiences and achieve greater lead conversion with content marketing that works. Happy to share our top 10 tips—keep reading!

Sheetal Pinto - 9/21/2023 06:00

Include Your POV to Encourage Conversion

Imagine how differently we'd see Star Wars if it was told through the eyes of a stormtrooper trying to get his next promotion or through Chewbacca's point of view. The reader of a story interprets the tale through the perspective of the narrator. Choosing an engaging and valuable point of view (POV) is essential to the narrative. You may not think of your content as a novel or a movie, but you're still telling a story through your blogs, email newsletters, videos, and other forms of digital content. Offering a unique POV with your online content can help make your brand stand out.

Sheetal Pinto - 9/7/2023 06:00

SEO Strategy Tips from Presenters at CMW 2023

According to a LinkedIn report, professionals can expect their jobs to change by 65% by 2030 due to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence. AI tools are making their way into every industry, including SEO and content marketing. Don't fire your copywriters just yet though – you need them now more than ever before! Content Marketing World asked its presenters and experts to provide their best tips for 2023 to incorporate AI into your content strategy. Here's an overview.

Sheetal Pinto - 8/24/2023 06:00

Here's An Idea on How to Handle this Latest Change

Remember the football gag from the Peanuts cartoon? Charlie Brown goes to kick a football and Lucy pulls it out at the last minute, causing him to fall on the ground. There's a number of punchlines, but the bottom line was that he shouldn't have trusted Lucy. SEO is kind of like that. Just when you think you're winning the SEO game, Google changes the algorithm. You're knocked back down in the search rankings, wondering what happened. Recently, Google made an update that changes how some content is viewed in the rankings. Learn more about the latest update to the search engine algorithm that changes the way HowTo content is displayed in search results, to understand why it matters.

Sheetal Pinto - 8/10/2023 06:00

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,…” The opening paragraph of “A Tale of Two Cities” is considered one of literature’s greatest openers. Back in 1859, in times when reading books was possibly one of the few indoor entertainment activities people engaged in, Charles Dickens had the skill to hook the reader right at the start. Of course, he also had the skill to finish with a flourish — “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” That closing line is among those most praised in literature.

Getting back to the point—you can transform every introduction into an irresistible hook that commands your audience's attention. Here are some ideas for creating an opening that will resonate with your audience and stay with them. 

Sheetal Pinto - 7/27/2023 06:00

Your Audience Cares about Smart Content (and so does Google!)
The length of content has been hotly debated for years. Ask the experts and you’ll get opinions that favor either side. It's like an ongoing arm-wrestling match between two equally fierce contenders. In the blue corner, we have the heavyweight champion of information, the Long-Form Content. With its vast word count and lengthy videos, it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet of knowledge. In the red corner, we have the nimble and attention-grabbing Short-Form Content. Like a swift and satisfying snack, it quickly captivates your audience. Think hors d'œuvres (or amuse-bouche if you want a ‘fancier’ analogy!).

Long-form content has benefits of keeping your reader engaged. Short-form content can grab the reader’s attention without a big commitment. Which one suits your needs? Let’s dig deeper to answer that question. 

Sheetal Pinto - 7/13/2023 06:00

Borrow Success Tips from Netflix!

What's the most common backup plan for winding down? Umm… Netflix and couch time?
It's fun, relaxing, and fantastically, never gets old.
What if you brought that same magic to your content? Content marketing revolves around engaging and retaining the attention of your audience — and no one does that better than Netflix. It's not enough to simply produce content; you need to create an experience that keeps your audience coming back for more. Our experienced copywriters have some useful tips to tell you how.