HOW TO MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT MORE INCLUSIVE

Words and pictures both matter when it comes to social media posts. As a brand with value, it is essential to ensure that your social media posts are inclusive. Being inclusive in nature is not only good for life, but it can also prove to be great for businesses. Just by making tiny changes, it is possible to make the social posts inclusive, attract new followers, and earn the respect of the customer. Here are a few ways to make social posts more inclusive.

Select Stock Images Intentionally
It is not uncommon for businesses to rely on stock images to include in social media posts. While selecting stock images, be intentional about the images that you pick. Especially if the images feature human beings, ensure they represent a diverse population. Including an image representing diversity is an excellent way of showing your brand’s culture and values.

Be Mindful About The Words
It is of utmost importance while writing a post caption to ensure that the terms are not incorrect and insensitive. When referring to the diverse population, ensure that you use the right term. For instance, if you are creating surveys like McDVoice, ensure that in the gender column, you give the respondent the option to choose their gender instead of just choosing between male and female.  If you are confused about what the right term is, either double-check it or ignore using the term completely. Also, there are tools available in the market that can help you to check whether the words are respectful or not.

Create A Bigger Echo Chamber
There are more than 3.5 billion internet users. Including such a large population can be a problem; you do not need to address this issue. However, at the same time, it is vital to consider this. For instance, if you are a brand designing products for women, go beyond the women. If you only consider women, you will be stuck in an echo chamber for women. Also, while stating the rules for the products or surveys like McdFoodForThoughts, ensure that the rules are inclusive. Men often shop for women ‘s products for their partners or other non-binary people. Therefore, when marketing a product or service, create a bigger chamber. It also plays a vital role in broadening your target audience.

Speak Kindly With Everyone
The words you use as a brand are constantly under scrutiny. Therefore, you need to be considerate about the words. Remember to stay kind when addressing comments or complaints from customers and non-customers. Speaking out the truth as a brand is essential, but at the same, the message should be floated in a kind and inclusive manner.

Use Emojis Appropriately
Celebrating diversity in social media is easy, thanks to emojis. A tiny emoji can make a huge difference in brand communication. It also adds value to the words you choose to write in the caption. Popular platforms like Instagram support different skin tone emojis to include diversity. If you use an emoji in the caption, ensure that you include emojis of all skin tones. This tip is also helpful in communicating with your customers in a better way.

Right Colors And Fonts
To include specially-abled people, use the right colors and fonts. We recommend you use high-contrasting colors and accessible fonts while designing an infographic or other graphic for your social media post. The goal is to make it easier for everyone to grasp the content visually.

Giver Trigger Warning
If you are posting content that can trigger a person, but still you need to post it, go for trigger warnings. Including a trigger warning in a post prepares the viewers for the upcoming post that deals with a sensitive topic. For instance, many people experienced the death of their loved ones during a pandemic. If you are posting something related to it, go for a trigger warning to ensure that the people who want to leave can go without checking the post.

Remove Offensive Comments
Not your words and actions are important, but the comments coming from your customers are important too. Many a time, the comment section of a post is filled with racist, homophobic or misogynistic content. With content monitoring, you can identify such comments and remove their behavior. Removing the negative comment with a clear warning to the commenter can send the message that, as a brand, you will not tolerate such behavior. It also paves a safer space for the other customers too.

With these tips, you can make your social media posts more inclusive. Inclusivity is a bigger fight that goes beyond stock images, captions, and emojis. However, as a brand, you can be a part of this movement by taking care of these tiny details.