<p>We know that inclusive marketing is the future of marketing. As we move towards this future, more and more cutting-edge tools are becoming available to help brands assess their progress.</p><p>How inclusive is your brand’s visual communication? In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Raquelle Zuzarte, Founder and CMO of Equity Project for All, and Frederico Salvitti, Tech &amp; AI Specialist. Their AI platform, Gradient, shows brands where they stand on diversity and inclusion through comprehensive data-driven analysis of their visual imagery.</p><p>Our conversation will cover:</p><ul> <li>What is the current state of representation and marketing from a diversity and inclusion standpoint?</li> <li>What are examples of major brands or industries that have been making strides in these categories?</li> <li>How to build customer intimacy through listening and observation</li> <li>The importance of authentically and sincerely expressing your brand’s core purpose</li> <li>How brands can start building stories around people who have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved</li> <li>How the Implicit Association Test can help you recognize and address your blind spots</li></ul><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><ul> <li>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon. <a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a> for updates</li></ul><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><ul> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></li> <li>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></li> <li>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></li></ul>

<p>Equality is essential in certain aspects of society. But in some situations, unapologetically treating people differently will help you win the attention, adoration and loyalty of more consumers, especially people that brands often ignore.</p><p>As a business leader, how can you decide when it's appropriate to treat everyone equally, and when you should treat certain groups of people differently? In this episode, I will go through my 3-step process for identifying these situations, so you can do a better job of consistently making life better for the people you serve while also making them feel like they belong with you and your brand.</p><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><ul> <li>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon. <a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a> for updates</li></ul><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><ul> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></li> <li>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></li> <li>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></li></ul>

<p>The Census Bureau projects that by 2043, the US will become a minority-majority. What does this major shift in the makeup of our population mean for your business? In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with my friend Julye Williams, founder of Project 2043, about how business leaders can start leaning into the power of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.</p><p>Be prepared to do the inner work! The first step is to acknowledge and accept that our world is changing. After reflecting and setting your intentions, you can begin to think about how you can help your business thrive in a diverse society. My conversation with Julye will also cover:</p><ul> <li>What does it really mean to be a good ally?</li> <li>The relationship between inclusion and power</li> <li>How to exercise your power to help level the playing field within your sphere of influence</li> <li>Advice for small business owners</li> <li>How to create more equity, balance and opportunity both personally and professionally</li></ul><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><ul> <li>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon. <a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a> for updates</li></ul><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><ul> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></li> <li>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></li> <li>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></li></ul>

<p>The last thing you want to do as a brand is exclude potentially loyal customers. One of the best ways to make sure you aren’t doing that is by creating a Buyer Persona.&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode, I talk about how creating a Buyer Persona and treating those that fall under that profile as your friends will create a more inclusive brand that consumers keep coming back to.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode I go over:</p><ul> <li>How creating a buyer persona create a <strong>roadmap</strong> for your company to follow to bring ideal customers closer to your brand</li> <li><strong>3 ways</strong> that having a Buyer Persona will help your brand create content</li> <li>How excluding people in your buyer persona if done intentionally can actually <em>help</em> your brand</li> <li><strong>3 ways</strong> to tell if your buyer personas are a repellent to potentially loyal customers</li> <li><strong>4 steps</strong> to include your intended customers into your buyer persona</li></ul><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><ul> <li>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon. <a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a> for updates</li></ul><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><ul> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></li> <li>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></li> <li>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></li></ul>

<p>Who decides what is mainstream?</p><p>In today’s episode, I talk to Gelaine Santiago about how she rewrote her script and lead her companies by focusing on <em>her</em> story. Gillian began her businesses' branding by following the conventional idea of “mainstream,” but it wasn’t until she ditched that idea that she saw her customer base grow like never before.</p><p>Gelaine is the CEO of Cambio &amp; Co, a Filipino jewelry company, and Sinta &amp; Co, a Filipino wedding company. Through running those companies she has learned about the power of storytelling, and now helps small businesses and entrepreneurs reach new audiences through the mastery of storytelling.</p><p>We also talk about:</p><ul> <li>How to defy the gatekeepers</li> <li>What mainstream <em>actually</em> is</li> <li>How brands can authentically represent differences even if their team are not a part of those communities</li></ul><p>Connect with Gelaine:</p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.gelainesantiago.com/" target="_blank">Her website</a></li> <li>Her brands <a href="https://www.shopcambio.co/" target="_blank">Cambio &amp; Co</a>. and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sinta_co/" target="_blank">Sinta &amp; Co.</a></li></ul><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><ul> <li>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon.</li></ul><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><ul> <li><a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></li> <li>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></li> <li>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></li></ul><p><br></p>

<p>An inclusive brand means an inclusive culture. In this episode I cover how to approach building a company culture that is healthy, competitive, and most importantly: inclusive.</p><p>Some of the points that I cover include:</p><ol> <li>How building a core document (value statement, company statement, or mission statement) codifies company values and culture for your team</li> <li>Ways that brands weave their core company values into their social media content</li> <li>3 high level steps to build and nurture a company culture that is healthy and competitive</li> <li>Lead by example</li> <li>The importance of starting the work at the top of the company ladder in order to set a tone for the entire company</li></ol><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><p>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon.</p><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><p><a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/">Join my mailing list</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></p><p>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></p>

<p>Brands have power. Your consumer wants to see a reflection of themselves in your marketing. They want to be treated equally, not discriminated against for any pre-existing conditions.&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode, I share my journey of finding health insurance after quitting my full-time job and going freelance and my struggles of getting affordable coverage due to my pre-existing condition.</p><p>I also cover examples with Unilever, my husband Jonathan’s experiences, and the ADA.</p><p>What is the impact on the people who have the problem that your business solves who can’t achieve the process of the transformation you deliver because they can’t access it?</p><p>Interested in building your inclusive brand with me?</p><p>My new course Representation Bootcamp and my new and improved Brand Academy are coming your way very soon.</p><p>Want to know when they launch and get other insider benefits?</p><p><a href="https://trybusiness.lpages.co/belonging-university-notification-list/" target="_blank">Join my mailing list</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></p><p>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></p>

<p>In this week's episode, I interview Deseree about how a company’s brand and DEI (Diversity Equity, and Inclusion) must be considered and developed to create a positive employee experience.</p><p>Company culture has shifted away from “you’re lucky to have this job,” and instead given a lot more control to the employee. Deseree and I go over what companies need to think about to attract ideal talent and then retain them.</p><p>We go over:</p><ul> <li>The importance of investing in the candidate and employee experience</li> <li>How creating a good company culture can directly impact your employee's ability to deliver their best work and be their best selves</li> <li>How to balance social proof without doing it in a performative way</li> <li>Is it important to think about all different levels of employees (full-time, part-time, contractors, etc.)?</li></ul><p>Want to connect with Desiree? Her website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.colorvizionlab.com/for-job-seekers" target="_blank">colorvizionlab.com</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></p><p>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></p><p><br></p>

<p>Tevia has been in the fitness business for 18+ years, and in today’s episode, I talk to her about her role in creating a more inclusive space in the fitness world.</p><p>We cover:</p><p>What inclusive means in the fitness world, price inclusivity, location inclusivity, and how all of those play a factor in Tevia’s business</p><p>Tevia’s experience running her own Cycling Studio and how she broke down norms by bringing on a more unique set of instructors than what the industry standard used to be</p><p>How CycleBar creates a community bound by inclusivity specifically by working outside of the studio walls</p><p>CycleBars work in fundraising for different causes including MS, environmental damaged areas, and riders who are in need</p><p>If you'd like to hear a bit more about me and what I can do for you, you can:</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821">Follow this podcast</a></p><p>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/">inclusivemarketing.co</a></p>

<p>As you can probably tell in the title of today's episode- I'm sharing a bit more about me and how I became an Inclusive Marketing Strategist.&nbsp;</p><p>I share my journey through multiple different corporate jobs, at places like Inc and Johnson &amp; Johnson, and how those jobs taught me the importance of inclusion. I open up about some of the tough moments that really shaped who I am today.</p><p>Along with my career path, I also cover my travels across the globe: my journey to China and India, as well as my experiences in South America and a few of the details of my love story!</p><p>Thank you so much for listening, and being a part of this ongoing journey. If you enjoyed today's episode please consider sharing this episode or rating it below!</p><p>If you'd like to hear a bit more about me and what I can do for you, you can:</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inclusion-and-marketing-podcast/id1604907821" target="_blank">Follow this podcast</a></p><p>Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en" target="_blank">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or find more information on my website: <a href="https://inclusivemarketing.co/" target="_blank">inclusivemarketing.co</a></p><p><br></p>

<p>The future is more diverse than it has ever been, which means the makeup of the people your business serves is shifting.</p><p>In this episode, I go over how to translate the changing demographics of the day-to-day world into your business marketing.</p><p>Together lets reimagine who your Ideal Customer Avatar is to be more inclusive to all, not just to the “typical” customer that businesses spent decades focusing on.</p><p>Interested in learning more? Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en" target="_blank">@soniathompson</a></p><p>Or check out my website: <a href="http://soniathompson.com/" target="_blank">soniathompson.com</a></p>

<p>In this episode, I interview Antoine Andrews, who has been in the diversity field for almost 20 years and is currently the Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer at Momentive (formally known as Survey Monkey).</p><p>We cover:</p><ul> <li>The research done on diversity on Momentive</li> <li>The shift in consciousness he's noticed over the last 15-18 months</li> <li>What he believes is most important to gain from the research</li> <li>What he thinks is most important for businesses to focus on moving forward</li></ul><p>Interested in learning more? Follow me on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/?hl=en" target="_blank">@soniathompson</a></p><p>Or check out my website: <a href="http://soniathompson.com/" target="_blank">soniathompson.com</a></p>

<p>Welcome to the first episode of the Inclusion and Marketing Podcast! In this episode, I cover what inclusivity <em>really</em> is.</p><p>It’s 2022, and it’s time for every business owner to know how important it is to completely redefine their rules. Gone were the days where just adding a seat to the table is enough. One size does not fit all.</p><p>Join me on this journey as I dig deeper into not only how to be more inclusive, but why it is the future of business marketing.</p><p>Interested in learning more? Follow me on Instagram: <a href="//www.instagram.com/soniaethompson/" target="_blank">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Or check out my website: <a href="https://www.soniaethompson.com/" target="_blank">soniaethompson.com</a></p>

<p>Welcome to the Inclusion &amp; Marketing Podcast! Here is a snippet of the first few minutes of the very first episode, titled <em>When It's Not Enough To Just Add Seats To The Table (And What To Do Instead), </em>releasing on Tuesday, January 18th!</p><p>If you would like to connect with me and learn more about how I can help your brand with revamping its marketing to be completely inclusive:</p><p>My Instagram: <a href="//www.instagram.com/soniaethompson" target="_blank">@soniaethompson</a></p><p>Website: <a href="//www.sonaiethompson.com" target="_blank">sonaiethompson.com</a></p>