By Arko Chandra Published on : Sep 13, 2022
Diversity & inclusion are the topics of the hour, not just in society but also in organizations worldwide. Today, buyers are as much concerned about a company’s values as they are about its products/services.
In the B2B genre, many companies have yet to dedicatedly pursue their diversity & inclusion goals. Some are afraid to get out of their comfort zone, some don’t deem it a priority, some want to but don’t know how, and some are just ignorant. However, it’s a very significant objective that all companies, B2B or otherwise, should proactively seek to achieve for their own good.
Let’s first understand what exactly diversity & inclusion entail.
Diversity in B2B marketing and that in a workplace are interconnected but have varied forms. In marketing, it refers to depicting people of different ethnicities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, ages, demographics, etc. In the context of an organization, diversity means actively looking out for and hiring people from a variety of backgrounds so that the company is a reflection of the society and audiences you want to target.
Inclusion means the enforcement of policies in an organization that ensure every single person in the company is valued as an individual and treated with respect. Only recruiting people from marginalized backgrounds isn’t enough unless the people you have hired feel safe, respected, and genuinely included in the team.
It’s unfortunate that in 2022, B2B marketing campaigns tend to focus on only a narrow part of the immense target demographic, and that is the presumptively white male category. Just review your past marketing campaigns and see how many people from varying ethnicities, different sexual orientations, women, people of color, etc. have you represented. It may be in your panel discussions, teams, surveys, target markets, or as featured speakers.
The reason to have a diverse team and cater to a varied audience is that people from these very minorities that B2B brands tend to ignore form a considerable portion of the target audience. It’s all the more important for tech firms because for technology to survive and evolve, it must be diverse and accessible, or else it will cease to exist.
For instance, when your organization has people from ethnic minorities leading a marketing campaign, or LGBTQIA+ members in senior positions, it clearly reflects the values your firm stems from. It directly and positively influences your marketing strategies, and prospects from different backgrounds take an interest in your company and products/services.
Starting out to become a diversified organization, internally and in your marketing campaigns, is by forming a diversity & inclusion committee. It’s best to invite experts into the committee meetings to strategize, discuss ideas and provide invaluable insights.
Here are a few ways to get you started on this path:
Being genuine is the key when it comes to cracking diversity & inclusion. If you invest in diversifying your company just to polish your brand image and, on the other hand, mock an employee based on his skin color or sexual identity, nothing can be more pathetic and hypocritical. That’s even worse than an organization that isn’t pursuing diversity.
Diversity & inclusion should come from the heart. You should start by getting rid of all your stereotypes and prejudices and valuing people for who they are. The bottom line is you should take small steps toward diversity and not just pose as a diverse organization.
No matter which industry your company is related to, diversity & inclusion will surely be among the trending topics in the future. So, it’s crucial that you start walking down the road to diversifying your B2B brand now. While it would be profitable for your brand and profits, most importantly, it would be good for the morale of your company and the well-being of society as a whole. And that’s what matters in the end.
By Arko Chandra
Published on 13th, Sep, 2022
Diversity & inclusion are the topics of the hour, not just in society but also in organizations worldwide. Today, buyers are as much concerned about a company’s values as they are about its products/services.
In the B2B genre, many companies have yet to dedicatedly pursue their diversity & inclusion goals. Some are afraid to get out of their comfort zone, some don’t deem it a priority, some want to but don’t know how, and some are just ignorant. However, it’s a very significant objective that all companies, B2B or otherwise, should proactively seek to achieve for their own good.
Let’s first understand what exactly diversity & inclusion entail.
Diversity in B2B marketing and that in a workplace are interconnected but have varied forms. In marketing, it refers to depicting people of different ethnicities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, ages, demographics, etc. In the context of an organization, diversity means actively looking out for and hiring people from a variety of backgrounds so that the company is a reflection of the society and audiences you want to target.
Inclusion means the enforcement of policies in an organization that ensure every single person in the company is valued as an individual and treated with respect. Only recruiting people from marginalized backgrounds isn’t enough unless the people you have hired feel safe, respected, and genuinely included in the team.
It’s unfortunate that in 2022, B2B marketing campaigns tend to focus on only a narrow part of the immense target demographic, and that is the presumptively white male category. Just review your past marketing campaigns and see how many people from varying ethnicities, different sexual orientations, women, people of color, etc. have you represented. It may be in your panel discussions, teams, surveys, target markets, or as featured speakers.
The reason to have a diverse team and cater to a varied audience is that people from these very minorities that B2B brands tend to ignore form a considerable portion of the target audience. It’s all the more important for tech firms because for technology to survive and evolve, it must be diverse and accessible, or else it will cease to exist.
For instance, when your organization has people from ethnic minorities leading a marketing campaign, or LGBTQIA+ members in senior positions, it clearly reflects the values your firm stems from. It directly and positively influences your marketing strategies, and prospects from different backgrounds take an interest in your company and products/services.
Starting out to become a diversified organization, internally and in your marketing campaigns, is by forming a diversity & inclusion committee. It’s best to invite experts into the committee meetings to strategize, discuss ideas and provide invaluable insights.
Here are a few ways to get you started on this path:
Being genuine is the key when it comes to cracking diversity & inclusion. If you invest in diversifying your company just to polish your brand image and, on the other hand, mock an employee based on his skin color or sexual identity, nothing can be more pathetic and hypocritical. That’s even worse than an organization that isn’t pursuing diversity.
Diversity & inclusion should come from the heart. You should start by getting rid of all your stereotypes and prejudices and valuing people for who they are. The bottom line is you should take small steps toward diversity and not just pose as a diverse organization.
No matter which industry your company is related to, diversity & inclusion will surely be among the trending topics in the future. So, it’s crucial that you start walking down the road to diversifying your B2B brand now. While it would be profitable for your brand and profits, most importantly, it would be good for the morale of your company and the well-being of society as a whole. And that’s what matters in the end.
