June is known as Pride Month worldwide. It is celebrated with parades and special events all around the world, even though depending on your city, the dates may change. The way your business approaches Pride month is very important not just to show your values as a brand but also to demonstrate that your business is open to diversity and respectful of all people. We’ve gathered all the best tips for your Pride marketing campaign to do it right!
It’s time for a positive representation in the media, and that includes what you share as a brand and even your advertising during this time. It’s time to show solidarity. Check out this year’s Pride calendar for 2023, so don’t miss out on any important event!
What You’ll Find:
- Going Beyond the Rainbow this Pride 2023
- 1. Align to Your Brand’s Core Values
- 2. A Successful Pride Campaign Starts with Education
- 3. What Happens Inside Your Brand is Just As Important
- 4. Recognize Notable LGBTQ+ Society Members
- 5. Reflect Diversity, Not Stereotypes
- 6. Collaborate with an Influencer or an Organization
- 7. Instagram as Your Master Tool
- Prepare to Be Political
- Last Words
Going Beyond the Rainbow this Pride 2023
Pride month is not all about dressing your website in bright rainbow colors and calling it a day. It’s way more than making your brand look “trendy.” Although changing your logo to show support might seem like enough, it’s better that you stay true to your brand all year round.
Pride month offers a real opportunity for brands to show their support for LGBTQ+ rights! This applies to any brand, big or small. This is why it’s important that you learn the context of what is appropriate and what is not.
Remember that there are tons of countries where homosexuality is still illegal. Using your brand to support every human’s right to be who they are is something beautiful! But first, before making your whole Pride marketing campaign let’s get all the facts right.
Keep History in Mind
The month of June was chosen by the LGBTQ+ community to commemorate the Stonewall riots in 1960 to demand their rights and be recognized by the rest of the world. Since then, LGBTQ+ groups have taken to organizing gay pride events as a way to remember these events and celebrate the diversity that brings everyone together, as well as to keep demanding progress of gay rights all across the world.
Let’s go over some of the best tips to create a sensitive campaign this Pride Month 2023.
1. Align to Your Brand’s Core Values
Customers are paying more attention than ever to brands that have a true interest in people, the environment, animals, health, and more. So it’s super important that you keep yourself genuine.
How can you define these values with your business? First, start by asking yourself:
- Is my brand really supportive of the LGBTQ+ community?
- Does my brand apply policies that promote an inclusive and safe working environment?
- Are all my other campaigns LGBTQ+ inclusive?
- Does my company actively support LGBTQ+ movements?
Make sure you’re actually supporting a social cause for inclusion and diversity and not only using this day as a branding event for your business. This is commonly known as “Rainbow-washing.” Remember, it is not just a party; using pride just as a branding opportunity will look shallow and opportunistic, otherwise known as “Pinkwashing.”
What is Pinkwashing?
This is what marketing strategies to promote something appealing to gay-friendliness in order to be perceived as progressive, modern, and tolerant are called.
Promoting something your brand does not actually preach might be very counterproductive for your brand image. But if you’re part of the community, don’t be afraid to express yourself and create a Powerful LGBTQ Logo That Celebrates Diversity
2. A Successful Pride Campaign Starts with Education
Whether this implies educating your brand’s team members or sharing valuable information on your social media. Educating the public is always a great way to go about Pride Month!
You can talk about historic events, flags colors meaning, new flags, Pride terms, and overall help your followers understand why we support pride month and what is behind it! Use the right references:
📖 Pride Glossary
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- LGBTQ+: an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer.
- Lesbian: A woman who is physically and emotionally attracted to other women.
- Gay: Physical and emotional attraction to same-sex people.
- Bisexual: A person who can be attracted physically and emotionally to both same-sex or opposite-sex persons.
- Transgender: A person whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned when born.
- Queer: Not exclusively heterosexual.
- Sexual Orientation: An individual’s physical and emotional attraction to others.
- Coming Out: The process of self-acceptance that concludes at the moment they reveal themselves to others.
- Closeted: A person who hasn’t openly revealed their sexual orientation.
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3. What Happens Inside Your Brand is Just As Important
Create internal policies in your companies that support LGBTQ employees all year round! Having a zero-tolerance policy for derogatory comments and actions inside your brand can really make your LGBTQ+ members feel safe and supported. Asking for their feedback directly is too a great way to help out with what they actually need.
Ask Yourself:
- Are your policies the same for everyone? This means, do spouses of LGBTQ+ members receive the same benefits as heterosexuals?
- Are your transgender members receiving the healthcare they need?
- All are your employees receiving fair compensation for their work?
4. Recognize Notable LGBTQ+ Society Members
You can share your social media to recognize notable LGBTQ+ society members in your industry, community, society, and brand, that have made relevant contributions.
If you are sharing stories from people inside your brand, remember that you are SHARING, not BRAGGING. You should always ask for their permission first to collaborate on your campaign.
Sharing deep, meaningful stories is a great way to show your support!
5. Reflect Diversity, Not Stereotypes
As said before, education is vital for everyone wanting to make a campaign to support this Pride event in 2023. Using the images is just as important as using the right words. Keep out of the stereotypes and make your research so that your brand really gets to represent diversity instead. I mean, the rainbow is fine but gather more images to represent your campaign.
6. Collaborate with an Influencer or an Organization
Are you not an expert in Pride? Get one! You can share a video or lend your social media for them to make a live, share stories, or post to support a cause!
Tons of influencers are affiliated with non-profits or organizations that help special causes all year round to promote and demand for LGBTQ+ rights.
You can also help out by making limited editions of your products or a special sale for your services. You can donate your product or services to a charity, a non-profit, a fundraising event, and more.
7. Instagram as Your Master Tool
Use Instagram for Fundraisers
Instagram now allows you to create your own fundraisers on Live videos. People can use the “I donated” sticker on their stories to share your brand’s cause with their contacts.
All of the money raised throughout the donate functions goes directly into a nonprofit, with no cuts for Instagram. Learn more about it here.
If your brand doesn’t have the donate option, you can simply use the swipe-up link to send your followers to the fundraiser websites.
Use Instagram Pride Stickers
Dress up your stories during this month using Instagram’s special stickers to show your support.
💡 You can also create your own stickers from your favorite Pride sticker designs.
Use Instagram Pride Templates
Dress up your Pride campaign stories with festive Pride templates you can download in seconds and have posted right away!
Use the Right Hashtags on Your Posts
Use this year’s hashtags to get your posts way more exposure:
#pride #gaypride #lgbtpride #pridemonth #lesbianpride #blackpride #transpride #pitbullpride #dobermanpride #furrypride #bipride #myprideandjoy #happypride #prideandjoy #localpride #nativepride #pride2019 #lgbtqpride #prideparade #prideandprejudice #bisexualpride #mypride #pride2018 #pinoypride #pansexualpride #pride2017 #queerpride #transgenderpride #nycpride #asexualpride #onepride #rainbowpride #slytherinpride #hbcupride #pantherpride #giantspride #africanpride #texaspride #londonpride #cityspride
💡 Learn more here
Prepare to Be Political
Creating a marketing campaign to support this movement will gain you the sympathy of many just as the dislike of others. You need to get ready for uncomfortable comments and angry customers.
Unfortunately, hateful comments may appear on your social media, and sometimes you won’t be able to captain these comments in time. You can protect your Instagram account using the comment moderation tool.
How to Use Instagram Comment Moderation Tool
- From the Settings tab in your profile, click on Privacy.
- From here, tap on Comments.
- Under Filters, turn on “Hide Offensive Comments”
You can also use the manual filter and typo “trigger words” you wish to block.
Keep in mind that if you have a past of not being supportive, This marketing campaign may backlash for you. You need to choose a position and stick with it.
FAQ
Last Words
Remember that pride month is all about supporting the community and enticing others to do the same. Celebrate diversity!
Remember that whatever you choose to communicate during this month should keep consistent throughout the year, you are taking a stand to support a community, and this is a lifelong commitment!
🔥 If you found this post useful, you can also check out How Businesses Should Use Video Marketing post or our How to Create an Email Campaign for Your Online Shop post.
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