June is known as Pride Month worldwide! 🌈🌍 As cities across the globe gear up for parades and festivities, it’s time for brands to don their brightest colors and join the celebration. But wait, before you dive into this rainbow magic, let’s pause for a moment of reflection. The way your business approaches this is very important as it shows your values as a brand and demonstrates it’s open to diversity and respectful of all people. No worries, 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. In other words, it’s about authenticity and genuine support for the LGBTQ+ community. For starters, check out this year’s Pride Calendar, so you don’t miss out on any important event! Ready? Let’s dive in and make your brand shine with a pride marketing campaign! ✨😊
Pride Marketing Campaign —Skip to What You’re Looking For! ✨
- Going beyond the Rainbow This Pride 2024 ✨
- Essential Do’s for Your Pride Marketing Campaign 🌈
- 1. Align to Your Brand’s Core Values 💜
- 2. A Successful Pride Campaign Starts With Education 💡
- 📕 Pride Glossary
- 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. Leverage Instagram as Your Master Tool 📱
- Use Instagram for Fundraisers & Donations ✨
- Spark Your Stories With Instagram Pride Stickers 🌈
- Boost Your Content With Instagram Pride Templates 🤩
- Include the Right Hashtags on Your Posts ✅
- Prepare to Be Political 🤓
- 8. Listen & Learn 💬
- Last Words 🌟
Going beyond the Rainbow This Pride 2024 ✨
In today’s world, audiences are increasingly drawn to brands that stand up for what they believe in, brands that amplify voices, and champion causes with purpose. 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 to demonstrate year-round commitment.
That being said, Pride Month offers a real opportunity for brands to show their support for LGBTQ+ rights. This applies to any business, however big or small. It’s a powerful reminder that diversity isn’t just a buzzword but a cornerstone of a thriving society. This is why it’s important that you learn the context of what is appropriate and what is not for a pride marketing campaign.
Remember that there are tons of countries where LGBTQ+ rights are still not recognized, highlighting the pressing need for widespread awareness and activism. Using your brand and your platform to support every human’s right to be who they are is something beautiful! 🌈✨
➡️ First, before making your whole pride marketing campaign let’s get all the facts right.
⌛ Keep History in Mind
June 28, 1969, marks the beginning of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. On that particular date, the police raided this drinking establishment, detaining and arresting many of the patrons. However, this time, the community bravely resisted, sparking a historic confrontation that echoes still now.
As news of the uprising spread, it sparked an overwhelming wave of support. Thousands of protesters gathered at the Stonewall Inn and its environs, united in solidarity. What began as a particular act of defiance evolved into days of sustained protest, fueled by a collective demand for an end to the police harassment and social discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ communities.
The Stonewall Uprising became a symbol of resistance, a powerful moment in history that continues to inspire change to this day. 🌍🌈✨
➡️ Now that we’ve taken a quick dive into the LGBTQ+ movement, let’s go over some of the best tips to create a sensitive campaign this Pride Month 2024!
Essential Do’s for Your Pride Marketing Campaign 🌈
1. Align to Your Brand’s Core Values 💜
As we mentioned beforehand, customers are paying more attention than ever to brands that have a true interest in people, the environment, animals, health, and causes that are close to their hearts. So, it’s essential that you maintain an authentic, genuine brand.
Now, 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?
🟡 Does my brand promote inclusivity and diversity in its marketing materials, imagery, and messaging? Are all my other campaigns LGBTQ+ inclusive?
🟢 Does my company/business actively support LGBTQ+ movements?
🔵Does my business engage with LGBTQ+ customers and community members genuinely and authentically, listening to their feedback and concerns?
🟣 Is my business a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, both within the industry and in society at large?
💡 Key Point
Make sure you’re actually supporting a social cause for inclusion and diversity and not only using Pride Month as a branding event for your business. This is commonly known as “Rainbow-Washing”.
Remember, although it’s a celebration of love in all its unique, fabulous forms, it goes beyond a party. Using pride as a branding opportunity will look shallow and opportunistic, otherwise known as “Pinkwashing”.
Pinkwashing is the practice of attempting to benefit from the apparent support of the LGBTQ+ community, promoting marketing and sales strategies in order to be perceived as progressive, modern, and tolerant.
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 yourself and your brand’s team members or sharing valuable information on your social media through Pride Month posts, it’s pivotal that you foster a safe, welcoming, and understanding space both for your business and your audience.
So, how can you make the most out of your brand’s platform? There’s a world of opportunities to spark real change! You can talk about historic events, flag color meaning, LGBTQ+ terminology, current initiatives, and overall all the key information to help your followers understand why we support Pride Month.
Of course, don’t forget to use the right references on your pride marketing campaign and throughout all your promotional materials:
📕 Pride Glossary
An evolving acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning.
“A woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.”
“A man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality – some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.”
“Used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.”
“A term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.”
“A term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity.”
“A person’s sexual attraction to other people, or lack thereof. Along with romantic orientation, this forms a person’s orientation identity.”
“Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.”
“When a person first tells someone/others about their orientation and/or gender identity.”
“How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender.”
💡 Want to delve deeper into LGBTQ+ terminology? Navigate this List of LGBTQ+ Terms for more insights!
3. What Happens Inside Your Brand Is Just as Important ✅
Beyond crafting a pride marketing campaign, genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion must stand in every aspect of your business. From hiring practices to building a sense of community, fostering a culture of inclusivity and acceptance is essential for authenticity and long-term success. Here are some practices you can implement within your brand:
✅ Create internal policies in your companies that support LGBTQ+ employees all year round. For instance, you can incorporate training and education programs to increase awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues among employees and managers
✅ Have a zero-tolerance policy for derogatory comments and actions inside your brand to make your LGBTQ+ members feel safe and supported. Ensure that all employees are aware of this policy and understand the consequences of discrimination or harassment based on LGBTQ+ status.
✅ Ask for direct feedback from LGBTQ+ employees is also a great way to help out with what they actually need. Thus, create channels for open communication and feedback, allowing team members to share their experiences and perspectives.
✅ Recognize LGBTQ+ milestones and events within your business beyond Pride Month. For example, you can host inclusive events, workshops, seminars, or initiatives that promote awareness.
💬 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 use your brand’s platforms such as its social media to recognize notable LGBTQ+ society members who made relevant contributions to the industry, the community, or even your brand. For instance, here are a few ideas for Pride Month posts and content ideas you can use to highlight their contributions:
💬 Interviews
✏️ Featured Articles
💼 Career Profiles
⭐️ Project Showcases
Sharing deep, meaningful stories is a great way to show your support during a pride marketing campaign and beyond!
💡 Quick Tip: If you feature 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 pride marketing campaign.
5. Reflect Diversity, Not Stereotypes 🤍
As we mentioned before, education is vital for everyone wanting to make a campaign to support this pride event in 2024. Pride Month is a vibrant celebration of individuality, embracing diverse forms of self-expression.
As such, it presents an opportunity to showcase the rich tapestry of identities, backgrounds, and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community through your marketing materials and product offerings. From Pride Month images to mockups and social media content, keep out of the stereotypes and do your research so that your brand gets to represent diversity instead.
🌈 Spotlight On: At Placeit by Envato, you’ll find tons of mockups and visual assets featuring people from different backgrounds and identities, reflecting the beautiful diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
6. Collaborate With an Influencer or an Organization 💬
Not an expert in pride? Get one! For your pride marketing campaign and as an ongoing commitment, you can share a video or lend your social media platforms for them to go live, share stories, or post to support a cause. Tons of influencers are affiliated with non-profits or organizations that support special initiatives all year round to promote and demand LGBTQ+ rights.
Another idea is to help out by making limited editions of a pride merch collection or a special sale for your services. You can donate part of your profits, your products, or services to a charity, non-profit, a fundraising event, and more. Remember, this is an opportunity to enact real change and be an advocate for a world where everyone gets to shine as their bright, unique selves. ✨
🌟 Recommended Reading: How to Do a Successful Campaign With an Influencer
7. Leverage Instagram as Your Master Tool 📱
Harnessing the power of social media has become essential for any successful marketing campaign, and Pride Month is no exception. Platforms like Instagram offer unique opportunities to reach a wider audience, amplifying the message of inclusivity, acceptance, and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Let’s go over what you can do to enhance your pride marketing campaign, IG edition! 🚀
Use Instagram for Fundraisers & Donations ✨
Instagram allows you to create donation stickers for stories and live videos. That way, viewers can tap it directly to donate, effortlessly transforming engagement into tangible support for causes close to their hearts, fostering a sense of community and empowerment in real time.
All of the money raised throughout the donate functions goes directly into the chosen nonprofit, with no cuts for Instagram. Want to learn more about this option? Be sure to check out Instagram’s Fundraisers and Donations section in the Help Center.
If your brand doesn’t have the “Donation” option available, no worries! You can simply use the swipe-up link to send your followers to the fundraising page. Regardless of the platform’s functionalities, this ensures that your audience can easily collaborate on an important cause! 😃
Spark Your Stories With Instagram Pride Stickers 🌈
With Pride Month bursting with color and joy, why not enhance your pride marketing campaign through stunning and vibrant stickers? Not only is your brand showing support, but it’s also a great way to engage your audience in a celebration of love and inclusivity, inviting them to join in the festivities and spread positivity across social media. 😊✨
💛 P.S. Talking about pride sticker designs, don’t forget to check out “How to Make and Sell Stickers: Make It Stick Online”!
Boost Your Content With Instagram Pride Templates 🤩
With Placeit’s Pride Templates, you can easily customize social media posts for any platform in no time. Just browse through our professionally made designs, choose your favorite, and start personalizing right away.
You can play around with the text, color, fonts, illustrations, and graphics until you create the perfect fit for your brand. Plus, the best part is that all of our visual assets are perfectly sized to fit each platform’s specific dimensions. That way, you can create tons of Pride Month images and share them right away!
Feeling inspired? Take a look at these Pride Month posts by Placeit! ✨
Include the Right Hashtags on Your Posts ✅
Hashtags are essential for a pride marketing campaign because they serve as powerful tools for increasing visibility and reaching the right audience. By strategically incorporating them, you can effectively connect with users who are actively engaging with LGBTQ+ content and conversations online. Let’s check out this year’s most popular pride hashtags!
#pride #gay #lgbt #loveislove #love #lgbtq #pridemonth #gaypride #onepride #rainbowpride #slytherinpride #hbcupride #pantherpride #giantspride #africanpride #texaspride #londonpride #cityspride
💡 Pro Tips
🌟 Mix Popular & Specific Hashtags
Be sure to include trending pride hashtags like #Pride along with niche hashtags to reach a broader audience while still engaging with your target audience.
🪄 Create Branded Hashtags
Opt for branded hashtags unique to your business or pride marketing campaign to encourage community engagement and user-generated content (UGC).
😀 Be Strategic
Think of your Instagram post as a whole, rather than separate pieces. You should also pay close attention to your visuals, creating an engaging description, and including a strong CTA.
Prepare to Be Political 🤓
Creating a pride 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.
This means that, unfortunately, hateful comments may appear on your social media, and sometimes you won’t be able to captain these comments in time. Nevertheless, you can protect your Instagram account using the comment moderation tool.
How to Hide Unwanted Comments & Message Requests on Instagram
- Click on the Settings and privacy option on your profile.
- Tap on Hidden Words.
- You’ll find advanced filtering options like “Hide comments” which means Instagram will automatically move comments considered offensive or spam to a different section.
- Select your desired filters.
Keep in mind that if you have a past of not being supportive, this marketing campaign may backlash for you. Consistency and authenticity are key; you need to choose a position and stick with it.
8. Listen & Learn 💬
As for our last tip, we’d like to highlight the importance of prioritizing listening to the voices and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community within your audience every step of your pride marketing campaign. Actively embrace feedback (yes, even criticism!) with an open mind and be willing to learn from mistakes or oversights.
Learning from mistakes is a natural part of growth, and by holding ourselves accountable, we demonstrate our commitment to continually improving and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Remember, through your pride marketing campaign and beyond, your brand has an opportunity to make a positive impact in promoting inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance.
Last Words 🌟
Remember that Pride Month is all about supporting the LGBTQ+ community and enticing others to do the same. Whatever you choose to communicate as a brand during your pride marketing campaign this month should stay consistent throughout the year.
After all, you are taking a stand to support a community, and this is a lifelong commitment! Together we can fight for a more inclusive and accepting world for all, one where everyone can shine brightly and live authentically. Happy Pride Month! 🌈😊✨
Want to join the conversation? Leave us a comment below!
🔥 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 blogs.
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