How to create inclusive content that shows your commitment to diversity and equality

Is diversity and inclusion important to your business? Not in a ‘let’s tick the boxes way’, but in a real and practical way that would pass the pub test?  

I was on the website of a large Australian financial services business recently and I was struck by their bold statement in the footer of their homepage, stating that they are committed to inclusion and diversity. 

Which is lovely. I mean, we should all be committed to inclusion and diversity, right? It creates an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, and where everyone feels safe. 

Plus, from a purely commercial point of view, it ensures your potential customer pool is as big as possible. 

But the thing I found jarring about this particular website - and plenty of others like it - was that this statement wasn’t reflected anywhere else that I could see in the website’s content.

The images were all of white nuclear families, doing white nuclear family things. There was a cavoodle. Everyone (except the cavoodle) was smiling with their mouths but not their eyes. 

The case studies and testimonials on the website were about customers that could have been borrowed from the 1950s - everyone was middle class, lived in capital cities or large regional centres, and they all held traditional jobs and seemed to value traditional things. 

The web copy itself was full of jargon and acronyms, assuming we all have a base level of financial literacy.

I sent the URL to a few people I know and simply asked them for their take on it, and the results were interesting. A few thought there was nothing wrong with it, and a few thought it was offensively tone deaf. 

The question is: who do you want to exclude from the possibility of doing business with you? Because if your answer is ‘nobody’, you might want to think about doing a content audit to check your content is as inclusive as you think it is.

Why inclusivity matters in content creation

Creating content that resonates with a diverse audience is more important than just not losing potential customers. It’s about our humanity. Being conscious of your messaging goes beyond being a ‘politically correct’ (ugh) trend; it's a necessity for connecting with people. 

When content is inclusive, it acknowledges and values the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of its audience. And doing this fosters a sense of belonging and trust, making your brand more relatable and authentic than one that favours a more homogenous approach.

Creating content that is inclusive isn’t necessarily easy - especially when you also consider how easy it is to fall into the trap of unconscious bias, where content unintentionally excludes or misrepresents certain groups. This is especially the case (and even more important to be aware of) if you are from a cultural majority group. It’s so easy to assume everyone’s experience is like yours when that’s what you see reinforced in advertising and media.  

Breaking out of this mindset needs a conscious effort to recognise and address these biases, ensuring that you’re sharing a variety of voices and perspectives.

How to check for cultural bias

First, it’s important to say that unconscious bias is real, and it’s a rare person that can put their hand on their heart and say they’re unaffected. What’s important is that we’re open to learning, open to recognising it (and occasionally having it pointed out to us), and open to changing our behaviour.

Our unconscious biases can influence the content we create, often without us even realising it. This bias can then lead to content that unintentionally excludes or misrepresents certain groups, alienating parts of your audience - and losing you customers. 

How can you try to avoid unconscious bias? Here are a few tips:

1. Do your research and make sure you have a firm grasp of your audience, and their needs and wants - not who you think they are, but who they actually are. 

2. Consult widely, involving people from different backgrounds in your planning and content creation process - and ensure everyone feels comfortable and valued when sharing their insights and feedback.

3. Avoid making generalisations or using cliches when representing people from different cultures or backgrounds. Check your assumptions and drill down to find out specifics and nuances.

4. Use inclusive language that is respectful and inclusive of all cultural groups.

How to use inclusive language

Inclusive language means choosing words and phrases that don’t make assumptions, exclude, or marginalise any group of people. Some simple examples are:

1. Using gender-neutral terms like ‘they’ instead of ‘he or she’, and ‘partner’ or ‘spouse’ instead of ‘husband’ or ‘wife’. 

2. Avoid making assumptions about people if you don’t know something about them. Not everyone is heterosexual, cis gender, free from disability (even if you can’t see one), from a particular cultural background, married, a parent, or employed, for example.

3. Check your pronouns and ensure you respect people's preferred pronouns if you know them. If unsure, ‘they’ is a perfectly acceptable way around it - or you can ask.

4. Steer clear of stereotypes and avoid language that reinforces assumptions based on gender, race, age, disability, or other characteristics.

5. Ditch old terminology like ‘manpower’, ‘man hours’, ‘mankind’, or ‘man up’. You get the idea. There is always an alternative - if you can’t think of one, the internet can help you.

6. Use person-first terminology, such as person with autism rather than autistic person. (This can be a personal preference for some, who may disagree. If you can, ask, and if you can’t, person-first is usually a good option.)

7. Ask the question: is this detail necessary? Using the above example, unless the autism is integral to the content you are creating, ask yourself why you’re including it, and whether it’s necessary for your purpose. The same goes for cultural backgrounds, gender identity, sexuality, work history, and many more details that may lead people to make assumptions. 

8. Be open to learning - language is evolving all the time, and what was acceptable 20 years ago may be considered offensive today. (You could probably think of at least 20 examples of that right now.) If someone tells you they find something offensive or upsetting, be open and listen to what they have to say, rather than thinking of them as a snowflake. Your experience is not their experience, and we’re all always learning. 

How to choose diverse and relevant images

Pictures paint a thousand words, as they say, and they definitely play a huge role in shaping how we communicate our messages. Images can reinforce stereotypes or challenge them, so it’s on us to choose visuals that reflect our entire society. Inclusive images help you get the message across that your content is for everyone, and they can also challenge existing biases and broaden your visitors’ perspectives by showcasing a variety of experiences and backgrounds.

Websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images offer diverse and inclusive photo collections. Look for collections specifically curated for diversity and inclusion.

Can find plenty of images on platforms that specialise in inclusio, such as:

• Austock Photo

• Envato Elements

• Getty Images - This is Australia Collection and This is Disability Collection

• Shutterstock - Australian images

• Affect: Disabled and Here

• All Inclusive Photo Project

• Centre for Better Ageing

• Representation Matters.

How to test and evaluate your content

Nothing beats user testing when it comes to understanding how your content is hitting. By involving real users from diverse backgrounds in your evaluation process, you can identify and address any unintentional biases or gaps in representation early. 

You can do this with focus groups, surveys, interviews, online (or in person) committees, and/or beta testing. It’s best to review and monitor your content regularly (at least annually) so you can stay informed and adapt to changing audience needs and expectations.

And it’s also important to give people a way of submitting feedback to you in a way that will be heard and actioned efficiently. 

Your inclusivity action list

Keen to do what you can to make your content more inclusive? Here are some actions you can start on today:

1. Conduct an inclusivity audit of your content - or engage an agency to do it on your behalf. 

2. Review your content guidelines to ensure they include measures to check for inclusivity.

3. Form a committee or working group (with diversity in mind) and task them with checking your content is inclusive.

4. Check that your social media posts have alt text (for images) and closed captions and video descriptions (for videos). Don’t rely on emojis to tell a story, and use capitals to clearly show the start of each word in your hashtags.

5. Use plain English at around eighth grade level in your communications. You can still impart complex ideas using easily understood language. 

Want help with a content audit, or with creating inclusive content? We can help! Book a call using the button below or email us at admin@stellarcontent.com.au