With about 1 million transgender adults in the US, marketers need to develop strategies that are more inclusive than ever. Avoiding updates to email marketing and other methods to reflect an increasingly gender-fluid society could damage a brand’s reputation. Téa Liarokapi from Moosend, one of the best Constant Contact alternatives, explains more in this guest post.
Gender in today’s world
We live in a consumerist society, where products are created, tried, tested, and shoved into the market every single second. And this is a global phenomenon. Hence the constant need for new and improved marketing methods, as the competition is fierce.
But how are they getting great results in a world where one of the most basic segmentation schemes is closer and closer to becoming obsolete? I’m talking about gender-based segmentation, of course.
Assuming one’s gender is awkward, not to mention rude, and with good reason. Our perception of gender is changing and, from binary, is moving towards a more spectrum-based logic.
Gender non-conformity is different than gender fluidity, by the way. Gender non-conformity refers to someone who does not live by society’s stereotypical views of gender roles. Gender fluidity, in comparison, refers to someone whose gender identity or expression (or both) changes over time.
How can this work in unison with digital marketing, specifically email marketing?
Quit assuming, start being in the know
Take a page out of today’s big beauty brands. From MAC’s “All Ages, All Races, All Sexes” to James Charles’ CoverGirl cover in 2016, it seems that the beauty giants have caught up first.
Firstly, don’t assume you know who you’re “selling” to. Women can use men’s razors, and shaving foam, and men can use concealer and some color corrector.
Take Fenty Beauty’s “Gentlemen’s Fenty Face” set, for example. Or perhaps their email marketing game, which is super strong:
This is last year’s email that signaled Fenty’s Christmas offer. The colors are neutral, and the only pronoun used is “Them.”
You can do the same, regardless of your product. Specifically, create gender-neutral buyer personas and use platforms that can provide you with insights, based on AI and machine learning.
AI and machine learning will help you lose guesstimates and ensure that you’ll be able to create buyer personas that will practically be one-on-one: one persona for each customer. This method will help you segment on a personal basis and not on a gender-segmented basis.
Also, like the email above shows, make sure that the brand’s colors are the ones that are prominent and not colors that society, in general, could consider “masculine” or “feminine.” Then again, there is debate about whether colors are gendered or not.
Stop using genders altogether
Digital marketing is very successful in establishing societal messages and creating trends that could grow to be the norm, down the line.
Two of the three main groups of consumers – Millennials and Gen-Zers, that is – are the two that react positively to messages that have to do with gender-fluid products and marketing altogether, rather than binary messages.
So, your next move should be to take your findings into account. Someone named James could be purchasing the so-called “feminine hygiene products” at a rate that could be too steady for a CIS male. So, who’s to say we’re not talking about a transgender male?
Behavioral data is that much more important in that aspect, as they can provide all the help you’ll need when it comes to making your product gender-neutral.
Check what kind of ads, emails, blog posts, and copy you’ve been using up until now. Is the focus on gender? Lifestyle? Income? Educational background?
What kind of representation do you choose to have? Is it CIS influencers only, or are things more fluid?
It’s integral to be representative of your customer base and to pay attention to their needs, values, and how they want to be addressed. Only then can you respect rather than hurt or confuse them and continue to be a leader in your industry.
A marketing example: Kids’ toys
Furthermore, take a step back to examine honestly what is your product and how you market it to society itself. Let’s take children’s toys as an example:
Do you have separate categories? Do you use blue for boys and pink for girls?
If so, maybe it’s time to change that practice and start re-focusing your brand’s tone towards a non-binary model, using gender-neutral pronouns.
Here’s an example: “Children will love our new doll!” or “They can’t stop playing with our new toy truck!”, not bothering to talk about boys or girls, but including the target audience as is: Children.
Additionally, you’ll need to be inclusive when it comes to the types of, say, toys you craft and, of course, how you sell them.
Maybe you should banish red and blue altogether or use them in unison, along with other colors. Your primary focus needs and should be the consumer’s need, whether it’s parents purchasing goods for their children or a brand that sells cosmetics or even toy dolls.
Just focus on other key characteristics that a prospect may appear to have, like their educational background, income or whether or not they have children, for example.
Make your consumers comfortable
Since you’ve now got a plan on how to use your brand’s tone and how to make sure that your email marketing game will be strong with some segmentation that is based on factors other than the recipient’s gender, let’s see what else there is to do.
You should, at first, do the same with the rest of your digital marketing efforts and messages. If it’s email, then make it shareable.
If it’s social media, make sure to reach out to as many people as possible. “Clear” your message off gender stereotypes, reach out to people and influencers that don’t embrace the binary stereotype and send out surveys, to boost interaction and engagement.
If you’re using landing pages as part of your email marketing strategy, color neutrality and a color scheme that matches your brand tone and not the product you’re using is the ideal.
There’s another thing to keep in mind too: If you’ve got a customer service center, educate your teams continuously on language, including proper pronoun use.
Why? It’s important for all customers to feel included, both for reasons that have to do with things like your MRR churn and your lead nurturing efforts. In other words, there are not too many people that would go back to a brand that makes them feel like they’re not valued or, at least, understood.
All channels should be updated, which means that all teams should be updated: email copywriters, designers, marketing managers, community managers, support agents, everyone, and everything should reflect your non-binary outlook on things.
Oh, and a super-pro tip: Asking your customers about their preferred pronouns is definitely a nice, honest touch.
The takeaway on marketing and gender-fluid society
All in all, marketing has the ability to shape society and, if used wisely, shape it so that certain messages will change people’s mindsets for the better, thus creating a more inclusive, more “equal,” and safer space for all.
Ensure that you’re using all tools, especially email marketing – as it’s got the best ROI. Finally, be honest and make sure to do your research.
About today’s writer
Téa Liarokapi is a content writer working for email marketing software company Moosend and an obsessive writer in general. In her free time, she tries to find new ways to stuff more books in her bookcase and content ideas – and cats – to play with.
Interesting topic but it is a reality. I hope it will continue to be accepted.
Thank you for appreciating the topic. It’s one we’re sure to read a lot more about, which is a good thing. Happy holidays xx