The top inclusive marketing trends of 2025, according to Sonia Thompson

​​Okay. So if you've been around here for more than a little bit, you know that I follow a gluten-free diet for health reasons. So when I go to a restaurant, I'm wondering, does their menu work for people like me? Now your ideal customers are going to have these questions as people like me often refer to an identity consumers hold, and people with underrepresented and underserved identities often wonder about how their identity might impact the degree of success they can achieve with your brand and if it will impact whether they'll feel like they belong.

Now, it's up to you to ensure your brand sends the right signals with your content to communicateyou belong here to all the people you want to serve. And one of the best ways to do that is with an inclusive SEO strategy. 

So it's up to you to ensure your brand sends the right signals, particularly with your content. There are ways to do this in other areas of your customer experience. But today, we're gonna focus specifically on content to communicate you belong here to all the people that you want to serve. Anda really smart way to do that with your content is through an inclusive SEO strategy.

So in this episode, I'll explain how to implement inclusive SEO strategies that help you draw in a bigger and more diverse audience. We'll get into my Inclusive SEO framework after this short break.

Okay. So, how do you communicate you belong here to the people you want to serve? Now, when you know the why behind your customers' questions, it's easier to produce SEO-based content that gets to the heart of what they need to learn about you.

My pro tip is to focus your efforts on delivering experiences that make it easy for your ideal customers to feel like 3 key statements are true for your brand. So, the first statement is, that this brand sees me and my identity. 

The second statement, people like me have achieved success here. And the third, the customer experience for people like me has been considered. So, let's get into how your brand can deliver on each of these ideals.

The first one, this brand sees me and my identity. 

No one wants to feel invisible, but unfortunately, people from marginalized communities often feel ignored by brands who focus all their attention on those who are part of the, “mainstream.” That's why people who are often ignored are so thrilled when a brand takes the time to see them. 

I keynoted a conference a couple of years ago and afterward, I saw social media comments from attendees who had referenced how the speaker lineup for the conference overall made them feel.

In one example, which was an Instagram story, the attendee wrote that she felt seen because she likes seeing women of color like her represented by conference speakers.  

She wrote word for word, “happy to see these women of color in tech at the conference. I feel seen.” And then she putthehashtag and the name of the conference. 

And in another example, this one was a post on Twitter or X, the attendee stated that she felt invisible because she didn't see any speakers in her age group. Here's what she wrote. "Sonia Thompson was my fave speaker at the conference”. Woo hoo!

“As the day went on though, I wondered if [conference’s name], buyer persona includes anyone in the industry over 45. Ageism in digital is real, and representation can help change that. I love this con, but it made me feel invisible. Reevaluate!" 

Alright. So in the State of Representation in Marketing study that I conducted a few years ago, 63% of respondents over 50 said it was important for them to see people in their age group represented in the brands they buy from.

Overall, age was the second most important factor to them in terms of areas of representationconsumers of all ages needed to see to feel like they belong. Make your customers feel seen by using your content to acknowledge that your customers are different in a way that feels authentic.

Okay. So the second statement that your brand needs to demonstrate is true for the people that you want to serve people like me have achieved success here. 

The people you serve are coming to you because they want you to help them solve a problem, but not everyone achieves success at the same rate.

Over the years, I've educated many about how consumers' identities have a direct correlation to the degree of success they achieve. As a brand, you need to be aware of whether specific customers aren't thriving as others are. This awareness positions you to put solutions in place to close any existing gaps. Here's an exper tinterview I did with Deborah Pickett, an educational trainer and coach that explains this concept a little further using an example called the water versus the fish principle. 

Sonia: Let's talk about, the water versus the fish principle.

Deborah Pickett: So, you know, many people have lots of thoughts about the education system as a whole, you know, and depending on who you talk to, you know, they may say it's, you know, “it's the fish,” meaning, oh, it's the students or it's the teachers or it's the parents, you know, always trying to say, well, they're to blame for this problem. Right? It's it's a fish problem, not a water problem.

And, you know, thinking beyond that, you're just saying something's wrong with the people. Something's wrong with the customer. Something's wrong with the community versus looking at the water and saying, what systems, what policies, what practices do we have in place that are causing the types of results that we're getting? 

So it's not the fish, it's the water and we've got to make sure that the water is right. 

And again, when we think about fish and water, some fish need, you know, salt water, some need fresh water, some need warm water, some need cold. Well, you just, you know, you've gotta focus on the water, not the fish. You know, we can't blame the fish for problems with the water.

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If you want to hear the full conversation, that was episode number 19, The Critical Link Between Equity and Customer Success. I'll drop a link in the show notes for you so you can access it easily and go have a listen. 

Also, in episode number 45, Factors That Influence Your Customer’s Success That You Need to Be Aware Of, I go deeper into various factors that influence your customer success such as race, gender, and sexual orientation along with advice on how to mitigate those factors limiting their success.

As always, I will drop a link to that episode in the show notes for you as well. 

Alright. More data fromthat state of representation and marketing study. 52% of consumers said customer testimonials were the area of representation most important to them for the brands they are buying from. So showcase people from underrepresented and underserved communities achieving success with your brand.

Doing so will give people who share those identities confidence that they can achieve success with you as well.

Alright. This third statement that you need to demonstrate or prove to the people that you want to serve that is true about your brand, is that the customer experience for people like me has been considered. 

Now I haven't met anyone who enjoys feeling like an afterthought, but far too often, consumers from underrepresented and underserved communities are treated like afterthoughts in the experiences brands deliver to them.

This, in turn, results in a less-than-stellar experience when interacting with a brand. And so in this quick clip, Erin Perkins, who is a disability advocate and also has been a guest on this show, shares her frustration with a common brand experience.

Erin Perkins: So one other thing is I also want people to think about it in this way. How easy is itfor you to listen to a podcast as a hearing person? How many clicks does it usually take you to listen to your favorite podcast?

Sonia: Probably 2.

Erin Perkins: It will take me just 7 clips to get to the transcript.

Sonia: Oh.

Erin Perkins: That's like a million steps.

Sonia: Right.

Erin Perkins: Just to have equal access. That's not equal access.

Sonia: No. It's not.

My advice to you is to show your customers they belong with you by delivering stellar experiences that work for all the identities you're serving. From talking to and hearing from thousands of consumers over the years, I've learned it is often the small details that make stellar experiences.

One consumer told me about a delightful experience she had at a hotel, and she said the towels were super plush and oversized to fit anyone's size. It's the small things. 

Another consumer was expressing gratitude that she didn't have to ask for accommodation with one brand because it was already available. 

And another consumer told me that she wished brands knew everyone is different but we all want to be treated the same.

Your consumers, no matter their identity, want to feel that they ́re important as they go through your customer experience. When consumers feel they ́re important, they ́re more loyal to you as a result. Consumers who feel like a burden or an afterthought will go somewhere else.

Okay. After this short break, we're gonna get into the 3 components of a good SEO strategy.

Now that you have this foundation of what you need to be answering or what you need to make sure that you're communicating to people who are interacting with your brand - once you've defined which identities your brand will champion, focus on delivering content that speaks directly to those consumers. Alright. So let's walk through these three components of an inclusive SEO strategy, which will help you do exactly that. 

First off, include SEO-optimized content on your website that answers common identity-based questions.

Many people from marginalized communities are aware of how they are different and how that impacts their experiences as consumers. To minimize friction in poor experiences, they will often do advanced research to find out whether or not a brand is for them before making a purchase. So having SEO optimized content on your website will help them find the information they need quickly.

In addition, the fact that you've taken the time to proactively provide content about the specific topic they're concerned with showcases that you see consumers who have this need and that you consider their experience in advance. For example, as I mentioned before, I follow a gluten-free diet. Any time I'm considering a new restaurant, I need to browse their menu in advance to find out if there are options for me to eat. We're not even gonna bother going to this restaurant if I don't know. Right? 

However, restaurants often don't have that information available on their websites. Sometimes I have to conduct a secondary search to try and find a menu, but I land on unrelated websites like Find Me Gluten Free, which has user-generated content that talks about the specific restaurant. 

It's a missed opportunity, and almost every time this happens, I end up going to a different restaurant that caters to gluten-free diets and highlights this in its menu options online.In the show notes, I'm gonna link to a page from Google's website that has a really good example of how to create identity-based SEO content. It showcases the accessibility features of the Google Pixel Phones by including a sponsored video from an influencer. It also includes testimonials from individuals in the disability community who use the features to accomplish their goals. Alright. 

My pro tip for you is to think about the various identities of the people who have the problem your brand solves. Then brainstorm what common identity-based questions they will have and create content on your site that makes it easy for them to get the answers to their questions so they can move forward with you.

The 2nd element of an inclusive SEO strategy is to create an optimized Google Business Profile. 

My husband, Jonathan, once searched "peluqueria", the word for barbershop, in Spanish because Jonathan speaks Spanish. He searched that on Google and got no local results. When I typed in barbershop, because I was standing right next to him, I got a result for a location that was less than 50 feet from where we stood. Simple adjustments to that business' Google Business profile would  have helped it appear for my husband searching in Spanish.

So Vero Massage Therapy is a local business. It's a great example of an optimized Google Business Profile as it makes it clear to LGBTQ plus and Latino communities that they are welcome at the spa because they have on their Google Business Profile LGBTQ plus friendly marks as well as how they identified as a Latino-owned business. 

I'm linking to this in the show notes so you can see it. Salon 54, which is another local business, also does a great job at this with their Google Business Profile by having key accessibility information to let all visitors or potential visitors understand their options. They've got an accessibility section on their profile, which says that salon 54 is wheelchair accessible. It has a wheelchair-accessible restroom and a wheelchair-accessible parking lot. Someone who is going to be in a wheelchair, who's going to go to the salon, can get their questions answered easily and know this business has taken the time to consider them. To activate this inclusive SEO strategy for yourself, create a Google business Profile and add the attributes that make sense for your brand based on the customers you serve.

Now I have a podcast episode for you, episode number 101 Multilingual SEO Strategies to Reach More Consumers. I've linked to it in the show notes for you, and it's got some great details on how to optimize your Google profile for multiple languages and identity groups. 

Also, on your Google profile, real customers can leave reviews of your business highlighting their experiences. When prospective customers see uncurated reviews from people like them on your profile, it gives them the confidence they need to take the next step forward with you. Now, I'm going to include an image of a review for a business called Klickr, which is a text marketing software company that has customer reviews on its Google Business profile. So one of them that got my attention was someone who wrote for their review. 

“I've been using Klickr for a few months now and I'm really impressed with the platform. It's easy to use even for, pay attention here, someone like me who isn't very tech-savvy.” 

And then she goes on and on and on with the rest of her review talking about, you know, how Klicker was useful for her. But look at the language.

“For someonelike me, it was useful.” 

So someone else who is not considering themselves very tech savvy, who's reading that review will say, okay. That review will be helpful. People like me have achieved success here.

All right. So a third component that we will walk through today on an inclusive SEO strategy is all about your brand values. 

It's to understand your brand's values and how you live those values over time. You need to be able to communicate that to the people that you want to serve. Now, HubSpot's consumer trend survey found that consumers care that companies take a stance on social issues, and 42% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand based on their commitments to diversity and inclusion, which are important values for certain consumers. 

Another research report that was a Harris poll sponsored by Google Cloud showed that 82% ofshoppers want the consumer brands that they buy from to share their values. 

Consumers want and need to know what your values are and how you practice them daily. Now, this could look like you creating content that talks about your journey to inclusion and how you build relationships with and support different communities. 

Now I think mindbodygreen is a great example of doing this successfully, especially with their blog post highlighting why they removed the word fertility from their website. They're sharing I'll drop a link to that in the show notes for you, but what I like about it is they're sharing how they've used this word in the past. They've officially changed their stance on it. They're updating their website to reflect it, and they're explaining why they did it and just bringing you along on the journey with how they're evolving.

Sephora highlights its values and its progress by highlighting its progress towards its diversity goals and it published that on its website. I'll drop a link to it. The Home Depot also communicates its lived values with content highlighting its Retool Your School program, which supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCUs. The program has existed for 15 years now, and the brand's YouTube channel even has a playlist of the impact the program has had on campuses over the years.

My advice is to implement this component of an inclusive SEO strategy by creating content that highlights your values and then continuing to publish SEO-optimized content that demonstrates how you're living your values.

Your customers won't know about your values or how you live them if you don't tell them. And it isn't bragging or being performative to talk about the work you are doing and the impact you are having on communities. 

It's an inspiring way for the people you serve to see what you're doing and holdyou accountable to your goals. Besides, the more consumers can see your commitment to causes and communities that are also important to them, the more drawn they will be to your brand. 

Remember, small tweaks can make your SEO strategy more inclusive. And any effective strategy, SEO or not, has to start byunderstanding your customers.

Acknowledge the diverse identities of your customers and work to deliver experiences through your content that satisfy the questions people with different identities might have when it comes to your brand. 

When you show them that they are important, that they are seen, that you consider them in the customer experience you deliver, and you show them how your values align, know that your conversions will increase.

That's it for today's episode. 

If you like the show and get value-added, please do share it with a friend, colleague, and your network. It does go a long way towards helping others discover the show, which I like to think helps more people practice inclusive marketing and make more people feel like they belong.

Also, do leave a rating for the show in your podcast player of choice. It also goes a long way towards helping more people discover the show and, of course, by extension, helping them practice inclusive marketing.

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If not really, like,what are you even doing? 

Each week, I send news, insights, resources, and other cool tips to help you attract a bigger, more diverse, and fiercely loyal customer base. 

Go to inclusionandmarketing.com/newsletter to get signed up. I'll also drop a link for you in the show notes to accessit easily.

Until next time, remember, everyone deserves to have a place where they belong. Let's use our individual and collective power to ensure more people feel like they do.

Thanks so much for listening.

Talk to you soon.