{"id":17532,"date":"2021-11-29T15:08:10","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/us\/inclusive-language-marketing-2"},"modified":"2021-11-29T15:08:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T15:08:10","slug":"inclusive-language-in-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/us\/inclusive-language-in-marketing","title":{"rendered":"Want to perfect your inclusive language in marketing? Here\u2019s how."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In our last post on inclusive language<\/a>, we looked at examples of brands using gender inclusive language.<\/strong> Now let’s look at how you can approach making your language more inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a living, shifting thing. So sometimes the language we use without thinking excludes groups of people from it. We don\u2019t mean it, but if we don\u2019t challenge it, we perpetuate the problem. Language is so powerful – it can confirm harmful stereotypes or appear to legitimise discrimation. Or, used differently, it can change attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you start looking for it, you see discriminatory language is everywhere. Some languages (like French, which I grew up speaking) apply binary gender to everything by default. Others use \u2018man\u2019 or \u2018he\u2019 as the default (policeman, chairman). Many everyday phrases have their origins in racism (master\/slave is still commonly used in computing, for example) or other harmful systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s so much terminology that people don\u2019t think about. But we have to think about it. My attitude is always that if you don\u2019t know you\u2019re using harmful language, you\u2019re not at fault, the first time. But once you do know, you have a responsibility to learn and adapt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re reading this post, you probably have an open mind about how language could and should be more inclusive. After all, in marketing and social media, a large part of our job is to use the right words to communicate, to broaden (not limit) our audiences. The way language changes over time is fascinating, too – so being open to changing could take you on a really interesting journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many resources out there to help you learn about inclusive language. From UN guidelines on gender-inclusive language<\/a> to the Conscious Style Guide<\/a>, which breaks down language by category (and has a regular newsletter to keep you up to date), there are plenty of places you can visit to increase your knowledge about language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I challenged one of my favourite brands recently, when it sent me a newsletter which included the phrase \u2018s\/he\u2019. That excludes anyone who doesn\u2019t use \u2018she\u2019 or \u2018he\u2019 pronouns, AND it\u2019s impossible to say. \u2018They\u2019 is a much more inclusive term (and if you\u2019re worried about the grammar, you\u2019ll be pleased to know \u2018they\u2019 has been used to denote both singular and plural<\/a> in the English language since 1375, in the same way we use \u2018you\u2019). The brand listened, and adapted its language – that\u2019s an amazing example of a brand that was willing to hear from its community, and change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about how you address your community, what signifiers you use. There are some easy switches you can make right away. \u2018Hey guys\u2019 could become \u2018hey everyone\u2019, or \u2018hey y\u2019all\u2019. \u2018She\u2019 and \u2018he\u2019 become \u2018they\u2019. A policeman becomes a police officer. A master bedroom becomes the largest bedroom, or ensuite. A \u2018Christian name\u2019 becomes a \u2018first name\u2019. Asking someone what pronouns they use is a really simple thing to do (and respect their answer). <\/p>\n\n\n\n These are all small steps that help you think about the impact language could have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Language is constantly evolving, and is endlessly fascinating. Knowing the right things to say now doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll be right in the future, so keep researching and learning, and adapt your language as terms change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Inclusivity isn\u2019t about restricting your language, but about growing it and have inclusive language in your marketing and putting it at the heart of your brand.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In our last post on inclusive language, we looked at examples of brands using gender inclusive language. Now let’s look at how you can approach making your language more inclusive. We all tend to use language we\u2019ve grown up with, that\u2019s familiar. But language changes. It\u2019s a living, shifting thing. So sometimes the language we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWe all tend to use language we\u2019ve grown up with, that\u2019s familiar. But language changes. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It can feel like a challenge – where do you start, if you\u2019re a brand trying to use more inclusive language in marketing, and how do you avoid making mistakes? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Communities evolve – listen to how yours might be changing. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n