Inclusion and Marketing
Sonia Thompson
Attract, convert, and retain a bigger, more diverse, and fiercely loyal customer base with inclusive marketing strategies that fuel business growth. Inclusion & Marketing is hosted by Sonia Thompson — inclusive marketing strategist, consultant, and columnist for Forbes, Inc., and HubSpot — and gives you practical strategies to infuse inclusion into every stage of your customer journey, from customer acquisition and conversion to customer loyalty and customer success. Through solo deep dives, expert interviews, and behind-the-scenes case studies with top brands, you’ll learn how to create customer experiences that resonate with underrepresented and underserved communities — and drive business growth. Part of the HubSpot Podcast Network.What you’ll hear:
How to build internal systems that support inclusive marketing — so your campaigns are authentic from the inside out.
How to deliver marketing campaigns, communications, and customer experiences that win more customers — including people from underrepresented and underserved communities.
What’s working (and what isn’t) for brands today as they try to effectively engage today’s consumer.
If you’re asking these questions, you’re in the right place:
How do I deliver authentic marketing that actually converts more customers?
How can I grow my customer base in today’s diverse marketplace?
How do I effectively engage underrepresented and underserved customer groups?
How do I connect inclusive marketing directly to business growth and results?
How to build internal systems that support inclusive marketing — so your campaigns are authentic from the inside out.
How to deliver marketing campaigns, communications, and customer experiences that win more customers — including people from underrepresented and underserved communities.
What’s working (and what isn’t) for brands today as they try to effectively engage today’s consumer.
If you’re asking these questions, you’re in the right place:
How do I deliver authentic marketing that actually converts more customers?
How can I grow my customer base in today’s diverse marketplace?
How do I effectively engage underrepresented and underserved customer groups?
How do I connect inclusive marketing directly to business growth and results?
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 15, 2022 • 13min
7. What happens to people most brands exclude
Brands have power. Your consumer wants to see a reflection of themselves in your marketing. They want to be treated equally, not discriminated against for any pre-existing conditions. In this episode, I share my journey of finding health insurance after quitting my full-time job and going freelance and my struggles of getting affordable coverage due to my pre-existing condition.I also cover examples with Unilever, my husband Jonathan’s experiences, and the ADA.What is the impact on the people who have the problem that your business solves who can’t achieve the process of the transformation you deliver because they can’t access it?Get the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Feb 8, 2022 • 24min
6. How to build an employer brand that attracts and retains a representative team with Desiree Booker
In this week's episode, I interview Desiree about how a company’s brand and DEI (Diversity Equity, and Inclusion) must be considered and developed to create a positive employee experience.Company culture has shifted away from “you’re lucky to have this job,” and instead given a lot more control to the employee. Desiree and I go over what companies need to think about to attract ideal talent and then retain them.We go over:
The importance of investing in the candidate and employee experience
How creating a good company culture can directly impact your employee's ability to deliver their best work and be their best selves
How to balance social proof without doing it in a performative way
Is it important to think about all different levels of employees (full-time, part-time, contractors, etc.)?
Get the episode transcriptGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Feb 1, 2022 • 35min
5. Strategies to build a brand that serves a broader group of customers with Tevia Celli
Tevia has been in the fitness business for 18+ years, and in today’s episode, I talk to her about her role in creating a more inclusive space in the fitness world.We cover:What inclusive means in the fitness world, price inclusivity, location inclusivity, and how all of those play a factor in Tevia’s businessTevia’s experience running her own Cycling Studio and how she broke down norms by bringing on a more unique set of instructors than what the industry standard used to beHow CycleBar creates a community bound by inclusivity specifically by working outside of the studio wallsCycleBars work in fundraising for different causes including MS, environmental damaged areas, and riders who are in needGet the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Jan 25, 2022 • 17min
4. My origin story: How & why I became an inclusive marketing strategist
As you can probably tell in the title of today's episode- I'm sharing a bit more about me and how I became an Inclusive Marketing Strategist. I share my journey through multiple different corporate jobs, at places like Inc and Johnson & Johnson, and how those jobs taught me the importance of inclusion. I open up about some of the tough moments that really shaped who I am today.Along with my career path, I also cover my travels across the globe: my journey to China and India, as well as my experiences in South America and a few of the details of my love story!Thank you so much for listening, and being a part of this ongoing journey. If you enjoyed today's episode please consider sharing this episode or rating it below!Get the episode transcriptJoin the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Jan 18, 2022 • 13min
3. Yesterday's customers are not today's customers. Here's why
The future is more diverse than it has ever been, which means the makeup of the people your business serves is shifting.In this episode, I go over how to translate the changing demographics of the day-to-day world into your business marketing.Together lets reimagine who your Ideal Customer Avatar is to be more inclusive to all, not just to the “typical” customer that businesses spent decades focusing on.Get the episode transcript hereGet the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Jan 18, 2022 • 26min
2. Is diversity a distraction to business? With Antoine Andrews
In this episode, I interview Antoine Andrews, who has been in the diversity field for almost 20 years and is currently the Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer at Momentive (formally known as Survey Monkey).We cover:
The research done on diversity on Momentive
The shift in consciousness he's noticed over the last 15-18 months
What he believes is most important to gain from the research
What he thinks is most important for businesses to focus on moving forward
Get the episode transcript hereJoin the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Jan 18, 2022 • 14min
1. Why it's not enough to just add seats to your table (and what to do instead)
Welcome to the first episode of the Inclusion and Marketing Podcast! In this episode, I cover what inclusivity really is.It’s 2022, and it’s time for every business owner to know how important it is to completely redefine their rules. Gone were the days where just adding a seat to the table is enough. One size does not fit all.Join me on this journey as I dig deeper into not only how to be more inclusive, but why it is the future of business marketing.Get the episode transcript hereJoin the Inclusion & Marketing newsletter
Jan 6, 2022 • 38sec
Inclusion & Marketing podcast trailer
Welcome to the Inclusion & Marketing Podcast! Here is a snippet of the first few minutes of the very first episode, titled When It's Not Enough To Just Add Seats To The Table (And What To Do Instead), releasing on Tuesday, January 18th!If you would like to connect with me and learn more about how I can help your brand with revamping its marketing to be completely inclusive:Join the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter
