Creating More Inclusive Youtube Content That Matters

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Creating More Inclusive Youtube Content That Matters 

As the George Floyd protests grew, this returned attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. The focus was on ameliorating systemic racism and inequality in many countries based on race. The cultural representation can be blunted or hidden when supported by norms of a biased and discriminatory community. YouTube is not spared, as hereto YouTube marketing must take note of the changing demands. 

Such matters for a platform such as YouTube. At the heart of computer science is algorithms. Algorithms are applied to social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and others. Learned calculations are made by the service providers based on our behavior.  Such includes systemic racism, which is then embedded into the platform. Marketers need to note that applying such patterns can lead to a loss of their audience. The audience might feel not recognized. It is therefore vital to crafting authentic, inclusive, and diverse content. This implies that the marketer must go deeper than their current market research to grasp the audience’s thoughts and needs. Therefore, the focus should be on diversity, namely, demographic factors such as gender, age, and sexual orientation, with the focus always on inclusivity, namely, how the contributions of others are valued. 

Why does this matter for the marketer? 

YouTube marketing is an important tool, especially for a small business that promotes its content in the viral domain. Besides this, media being a powerful tool in digital marketing, often used for learning and documenting our events, can also influence the perceptions of others. The media can also be used to marginalize others through stereotyping. More so, the media can assist in bringing about change, better reflecting the community, being free from systemic bias. 

However, there is more than merely a moral benefit. Removing stereotyping and increasing diversity is not beneficial only for the community − it can also prove beneficial for the marketer. This will be so if the material is disseminated to a wider audience. Such a proliferation can lead not only to more views but potentially to increased revenue. This may be accomplished, for instance, simply by using a diverse cast.

How can your YouTube channel be more inclusive? 

Do provide an opportunity for all, especially for those who are traditionally underrepresented. This can be done by allowing a visual representation of different groups, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. More so, you can create greater diversity and inclusivity through the use of equity-driven models. In such models, equality is evaluated on its fairness and equal treatment of everyone.

To ensure your media is diverse and inclusive, from the content that you are promoting, the talent you are using, and the behind-the-scenes team, try considering the following: 

• Can you say that you have looked at multiple perspectives as well as cultures other than your own? 

• Is your work repeating stereotypes, or is it addressing such issues? 

• What does your channel tell people about yourself? 

• When people view your channel, do they see a diversity of the talent used, including representation in terms of animations and different identities? 

• What engagement, as well as support do you provide for other creators? 

• Have you reached out to others who are at various career stages?  And do you support other creators from underrepresented backgrounds? 

• Are you making an effort to educate yourself on the perspectives of marginalized people?

• When you produce your content, do you aim for a diverse audience, or is your focus narrow, culturally biased content? 

• How diverse is your team, especially the behind-the-camera team, in terms of reflecting the demographics?  Or do you only cater to a narrow population? 

For more information about how your YouTube content marketing can be more inclusive, thereby reaching a wider market, talk to one of our digital marketers.  Or contact us for help with your YouTube marketing strategy.