Black Women Marketers ®’s Post

Happy Tuesday, here's a little Marketing RANT: Ever noticed how rare it is to see big corporations featuring posts from Black creators and POC women in their social media asset banks/grids? It's baffling and honestly frustrating. Half the time, it's these creators who are behind some of the most innovative, engaging, and authentic content out there. Yet, when you scroll through the grids of major brands, their presence is conspicuously missing. And let's talk about body diversity—or the lack thereof. Especially in travel marketing, it's exhausting to see the same narrow representations over and over again. Thin white women on the beach should not be the only attention-grabbing content out there. Our world is beautifully diverse in every way, and our marketing should reflect that. We need to do better. Representation isn't just a buzzword; it's a necessity. If you're a brand, make sure you're not just talking about diversity but actually showcasing it. Let's amplify the voices and creativity of Black and POC women and give credit where it's due. It's time to reflect the world as it truly is—vibrant, diverse, and full of talent from all corners 🫶 #RepresentationMatters #DiversityInMarketing #SupportPOCCreatives #BodyDiversity #SocialMediaMarketing

WHAT DOES “LISTEN TO BLACK WOMEN” MEAN TO YOU? Here’s a reflection question for you to think about and/or journal about today. If you’re feeling REALLY reflective, and can be honest about what your actions say about what “Listen To Black Women” means to you (NOT your intentions), here’s another one for ya. HOW DO YOU HONOR BLACK WOMEN BY HOW YOU LISTEN TO US? Take some time to reflect on these questions today, and remember that, “Freedom ain’t free”! Fighting for freedom ain’t free either! It costs us, as Black women, a LOT! So if you are learning from Black women online, make sure you’re not just listening to us, but you’re investing in our offerings, to go deeper in your learning (and unlearning), and you are supporting us financially. Get more uncomfortable with benefitting from the free labor of Black women every day, as if our time, labor, knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences don’t have any value. (If they didn’t, you wouldn’t keep coming back to consume our free labor on social media every day.) It’s time to do better. For all of the Black women Educators, Activists, Content Creators, Influencers, Authors, etc., you follow online, there is ALWAYS a link on our profiles for you to take that next step, from being a consumer and extractor of our labor, to actually paying us for it. Start there! Anti-racism is not a diet. It’s a lifestyle.™️ My links are also posted in the comments here. #antiracismschoolisinsession #blackhistory365 #diversityequityinclusion #dei #socialjustice #education #workculture #womenleaders #blacklinkedin

It's National Black Business month and I'm looking to support 5 Black women with social media content in the month of August. If you are a coach or consultant who only needs captions created, I want to partner with you in this month. This means you already have graphics, templates, etc and ONLY need copy/captions written. Price would be a fraction of what my monthly retainer prices are (hence researched captions only). Turn around time for 20 pieces would be about 1 week (that's about one caption per week day for 1 month). -Must already have an established service, offer, or program, etc (meaning you're not in the testing stages, etc) -Clarity on who your target audience is and can communicate that to me (with such a quick turnaround I won't have time to figure that out for you) Content will be written for one platform of your choice (FB, IG, or LI) however, you are free to utilize it wherever it may apply. I'll create a mix of short and long form content that can be applied for either static posts or videos. (This will be your preference and will be noted in your intake form). DM me if this sounds like something you'd benefit from. Closing this offer on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. LinkedIn fam do me a favor and tag your favorite coach or consultant. I can only take on 5 women. Super excited to offer this before I get busy with other projects in Sept! Let's go! 🚀 #nationalblackbusinessmonth

🦁 FIG Friday 🦁 In 2022, I attended the ONE Million Black Women event at the Bellagio in my hometown of Las Vegas. It was a beautiful scene: Hundreds of Black women dressed to the nines, all for what appeared to be a good cause: getting ONE Million Black women to $1M in revenue. Seems noble, right? Sure. As I prowed between conversations, I landed on one that my disruptive nature couldn't help but contribute to. The speaker shared how the program curriculum was designed to help solopreneur Black women scale and grow their businesses so that they can have employees and drive greater economic impact in their respective communities. Cool. The gist of my question to the proud speaker was, "How are you preparing women for the responses they're bound to receive, stating they're only winning or receiving XXYYZZ because they're Black?" Blank stare. I rephrased. "I'm a Black woman, and I won't accept losing a business opportunity to someone else based on skin color. Especially if I know I'm more qualified and have a better offer or solution. Why should non-Black women be ok with this?" Stunned face. You see, I was out of character. As a Black woman, I'm supposed to roll with whatever the "greater" narrative is--well, that simply doesn't work for me. Another reason I am LOUDLY and PROUDLY anti-woke. I will support initiatives recognizing disparity and implement systems and processes to correct it. I will not support divisiveness under the guise of inclusion. And I certainly cannot stand by someone who is setting me up to fail or virtue signaling. And as a businesswoman, I will NEVER support anything that causes me to lose so someone else can win because of my race or gender. We shouldn't expect this from anyone. This was more than two years ago, and look at how rapidly the conversation changed. Disinvestment in DEI is on the rise, so is the resentment and people are scared to call out things they know are right. Truth is, we can do better, which is another reason why I am anti-woke, but pro-inclusion. What are your thoughts? Happy Friday.

AMAKA Studio surveyed over 600 Black women based in the U.S. and wrote a report! In a lot of our client conversations, there are several reoccurring challenges; the struggle to authentically connect with diverse young communities, uncertainty about finding the right creators, and difficulty measuring ROI on diversity-led campaigns. But diversity marketing isn't a seasonal checkbox; it's a continuous, year-round process that needs to consider creators behind the scenes, all the way to your end consumer for maximum impact. At AMAKA Studio, we've crafted a game-changing solution. We're a social publishing platform empowering Black and African creators to share and monetise their stories. Similar to Medium and Patreon, we connect brands like Nike and YouTube to diverse audiences through exclusive access to a network of Pan-African creators. We've used our platform to bring a wealth of industry data, knowledge, and insights into diverse markets. Leveraging our history of amplifying stories for Black women, by Black creators, we've curated an exclusive report, "Black Women in the United States," offering a profound understanding of the nuanced needs and preferences of this dynamic demographic. Working with Kasi Insight, we surveyed over 600 Black women based in the U.S. This isn't just a report; it's your roadmap to success in the coming year. Why You Can't Afford to Miss This: The report helps advertisers learn more about authentically engaging with Black women communities in the U.S. We spoke to Black women who are African American, U.S.-based Africans and U.S.-based Caribbeans. It consists of actionable strategies to ensure resonance with diverse communities within this demographic. What's Inside: Unlock cultural engagement strategies, optimize your media approach, and leverage the credibility of Black influencers. This report isn't just data; it's a toolkit and guide for impactful results. Your decision—download the report or not. But let's agree, rushing Black History Month campaigns this year won't cut it. Authenticity speaks louder than rushed relevance and we want our report to help brands create and publish more considered campaign strategies. Download the Report: https://bit.ly/3O0r0OC Feel free to DM me for more information! Beautiful report design by Sara Biatchinyi, one of our talented creators.

More resources for my marketing folks focused on driving authentic, culturally relevant, & intrinsically inclusive work💫 Adaora & AMAKA Studio put together an incredible, data-based report that can help you & your brand understand how to thoughtfully engage with black women audiences across the diaspora. More often than not, black women consumers are overlooked, misrepresented, and mismanaged by brands that don't understand their tastes, preferences, or values. This kind of data reporting is *critical* in bridging that gap and driving multicultural strategies that genuinely resonate. As Adaora says below, "authenticity speaks louder than rushed relevance." I can't WAIT to see the impact this drives. Amazing work🎉

When I started building AMAKA, finding tangible insights about Black women in Africa and the diaspora was so tough. The secondary data was scarce. I conducted several interviews myself (and with my sisters LOL) to help fill the gap. I promised myself that once I launched AMAKA I would dedicate time to executing annual consumer reports to help small businesses like AMAKA access a wider range of data on diverse audiences. Our community has grown to over 45,000 subscribers and followers across email and socials, and we've teamed up with the world's top brands. That's because we've been all about leveraging data to create campaigns and stories that connect with this community. That's why we rolled out "Black Women in the U.S.: Navigating Dual Cultures and Shaping Futures." We gathered insights from over 600 Black women in the US, diving deep into culture and consumer trends. While I think this should resonate with all marketers, I think it's especially beneficial for up-and-coming beauty and lifestyle businesses looking to get closer to Black women and to build more solid social campaigns and marketing plans. Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/db36pcxf Of course, if you'd like to connect and learn more about AMAKA, please feel free to DM me :)

Been asked to go on the @BBCBreakfast this morning to talk about the black experience with #technology companies... Did you know there still are no emjois relating to female black hairstyles! bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… I am amazed. But then as only 0.28% of VC tech funding goes to black women. So with almost 4000 emjois perhaps just 4 relating to this shouldn't be a problem... But... Is it as simple as #mobile technology employees being so prodominately white and male means they just don't 'see' black women. Yet in the USA black people are 14% of the population. So black women are around 7%. Not a small minority... Do they never meet black women? And who gets to decide the world's emjois... Actually its a seires of the worlds biggest tech companies and a non for profit based in San Francisco... However, with 92% of the world using them and them being perhaps the most understood communication method on the planet... Perhaps this is more important than you orginally think. A bit like the modern equivalent of not having a word in the dictionary for "dreadlocks" but even worse...

Everything starts with strategy and a dope a** team ⬇️ We, Black Women in Marketing, had to let this marinate a bit because did Beyoncé break the internet with an ad from #Verizon while simultaneously dropping two songs and launching a full campaign for ACT II during Superbowl LVIII … THAT SHE ATTENDED 🤭🏈 The divine audacity, it’s almost rude and genuinely genius. Can two things be true!? 😭 Strategy is the foundation and is the bread and butter — before you POST, CREATE, EXECUTE.. YOU NEED STRATEGY. It provides a roadmap for achieving every marketing objective. A flawless execution and rollout 👏🏾 share your thoughts!? Any ideas for Beyoncé’s ACT III 👀⬇️⬇️

PSA A lot of Black creatives, experts and consultants were hit hard during Black History Month, especially Black women, femmes, non-binary folks and disabled persons. This is a direct consequence of the attacks on equity. I’m starting to see March events for Women’s Month popping up. And I can’t help but notice the absence of Black femme experts. Please remember: 1) Black women are full women. And that includes dark-skinned, full-figured, short haired, Afro-featured, trans women, and disabled Black women. 2) Don’t let “women” stop you from being inclusive of other gender identities. As I like to say “Yes/and, not either/or.” 3) Pay equitably. I have to admit that I’ve taken a reduction for a few engagements in ways I’ve never experienced before. Yes, I understand budgets have been slashed but I also sense a regression to “prove you’re worth it” sentiment. This is the moment to catch ourselves and adjust. Note: If your company has more than one ERG group, consider organizing events together for more robust and equitable engagements. 4) Remote presentations are great AND they also take time. Be gracious with resources for prep that arises differently than in-person presentations. It also enables more flexibility and accessibility for femme folks with differing abilities and regionalities. And it’s not too late to book folks for February. We still have half a month to go! Advocate for the resources, or if you’re the decisionmaker, use your power. #equitymindset