This document discusses how to make digital marketing and SEO authentically LGBTQ+ inclusive. It recommends marketing outside of Pride Month, working directly with LGBTQ+ creators and organizations, and identifying specific target audiences within the LGBTQ+ community rather than treating it as a monolith. Case studies show how Jägermeister supported lesbian bars and a gay outdoor club increased membership through targeted digital campaigns. The key is representing LGBTQ+ consumers authentically as they are already part of most audiences.

1. Beyond Pride: Making Digital
Marketing and SEO
Authentically LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Cameron Wildridge
OUT Loud

2. About Me
Cameron, he/him pronouns
Digital Marketing, Content &
PR Executive at OUT Loud
Works on Social, Paid search,
Influencer, Organic Search,
and more!
#brightonSEO

3. What I’m Talking About
Today
•Ways in which digital
marketing can fail to
be LGBT+ inclusive
•Why this matters
•Recommendations
for a better approach
•Case studies
#brightonSEO

4. What Comes to Mind When I
Say ‘LGBT+ Inclusive
Advertising’?
#brightonSEO

6. RAINBOW-WASHING
#brightonSEO

7. #brightonSEO

8. Clearly, a Better Approach is
Needed…
#brightonSEO

9. Why Does LGBT+ Inclusion
Matter?
#brightonSEO

10. Audiences Respond to
Brand Values
61% of consumers
want to see diversity
in advertising
Sources: Adobe #brightonSEO

11. Audiences Respond to
Brand Values
70% of Millennials say
they would choose a
brand over a
competitor if it
demonstrates
inclusivity
#brightonSEO

12. Your Audience Are
Already Diverse!
The LGBT+ community feature
in just 3% of adverts, despite
making up at least 6% of the UK.
Trans people appear in just
0.3% of advertisements, despite
being 1% of the population
Sources: Channel 4, Gallup
#brightonSEO

13. Your Audience Are
Already Diverse!
1 in 10 millenials identify
as lesbian, bi, gay, trans,
or queer.
20% of US Gen-Zs
identify as LGBT+
Sources: Channel 4, Gallup
#brightonSEO

14. LGBT+ Inclusive Digital
Marketing
#brightonSEO

15. Market
Outside of
Pride
Month
#brightonSEO

16. Work Directly
with LGBT+
Creators and
Organisations
#brightonSEO

17. Working With
Charities: Converse
Pride Collection
#brightonSEO

18. Remember
That the
LGBT+
Community is
not a
Monolith#brightonSEO

19. Sometimes the
more inclusive
thing to do isn’t
the same as
abstracted ‘best
practice’
#brightonSEO

20. Don’t Limit
LGBT+ Content
to Existing in
LGBT+
Targeted
Content
#brightonSEO

21. CASE STUDY: Jägermeister
and the Lesbian Bar Project
#brightonSEO

22. Context
Lesbian Bar Project
created in 2020 to
"celebrate, support,
and preserve the
remaining lesbian
bars in the US”
#brightonSEO

23. Context
Produced in
collaboration with
Jägermeister
#brightonSEO

24. The Campaign
Jägermeister
launched
#savethenight to
raise money for
nightlife workers that
had been impacted
by the pandemic
#brightonSEO

25. The Campaign
Creation of a short
documentary in
2021, as well as a
streaming
documentary series
in 2022
#brightonSEO

26. The Campaign
Three-city bar tour in
2022
Metaverse experience
#brightonSEO

27. Outcome
$200k raised for
bar workers
#brightonSEO

28. Outcome
2021 film won two
webby's, an ANA award,
and was presented at The
Library of Congress for
the US Congress Equity
Caucus. It was acquired
by AMC + / Sundance TV
for streaming
#brightonSEO

29. Outcome
Coverage in outlets
specifically aimed at
LGBT+ women, LGBT+
people in general, and
non-LGBT focused
publications
#brightonSEO

30. What Can We Learn?
Identify specific
target group
within the LGBT+
community
#brightonSEO

31. What Can We Learn?
Work with existing
organizations
already in the
community
#brightonSEO

32. What Can We Learn?
Working ‘with the
community’ means
wider coverage, both
in LGBT+ targeted
media and general
media
#brightonSEO

33. What Can We Learn?
Even though
focused on
physical spaces,
digital marketing
allowed for far
wider audience
#brightonSEO

34. CASE STUDY: Gay Outdoor
Club
#brightonSEO

35. Context
UK-based non-profit
facilitating sports and
outdoor activities for
LGBT+ people
#brightonSEO

36. Context
Wanted to increase
membership through
digital marketing
campaign
#brightonSEO

37. Context
Older demographic
(50+)
#brightonSEO

38. The Campaign
Identified Facebook
as platform most
likely to use
#brightonSEO

39. The Campaign
Not able to target by
orientation, so used
‘proxy interests’
#brightonSEO

40. The Campaign
Also created
campaign specifically
aimed at LGBT+
women, as
membership body
skewed towards men
#brightonSEO

41. The Campaign
Outcome: 3,600+
member signups
#brightonSEO

42. What Can We Learn?
Identifying specific
target audience
beyond just
‘LGBT+ people’,
identifying the
platform they were
most likely to use
#brightonSEO

43. What Can We Learn?
Using creative
made by LGBT+
people improved
reception
#brightonSEO

44. What Can We Learn?
Moderation is
something to keep
in mind when
creating LGBT+
specific campaigns
#brightonSEO

45. Tl;dr
Pride Month Only
‘Rainbow
washing’/’pinkwas
hing’ comes across
negatively to
much of LGBT+
audience
#brightonSEO

46. Tl;dr
LGBTQ+ consumers
are hungry for
marketing that
represents them
fairly and
authentically – they
are already part of
your audience!
#brightonSEO

47. Tl;dr
Work directly
with LGBT+
creators and
organisations
#brightonSEO

48. Tl;dr
Identify specific
target market
beyond ‘LGBT+’
#brightonSEO

49. Tl;dr
Have flexibility
with best
practices if it
makes content
more inclusive
#brightonSEO

50. Beyond Pride: Making Digital
Marketing and SEO
Authentically LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Cameron Wildridge
OUT Loud