Black history month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.
The origin of Black History Month can be traced back to 1915. An organization by the name ASALH(Association for the Study of African American Life and History), led by Harvard-educated history Carter G. Woodson was formed. Woodson desperately wanted to spread information about black life, history, and culture to the global community. ASALH is dedicated to researching and celebrating all things Black Americans and other people of African descent. Through the ups and downs of the twentieth century, it was commonly presumed that black people had little history besides the subjugation of slavery. However, this is not the case. Black people have significantly impacted the development of the social, political, and economic structures of many countries around the world.
Now, I’m sure many of you already fully acknowledge and incorporate Black History Month in your marketing, however, that in itself is just the first step.
The Importance of Diversity in Marketing
While acknowledging and celebrating Black History Month is a great first step, the importance of supporting Black-own businesses is even more necessary. Organizations and/or companies such as ours, here at SA Collective have an inclusive and diverse workforce. This promotes stronger ideas, genuine customer engagement, and higher financial gains. Which in turn, allows a company to develop deeper connections with their consumers, and build a palpable brand sentiment.
It takes more than just showing up on social media posts – your company culture matters too. Your brand should hold the same values externally and internally.
And don’t forget that it takes more than just showing up on social – your company culture matters too. Your brand should hold the same values externally and internally. Here at SA Collective, we pride ourselves in just, exactly that. We want to help broaden your idea of expanding your business and/or organization in order to reach new heights.
Pass the Mic
The idea behind “Pass The Mic” is to utilize your platform to elevate and amplify black stories- in their own words. This would be an opportunity for bigger organizations and companies to support from the sidelines. If you have any black/ African American employees that have inspiring stories to share, businesses to promote, or have played a huge part in helping your business grow, this is a great time to pass the mic.
Furthermore, when different voices are shared within a company it can open up your brand to other audiences. Audiences that before could not relate to your brand or probably just did not see the point in supporting it.
How to participate?
With all that being said, the next question you should ask yourself is, what’s next? Simple! You can take the next step in your own companies by hosting Instagram Stories takeovers, where these black own businesses use your platform to spread their message and speak about their personal experience or even promote their own non-profit organization and/or business. You can write blogs about black/ African history or you can even release a new collection dedicated to this specific month. There are many creative ways to market and show your support to Black