Inclusive Narratives: Practical Application of DEI in Communication and Messaging.

'I want to be known, seen and heard ’ - every one of us. 

Personalisation in communication is borne out of respect and empathy for customers you know. Knowing and utilising your customers’ ethno-, psychographs, and demographics in communication is fundamental to #personalisation and strengthening customer connectivity. It is important we understand that celebration and grief are universal human emotions and in most instances, are deeply representational; while we may choose to not acknowledge them, they remain relevant in fostering #customerconnections.

"The desire for recognition is a fundamental human impulse." - Axel Honneth

In non-digital and digital communication channels (emails, push notifications, posters, in-app notifications, etc), personalisation is how we apply the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (#dei) and in this article, we will explore the value of empowering customers to choose their preferences to receive communication for certain holidays - religious celebrations like Christmas, Eids, Hanukkah, Nirvana as well as cultural events such as Pride, and cherished familial occasions such as Mothers', Fathers' Day. 

***Imagine these verbatims with different customer segments:

Customer A: Father’s Day texts make it harder to deal with the loss.

Your brand: I heard nothing you just said so I’ll keep sending them every other year.

Customer B: Unwanted campaigns raise doubts about my parental control over my child's sexual orientation resources.

Your brand: Still does not matter so I’ll keep sending them your way.

We may need to make a buzzword out of `compassionate messaging’ soon.  Just maybe. 

Respect in communication requires actively listening (check your unsubscription lists and Voice / Actions of Customers’ reports for insights), valuing different perspectives, and acknowledging these varying experiences. By recognising and accommodating individual #preferences, we enhance customer satisfaction and foster more #inclusive and personalised communication experiences. 

Why Personalised Compassionate Messaging? 

• Your customers are not `points of sales’ and your responsiveness to their needs should go beyond what immediately affects the numbers. 
• Personalisation of email content can lead up to a 14% increase in call-to-action button clicks - Aberdeen Group. 
• According to research by Experian, personalized subject lines can increase open rates by 29%
• Driving customer lifetime value (CLV) through customer loyalty and retention is definitely more beneficial to your business than expending more customer acquisition costs (CAC). Simply put, keeping your customers happy makes your business more money. 
• A study by Epsilon found that personalized emails generate 18 times more revenue compared to generic mass emails.
• A survey conducted by Infosys found 59% of customers say that personalization influences their shopping decisions.

How can your business do better? 

1. Opt-In Approach: Instead of assuming that everyone wants to receive these types of communication, provide an opt-in option. This is a proactive customer experience design. This approach ensures that communications are received by those who actively seek them, respecting their preferences and boundaries.
2. Awareness: Go beyond generic greetings and messages. Personalise the content to reflect the specific event and its significance - this could be a great teaching moment. Avoid assumptions and generalisations while acknowledging the diversity of beliefs, traditions, and family structures associated with the event. Doing this shows respect for the unique experiences of your customers and creates a more meaningful connection.
3. Opt-Out Option: To honor recipients' autonomy and choices, provide easy, clear, and accessible options to opt out of receiving these communications. This ensures the freedom to decide which communications they wish to receive. I recommend your opt-out page provides a checklist to choose the preferred content to be received and also, analysing the reasons they select for opting out. See some examples - Uncommongoods and Feals.

1. Leveraging Psychographics: Customers have limited control over this, reinforcing the importance of your brand's empathetic approach to design, positioning, language, and more. Being considerate in your communication is crucial as it is costly and inconvenient to make changes. No one wants to be faced with the need to remove a billboard after it's already up.
2. Linked Opt-In Opt-Out Automation: Meticulously plan the automated communication journeys for opt-out and opt-in scenarios. It’s incomplete if your customer opts out of Eid campaigns for religious reasons but gets a follow-up email on the Ramadan fast observance. I recommend creating #journeymapping and an opt-in trigger to confirm interest in other related communications.

On a final note, the cost of acquiring a new customer is about 5-25 times more than retaining your existing ones. That’s more motivation to listen to yours.