Being a bad girl is still taboo, especially in the Black community. Black women are reared to be respectable, likeable and twice as good as our white counterparts. But the pressure of that reality is taxing on us, even when we refuse to admit it.
When it comes to marketing strategies, Black women are generally incessant rule followers. We buy all the books, listen to the top (usually white) gurus and follow their surefire success plans to the tee. Often negating the unique approach our own voice or marketing perspective would bring to the table. This leads to bland campaigns that look like everyone else in the marketplace, and little to no return on our advertising investments.
Time out for that! We deserve to see big results when it comes to marketing. And the best way to do that is to rebel against the status quo and get a little dirty for a change. Here’s how being a bad girl can revitalize your marketing efforts.
Stop Running Away From Color
Stop denying your blackness when it comes to creating and launching marketing strategies. The easiest way to lose in the marketing game is to deny facts and reality. So many Black women shy away from marketing campaigns that look too Black, feminine, ethnic, bold, colorful etc. The fear is these types of advertisements will run away potential customers who don’t fit these categories, or are turned off by certain types of media. As a result, we sterilize, whitewash and aesthetically neutralize our content so it appears to be more inclusive to broader audiences.
Here’s the problem with that approach.
When you deny your unique perspective, you automatically deny access to prospects with whom your messaging would have resonated. Just think about it. How often do white men spin their wheels about making their businesses appear less white or male centered? The answer is NEVER. Unless they’re masquerading behind businesses that serve Black women like Black-owned-looking hair care product lines. But even those white men understand the power of forwardly-Black marketing campaigns. They know that color sells products and services. Even when they deny seeing color in the first place. So stop, whitewashing your brand and boldly market to your audience.
Say It With Your Chest
This almost goes hand in hand with injecting color back into your marketing collateral. Use verbiage and colloquialisms specific to you and your audience. Think of all the big brands who use slang and “ghetto” language to sell their products. They’ve found a way to make African-American Vernacular English mainstream, popular and sellable. And they aren’t even African American! Meanwhile, goody two shoes, Black women are trying their best to sell products and services with the good queen’s English. Stop that! Talk to your audience in a way that resonates with them. Even if it’s shunned by other skinfolk.
Reject Gender Biases
Acting “like a lady” keeps a lot of Black women in our shells. We think that making bold statements and claims and launching loud and bold campaigns somehow strips us of or innate femininity. In fact, this very notion undergirds the platforms of many Black male podcast gurus who position themselves as femininity experts. Couple that with our tendency to play meek and mild in white spaces and it’s a no brainer why your branding and marketing campaigns lack the it factor. So instead of believing the hype, lean into messaging that’s authentic to your brand’s voice regardless of gender expectations and/or prejudices.
Be Disruptive
If you ever got in trouble for talking too much in school, then this final bad girl marketing tip naturally resides within you. It’s the art of disrupting the mundane. Just think about all the times you passed notes or whispered during quiet time as an adolescent. More often than not, you had completed your work and found yourself extremely bored. So you created entertainment with a conversation. The marketing industry needs this same type of disruption. And there’s no one more fit to do just that than an educated (life and/or book smart) Black woman who’s done the work but finds herself bored with what’s already out there. Speak up and have the conversations that need to be had even when everyone else is quiet.