February marks the start of Black Historical past Month (BHM), and comms departments throughout the nation will inform tales each internally and externally over the following few weeks that highlight Black excellence. This content material displays how organizations align with the lived experiences of their Black workers, audiences and stakeholders— however good communicators know that this work shouldn’t cease when the calendar flips over to March.
We spoke with content material specialists to find out about what makes a Black Historical past Month marketing campaign efficient and lasting.
Leaning on core values and the correct lens
For comms execs, impactful messaging at all times is at all times rooted in your group’s core values. In accordance with Pooja Samuel, individuals operations supervisor at EasyLlama, the secret’s viewing your people-centric comms by means of a lens that ensures the group’s core values are constantly mirrored in all content material drips.
“Making use of a lens of DE&I is form of regular and pure as somebody from a traditionally excluded group,” Samuel mentioned. “Making use of that DE&I purview to your work is the way in which to maintain the dialog rolling year-round, slightly than in simply celebration months.”
At EasyLlama, the planning for a BHM marketing campaign begins effectively upfront of the beginning of February, permitting Samuel and her group time to strategize about essentially the most impactful channels and messages to disseminate. This enables her and her group to have discussions about their BHM technique and the way it ties to wider content material efforts.
This yr, Samuel and her group’s BHM timeline is damaged up by week, with every week taking up a special subject, together with Black enterprise in the USA, Black affect on the humanities, and extra. The timeline then goes into extra element on particular posts, which channels they’ll be shared on, and when relevant, how workers can work together with them.
“I needed to make this content material timeline as a result of it’s a bigger carry than simply sending just a few Slack messages saying it’s Black Historical past Month,” she mentioned.
BHM content material can be a chance to share the on a regular basis experiences of colleagues in response to Jordan Jennings, senior director of communications and advertising at CHC: Creating More healthy Communities.
‘Communicators can proceed to uplift variety, fairness, inclusion, and belonging efforts far past Black Historical past Month–or any consciousness month for that matter,” she mentioned.
Every single day is an opportunity to share the lived experiences of key stakeholders — not simply February. A BHM marketing campaign may also transcend simply content material and transition into actions that the comms group can function. Jennings’ group is operating a “Doula Diaries” marketing campaign to help its Black Birthing Initiative, and to share the necessary work doulas do of their communities.
“We help our Black Birthing Initiative group companions and the ladies they serve all yr lengthy, past Black Historical past Month, elevating consciousness of the work and tales by means of movies, emails, stories, social media, brown bag lunches for workers and extra,” she mentioned.
“When a household in this system had a house fireplace emergency in December, our employees contributed to primary wants and one among our employees bought the objects and delivered to the household.”
A wider perspective and pushing towards motion
BHM content material would possibly solely come round annually, but it surely shouldn’t be considered in a vacuum. As a substitute, content material groups ought to hunt down Black voices inside their organizations and work to amplify the tales that matter to them.
“Black Historical past Month is about lifting under-resourced or under-heard communities,” mentioned Shalom Obisie-Orlu, communications and advertising coordinator at Creating More healthy Communities. “Think about having extra Black voices weigh in in your content material and search for methods all yr lengthy to incorporate numerous voices in your content material methods.”
Moreover, communicators can search to transcend content material drips and hold the dialog going by speaking insurance policies by means of a DE&I lens.
“Say you’re instituting a brand new pay scale,” Samuel mentioned. “We have to tie in inclusivity, fairness and transparency so everyone is aware of they’re being paid for a similar degree of labor. It doesn’t matter when you’re an individual of shade or what your sexual orientation is, you’re going to get promoted off this course of as a result of it’s most equitable. This strategy communicates inclusion and encourages a various group to develop.”
It’s additionally necessary for comms execs to comprehend that the messages and themes of Black Historical past Month don’t want to finish on March 1 —- these classes might be carried all year long. Additionally they function conduits to concrete motion.
“Constructive tales about Black Historical past Month or any consciousness or observance ought to be reworked into tangible motion each time doable,” Jennings mentioned. “At CHC, we’re not simply recognizing doula heroes throughout Black Historical past Month, we’re supporting our Black Birthing Initiative group companions and people they serve by providing steady, sensible help.”
At CHC, that help comes within the type of offering doulas with full-time salaries.
For Jennings and CHC, it’s about not simply speaking the discuss however strolling the stroll as effectively.
“None of us need our group to easily promote throughout observance months however not consider our inner practices,” she added. “We ought to be intentional internally earlier than going exterior.”
Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports activities, a great pint and ’90s trivia night time.
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