Count On Coffey

Inclusive marketing is more than a communications tactic—it's a commitment to ensuring that all people have equitable access to the health information they need. And in healthcare, where timely, relevant communication can directly affect health outcomes, inclusive strategies are essential.

Yet too often, inclusivity is reduced to stock photography and watered-down word choices. Authentic inclusion reaches deeper. It involves understanding your unique community needs, reflecting diverse lived experiences and removing barriers to access—whether linguistic, cultural, digital or economic. In short, it's about meeting people where they are and ensuring that they feel seen, understood and empowered.

Why it matters

Inclusivity is especially critical in healthcare, where access to information about preventive care, early detection and life-enhancing treatments can mean the difference between wellness and worsening outcomes. And despite the fact that multicultural consumers now make up nearly 40% of the U.S. population, only 5.2% of total advertising budget goes toward multicultural media. This imbalance isn't just a missed opportunity—it's a contributing factor to persistent disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.

Inclusive marketing challenges us to reconsider who our messages are reaching—and who is missing. It means crafting content in plain language, offering materials in multiple languages and designing campaigns that resonate with real people's lives. It also means examining where we place those messages. If we're only using traditional channels, we may be overlooking platforms and networks that are more trusted and frequented by underrepresented communities.

How to get started

This work starts internally first. Embed inclusivity into your marketing operations—not as a side project, but as a standard. That includes engaging diverse voices in campaign development, aligning creativity with cultural insights and assessing reach through an equity lens. It also includes fostering internal awareness among key stakeholders of how communication decisions can support or hinder health equity goals.

Inclusive marketing isn't about political correctness—it's about public health impact. It's also about making sure that patients, caregivers and providers have the information they need to make informed decisions. It's about using your marketing budget not only to grow your brand, but also to close the gaps in health outcomes that continue to affect too many.

By bringing inclusive principles into strategy and operations, healthcare marketers can build trust, support healthier communities and reach more patients—helping them get the care they need when they need it most.

Categories: Marketing