Three ways to turn your brand into a better ally using social media

“Allyship is not a single action. It is ongoing action, with a focus on other people, not on yourself.” – unknown.

Would you consider yourself as an ally to marginalised groups? What about your business or the business you work for? For oppressed people, it’s one of their top priorities to ensure their struggles are recognised and empathised with, whether that is by their closest friends or the businesses they use.

Living in the digital age, it is easier than ever to join in with essential social movements and causes, contributing to conversations to help them expand and become more normalised. With this comes the niche and tricky concept of businesses joining in on these discussions; however, this isn’t always well received. 

Unfortunately for members of underrepresented groups, their struggles only become the focus at intervals or when relevant events become newsworthy. This results in many people becoming ‘allies’ when the timing is convenient, without understanding the reasons behind the movement they claim to support. All businesses should educate themselves on the true meaning of allyship and consider what they can improve on to help those who need it the most, both for their workforce and customers.

Allyship defined
An ally is a person or organisation that actively supports the rights of a minority or marginalised group without being a member of it. For example, white people can be allies to black people, and straight people can be allies to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Allyship is crucial for any social movement as it provides extra voices from varying perspectives, allowing more people to recognise and call out injustices or instances of prejudice. Don’t feel overwhelmed by all this – you don’t have to know everything to be an effective ally.

Here are just three ways to turn your brand into a better ally using social media.

Educate yourself
In almost any aspect of life, education is critical; in this case, it is no exception. The first step to becoming a better ally through your business's social media is to ensure you are educated enough on the matter. For example, consider looking further into movements or events to understand their significance and provide beneficial context.

Also, consider why you want to show support. Perhaps you have loved ones who are members of a marginalised group, or maybe you wish to become a more inclusive brand. Regardless of your reason, I highly recommend delving deeper into the issue. If you are unsure where to begin, there are so many fantastic resources you can find online to get you started, such as: A Guide to Becoming a Better Ally, Why it is Essential to Support Ethnic Minorities, and How to be an LGBTIQ+ Ally.

Amplify marginalised voices
If you have close friends, family or even employees in your business who are members of marginalised groups, their experiences can help provide you with some contextual guidance. So, consider approaching them and letting them know that you wish to speak out on something that relates directly to them. However, when doing this, ensure you make it clear that you are not asking them to do the work for you but rather provide their perspective and ensure your commentary is accurate and appropriate.

As well as this, consider how your other social posts, unrelated to these movements, model inclusive language. Steer clear of gender pronouns, sticking to more neutral terms, and use imagery or photos of mixed ethnicities, abilities, etc. Also, when uploading any videos, include closed captions so that deaf people can understand and enjoy your content.

Avoid saviourism and provide practical pointers
However you choose to show solidarity, you should avoid presenting yourself as a saviour to oppressed people. You should speak out against injustice wherever possible, but this is, bluntly put, the bare minimum. So, when doing so, try not to present yourself as a hero and instead provide valuable and supportive information via your social media channels.

Ensure you steer clear of performative allyship, which refers to those who speak out against injustice for their own benefit. To avoid coming off as disingenuous, consider sharing or uploading useful resources and support groups for those who may need them most, as well as petitions and educational articles. Essentially, make sure you are speaking up for the right reasons and allow your followers to learn (and act) from your post.

Practising allyship isn’t easy. It requires effort, action and organisational investment. Remember that although campaigns may only last for a day or a month, discrimination and prejudice represent a daily reality for many people. Being an ally is about so much more than being vocal when a hashtag is trending. If you have a genuine desire to drive positive change and influence others, do your best to show your support all year round – not only on social media but in everyday life.

Why not share this post with your network so that others can benefit from our pointers on how to be better allies? By working together, we can educate, inspire and support.

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