About Talia Whyte

Posts by Talia Whyte:

Pride Is About Authentic Accountability

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Another LGBT Pride Month is about to come to a close, and, of course, we have been bombarded with rainbow flags on social media profiles and “pride” branded merchandise.  It is a great thing that society has progressed that Corporate America is open to celebrating the LGBT experience.

However, I have many thoughts and concerns about this.

I think there is a lot of hypocrisy with some of the individuals and organizations sending out pride well-wishes.  The most obvious one is Trump sending out a pro-LGBT tweet earlier this month when his administration is actively discriminating against transgender soldiers in the military and forbidding U.S. embassies around the world from flying the rainbow flag.  Or the National Security Agency (NSA) putting out a pro-pride tweet when this agency, along with the FBI and CIA, has a long, prolific history of surveillance or blackmail in the LGBT community.

But even companies assumed to be gay-friendly are problematic like YouTube, which got backlash earlier this month for not banning racist and homophobic attacks on a gay YouTuber.  And there are dozens of other companies that are also questionable when it comes to their true allegiances.

I think Corporate America has been gravitating to “pride marketing” for several reasons:

  1. It’s trendy, and it helps companies get noticed
  2. LGBT people are everywhere in every race, ethnicity, religion, income, geographic location, and most importantly, they have spending dollars
  3. Homophobia is seen by Corporate America as an easier form of discrimination to fight against, unlike other types of bias that come with heavy, historical baggage like racism, anti-Semitism, or Islamaphobia, xenophobia, etc.

And quickly frankly, it is easy to do; anyone can put a rainbow flag on their logo temporarily and give the false, superficial impression to the world that they are pro-LGBT without having to be accountable for why they are doing it.  Also, some of these companies will even conflate other marginalized groups and their issues under the rainbow flag.

No one can’t ever accuse us of being anti-immigrant, sexist, or racist because we have pride written in bright, rainbow colors on our website! – Corporate America

We in the black community has been complaining about this hijacking of Black History Month for similar reasons.  Many companies purchase large advertisements in major black publications like Essence, Ebony, or Black Enterprise for the February editions to “celebrate” the achievements and advancements made by African-Americans. And, yet, most of these companies, especially the tech companies, have very few, if any, black employees.  And if they do have a black employee, it’s usually their token black “chief of diversity” or someone else who doesn’t have a decision-making, leadership role within the organization. The company trots out this type of person only to sell the idea of workforce diversity, not the actual work behind making real workforce diversity happen.  I have written previously about why these chiefs of diversity/inclusion/community relation/etc. positions are a joke.

I hope the LGBT community goes back to all of these companies on July 1 when the rainbow flag and pride logos and merchandise go away and hold them accountable.  First, they should ask these companies what are they really doing about LGBT equality.  While our society has made strides with making marriage equality a reality, LGBT people can still be fired from a job or denied housing because there are still no federal laws protecting them.  Gay and bisexual men still can’t be blood donors.  Second, what are these companies doing to safeguard intersectional LGBT folks?  How are they protecting LGBT people who may also be immigrants or Muslims?  What are they doing to protect LGBT people of color who might have a negative interaction with the police or criminal justice system?  What about LGBT veterans or LGBT people with disabilities?  If these companies are not doing anything about these issues, then they are not authentic, accountable allies.

Waving a rainbow flag is just not enough anymore!

What’s really sad about this is that most of these companies don’t even know what the Stonewall Uprising was, which is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year. The Stonewall demonstrators in 1969 just wanted the right to exist.  I think that is a simple request.

Dominique Jackson Living Her Truth

As many of you already know,  I am a big fan of Pose, the wonderfully groundbreaking FX show about the 1980s gay ballroom scene in New York.  Dominique Jackson, the actress who plays Elektra, a Dominique Deveraux-inspired “ball mother” who makes her sex change official in the show’s first season.

I found this video about her on YouTube.  I like her, even more, knowing that she is from Trinidad!

Why You Should Start Your Holiday Digital Strategy Now

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christmas giftsI know, I know; why I am talking about the Christmas marketing season in June.  Most major companies have already started planning their strategies in January!  Small business should also start thinking about how they will attract coveted holiday sales. Creating a strategy now gives you time to think about what you want to do instead of rushing to put a strategy together in November.  My staff at Global Wire Associate created this quick checklist of a few important things that you need to know and do now if you want to pursue online holiday selling:

  1. Review Your Previous Holiday Marketing Plans (if you had any): Take a look at what worked and what didn’t last year, and strategize what you will do this year. Did you run out of stock early? Did your costs overrun? Did your website crash?  How did your shipping and handling work out last year? Did your social media strategy help you make sales?
  2. Advertising, Marketing, and PR: How do you plan to advertise your company? Social media? Email newsletters? Are there reporters or bloggers you could contact to get holiday coverage. Are there keywords you can use in your website for better SEO?
  3. Plan Out Your Holiday Content Strategy: Now is a good time to put together a special editorial calendar for holiday-themed content.  This includes blog posts, videos, social media content to showcase any sales, discounts, and promotions.  
  4. Create a Clear Payment & Return Policy: Make it clear on your website, preferably in the Terms of Services page, what your payment and return policies are so that customers understand what to expect.
  5. Create A Sign-Up Form On Your Website: During the holidays, your website will have a higher than the average number of visitors.  No, email marketing is not dead.  In fact, customers are more likely to see your emails than your posts on Facebook!  Strategically place a sign-up form on your website to capture email opt-ins.   
  6. Make It Easier For Your Customers: Holiday shoppers are busy and will not spend a lot of time interacting with your content if they don’t find what they want.  Creating recommended or wish lists (along with special discounts) makes it easier for users to identify your products and services.  Even if they don’t actually purchase anything during the holiday season, they will remember your lists and might come back to make a purchase after the holidays.
  7. Three-Click Rule: Again, holiday shoppers are busy, so don’t have users go on a scavenger hunt on your website.  Reorganize your website so that users can find anything in three clicks or less.
  8. Shipping and Handling: It is a good idea to have an online fulfillment plan, especially if you are working with third-party vendors, to make sure deliveries are made on time.
  9. Costs: You are doing online selling because you want to make money, not lose it?  With that said, how much will all the above objectives cost your business? Do you need to hire temporary bloggers or a web designer to support your online strategy?  Calculate your budget before embarking on such a strategy.
  10. Plan B: When all else fails, what do you do?  You need to think about the worst-case scenarios like if your website’s server goes down, run out of stock early or social media gets hacked.  It is better to start thinking about these now then when it actually happens.

These are just a few steps.  If you need more help with your online holiday strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Happy Selling!

How To Read More Books

Summer is a great time to develop a better reading habit.  I am an avid reader.  I read about one book a week.  It is always interesting when people ask me how I find time to read like it’s this major accomplishment.  I don’t think of reading many books as an accomplishment, as much as I just make reading a part of my daily routine.

However, all the content overload like streaming movie services, music downloads, and podcasts have created mental distractions from reading.  This happens to me a lot too.  Just the other day, I noticed that Prime Video has all five seasons of Six Feet Under.

I just wanted to watch one episode… Six hours later, that one episode turned into an afternoon binge! So I understand the struggle.  But, nonetheless, I still make time to read, and here are some suggestions on how to do it.

  1. Read what you like: I think a lot of people feel that they have to read “serious” books to be considered a “serious” reader.  I think that reading any book regardless of the subject is more important than reading no books.  I have a friend who only reads romance and erotica novels, and she read two or three books in a week!  Trashy romance isn’t my jam, but that’s cool. Different strokes for different folks.  I’m the type who likes reading non-fiction books about politics and history, and who reads A People’s History of the United States at the beach. Reading should be a pleasant experience for you, not something that should feel belabored.  So read what you like!
  2. Stop reading what you don’t like: I think it is okay to stop reading a book if you are not connecting to it.  I do this all the time.  Sometimes, you are intrigued to read the book because it has such great reviews or you just liked the cover art.  I have a 20-page rule; if you are not feeling the book after reading the first 20 pages, move onto another book.
  3. Embrace different book formats: Luckily, in the new technological era, there are so many ways to enjoy a book – hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook – that can fit into our lifestyles.  As much as I love the smell and feel of a printed book, I find it easier to read and enjoy books on my iPhone Kindle app or Kindle Paperwhite.  Since I don’t have a car, it is easier for me to not have to carry a physical book with me and listen to an audiobook while I am walking or taking public transit.
  4. Make time to read: This is the most important point when you take into account the first three points.  If you can find time to do social media, watch Netflix, listen to podcasts and music, you can find time to read a book.  I try to read at least 30 minutes a day, usually either first thing in the morning or before going to bed at night. One of the things I really like about the Kindle Paperwhite is that it is lightweight, you can increase the font size for easier reading, and it doesn’t have the blue light issues which make it easier on your eyes at night.  You can also find time to read while waiting in a line, in between TV commercials, commuting on public transit, during your kid’s nap time, not paying attention to a teleconference, etc.

If you have the time (when you are not reading a book), here is a 30-minute video on better reading habits.

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