June 1 marked the start of Pride Month, and this year the month feels like even bigger cause for celebration. As restrictions begin to lift and people start to feel just a bit more free, businesses have more opportunities to show their support and celebrate their LGBTQ+ customers in meaningful ways—maybe even in person.
To help you do that, we’ve taken a look at what these oft-used social media platforms have planned for Pride Month, to see how you can take part.
In line with Pride, Facebook announced a number of initiatives on its blog that apply to much of its product offerings, including Instagram.
On its platforms across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Facebook is partnering with nongovernmental organizations to talk about mental health, share resources, and showcase inclusive communities. This initiative includes things like launching a Messenger chatbot with information about LGBTQ+ communities and creators in Germany, and showcasing conversations on the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) in Poland.
On Facebook and Instagram, you can support LGBTQ+ business owners through the platforms’ curated #Pride collections, available to shop directly in-app. And on Facebook, you can take part in Pride-themed events during Live Shopping Fridays, a concept that’s a bit like HSN or QVC but with a social element.
For individuals and businesses offering support and joining the conversation, Pride-themed avatars and post backgrounds on Facebook are now available, as are Pride stickers on both Facebook and Instagram Stories. This year’s Facebook Pride logo was created in collaboration with Berlin-based artist Jasmina El Bouamraoui.
To learn more about what Facebook has in store for June, visit its blog.
For its Pride celebrations, TikTok announced its second annual LGBTQ+ TikTok Trailblazers, highlighting creators “at the forefront of the next wave of digital entertainment and defining what it means to embrace self-pride and live their lives freely and to the fullest,” according to a statement from the platform. You can see all of the trailblazers set to be featured this month here. The platform will also play host to live music and programming throughout the month, starting with the Thrive With Pride Concert on June 10.
New in-app creative effects will let users have a little fun creating content, like trying on rainbow hair or celebrating in a sea of rainbow glitter. You can read all that the platform is doing this month here.
For more interesting reading, Paper Sword, a Canadian business-to-business marketing agency, shared A Marketer’s Guide to Pride in 2021: How to Be a Better Ally, which was written last year and evaluates what brands did for Pride 2020. We’re definitely in a different place, pandemic-wise, than we were when this was written, and the post was intended for planning well ahead of this month, but its exploration of last year’s brand messaging, both good and bad, makes for an interesting read nonetheless. Most independent retailers won’t go looking for marketing opportunities on the scale of a brand name like Skittles, but there are lessons on messaging that could strike a chord with even individual social media users.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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