Emma Champion writes about
5 Platforms from which to PR to the LGBT Community
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community are no longer willing to remain in the shadows when it comes to consumerism. They want to be counted and catered for, and so they should be. Raking in the so-called "Pink Pound" would be a valuable asset to any company's annual profit, whether firmly established or just getting off the ground. Target this largely-untapped niche, and you will be laughing all the way to the "Pink Bank".
Here are a few good places to begin:
1. Specialist Gay Networking Sites
The LGBT crowd operate almost as a community of their own, running adjacent to the common channels that heterosexual people might choose to communicate. For example, LinkedIn's gay equivalent is Jake (
http://jaketm.org/ ), advertised as a corporate networking site "for gay men and women at the top of their game"; this site is aimed at the LGBT of the business world. Also, Facebook's gay equivalent would be the recently-launched Fabulis (
http://fabulis.com/ ) for the exchange of gossip/celebrity news, etc.
Unfortunately, you will find upon your first foray into the world of gay websites that a lot of them are highly sexualised and borderline vulgar.
However, don't be put off by this. The LGBT community seem to have a networking site for every need and specification, and if you can find the one which mirrors the tone of the service or product you're trying to advertise, you'll be on to a winner. For instance, Connexion (
http://www.connexion.org/ ) focuses on low-level political activity and news. OutEverywhere (
http://www.outeverywhere.com/ ) puts its emphasis on real-world events and promoting venues. ManJam (
http://www.manjam.com/ ) offers listings for rooms and houses for rent. Each one is different - find the one which suits your need the best, and make your company's presence felt there.
2. Gay Bars/Niche Nightspots
Electric Six single "Gay Bar", had lyrics which declared, "I wanna spend all your money!" The LGBT crowd love to splash some hard-earned cash on a good night out and you will want to absorb some of that disposable income.
If the venue has a high profile, like G.A.Y or Heaven - both based in London - the clientele are likely to be the type registered on Jake; young gay professionals looking to let their hair down after a busy week. Raising awareness in the vicinity of or affiliating yourself in some sort of sponsorship deal with a high-end gay nightspot like this will reach a high number of potential customers and raise your company profile simultaneously. However, the same strategy operated on a more local scale will have the same effect. In Milton Keynes, the hottest LGBT nightclub is Pink Punters, affectionately nicknamed Pink's.
Flyers handed out outside Pink's on one of their big theme nights go down a storm. Hand out free gifts, or promotional items like pens or t-shirts, and you'll have made friends for life!
3. Gay Magazines
Singer/songwriter, Tom McRae, once sang "every culture has its own magazine/and information takes the place of your dreams." He wasn't wrong. There is a specialist publication for every interest you can think of. The Gay community is no different. Magazines like Attitude (gay) and DIVA (lesbian) sell in their millions every month, and have pages and pages of classifieds towards the back cover.
Look for what I call the "cast list" near the front of the magazine - a list of staff members who bring the magazine to the stands. Look for the Features Editor - more often than not there will be an email address and telephone number listed for them - give them a call and pitch your idea to them; you might just get lucky.
4. University Societies
If it is the young and impressionable gay youth you are looking to target for your marketing campaign, then look no further than the nearest university.
Most universities will have a LGBT Society which students can join, who organise regular meetings and gatherings.
It is these societies that you should seriously consider joining forces with. Track down the president of the society and present your ideas to that person. Your company logo could soon be splashed all over the university website, posters around campus, printed in the uni newspaper, etc. It's a snowball effect which, once in motion, will continue to roll in your favour. Word of mouth spreads faster than wildfire amongst gossiping student desperate for a distraction from their monotonous reading lists and assignment deadlines.
Also, as mentioned before, never underestimate the impact of freebies - especially on a student audience; you will win their eternal loyalty.
5. Gay Television Channels
Television channels broadcasting programmes specifically aimed at the LGBT community are on the rise. 2005 saw the launch of the UK's first gay channel, called Faze TV. Out of hours, these channels often display static screens to fill the hours between scheduling in the wee-small hours. This would be a great place to advertise.
Contact a producer and pitch a competition prize on one of the shows or maybe even a documentary. Who knows - it might just be time for your company's close-up, and time for your target audience to adjust their screens and focus only on you.
Check out http://www.theprgym.com/ for affordable PR mentoring, requests from hungry journalists and updated contacts.
