Sonia Thompson | Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist

Frictionless Growth Marketing

Business EN ↓ 224 episodes

Brand growth today depends on removing friction from your marketing and customer experience to attract and retain more of the people you want to serve. Frictionless Growth Marketing is the podcast for marketers, business leaders, and founders who want to grow by eliminating the messaging, experience, and strategy gaps that quietly push customers away every single day. Hosted by Sonia Thompson, Inclusive Growth and Customer Experience Strategist, the show breaks down how modern brands drive sustainable growth by designing frictionless customer journeys, building trust with identity-rich growth...

Author

Sonia Thompson | Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist

Category

Business

Podcast website

frictionlessgrowthlab.com

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

148. Answer this question to convert more customers 30.01.2025

When it comes to attracting new customers – and especially customers from underrepresented and underserved communities, it is important to remember that a looming question in their mind is: “Is this product for people like me?” People like me could be anything — tall people, people who are introverts, people who speak my language, people from my socioeconomic background, people who aren’t tech sav...

147. A critical lesson for marketers from the Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni saga 23.01.2025

Over the last week I've been riveted by ongoing developments in the legal feud between actress Blake Lively and actor and director Justin Baldoni, who worked together on the film It Ends With Us. There so much to unpack with the filings, however, there is one point, that is the focus on this episode, that is very relevant to you from an inclusive marketing standpoint as you work to establish it as...

146. How to use data to increase customer success for all, with Deborah Pickett 16.01.2025

A core element of being effective with inclusive marketing and therefore any inclusive marketing strategy — is data. We’ve got to know not just the rates at which your customers overall achieve success, but we’ve also need to know what that data looks like by subgroup. In other words - we need to find out if everyone is achieving success at the same rates. Now I’ve noticed the as I talk to differe...

145. How to implement systems for inclusive marketing, with Kumi Croom 09.01.2025

Agencies are an integral partner and part of the marketing process for many brands. But when it comes to incorporating inclusion into the work brands produce, if the agency isn’t an inclusive marketing or multi-cultural marketing agency, infusing inclusion isn’t something that always happens consistently. So that’s why I was excited to sit down with my guest today, Kumi Croom, Managing Director at...

144. A chat with Wistia co-founder and CEO about inclusive marketing 02.01.2025

In this episode, I had a conversation with Chris Savage, co-founder and CEO of Wistia, a video marketing company, on their Talking Too Loud podcast, all about inclusive marketing. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Wistia

143. The mistake that made me 27.12.2024

On this episode -- I'm bringing you an interview I did with Eman Ismail, on her super cool show Mistakes That Made Me. In it, I talk about my journey to becoming an inclusive marketing strategist, and the mistakes I made as a business owner (for years) that led me to be in this position today. And of course, we get into a real good chat about inclusive marketing in practice -- which you'll find at...

142. How to make more people feel seen, with Jasmine Star 19.12.2024

Representation matters. I think people know this, and get it intuitively, but for some, it can be hard to do in practice consistently. In this episode -- I'm bringing to you my chat with Jasmine Star on her podcast --- which is all about how we can do a better job of bringing representation to the forefront of our thinking, as we work to make more people feel seen, supported, and like they belong...

141. How to be effective with inclusive marketing over the long-term 12.12.2024

As I've worked with clients of various sizes over the years, one of the things that has become clear is that an organizational transformation is required. You can't do the same thing or slightly different things every now and then and expect to attract and retain a more diverse customer base over the long term. In this episode, I walk you through nine core components of the organizational transfor...

140. This AI tool assesses how inclusive brands are 06.12.2024

In this episode, I sat down with Asha Shivaji and Jason Klein, co-founders of SeeMeIndex, and AI tool that evaluates how inclusive brands are with their marketing across a number of factors. We covered a lot during our chat, including trends they've identified in their work as they've evaluated brands across many industries, including the beauty and wellness industries. Get the Inclusion & Marketi...

139. The biases we hold 28.11.2024

My personal belief is that we all hold some time of bias -- much of it unconscious. In this episode, I share a brief story of when one of mine recently showed up. Also covered is the impact of bias in marketing. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter

138. How smart brands demonstrate their values to consumers 21.11.2024

Brand values are increasingly more important to consumers. As a result, brands need to communicate not only what their values are but how they are living them. In this episode, I walk through various ways brands are demonstrating not only what their values are, but how they are living them. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Episode 122: How Michael Graves Design and Pottery Barn are working...

137. 8 Inclusive eCommerce website examples that drive growth 14.11.2024

eCommerce is a core part of the journey for many consumers across a number of different industries. And because eCommerce websites or sections of websites often attract a broad diversity of consumers with different identities, brands who take the time to design experiences with as little friction as possible for people with these identities, will see more conversions. This episode walks through ho...

136. The YouTube growth strategy top channels use 07.11.2024

Lots of brands are making YouTube marketing a priority. It's easy to understand why -- it puts you in a position to get in front of more of your ideal customers worldwide. But of course, with any marketing tactic, you need an effective strategy behind it to make it work for you. In this episode, I'm walking you through this smart inclusive strategy many top YouTube channels use with great success...

135. How to create an LGBTQ+ inclusive brand all year long 31.10.2024

By this time of year, normally we don't see too many LGBTQ+ celebrations from brands. Pride month has passed, and many brands are back to business as usual, which in a lot of cases means they aren't doing much of anything to make LGBTQ+ consumers feel seen, supported, or like they belong. Brands that do a good job of serving the LGBTQ+ community do it all year long. In this episode, I walk you thr...

134. 3 Steps to create an effective multilingual content strategy 24.10.2024

Engaging customers that speak other languages is a smart strategy for brands to grow. But too often, marketers think that an effective multilingual content strategy is just about translating your existing content into various languages. The reality, doing that may not bring you the results you desire. In this episode of the inclusion and marketing podcast, I walk you through my framework for imple...

133. Jaw dropping stats about Latino youth prove why marketers shouldn't ignore this growing consumer group 17.10.2024

Every time I see data about the changing demographics in the U.S., it seems like my jaw drops open. Population Growth: 70% of the U.S. population growth between 2022 and 2023 is attributed to Latinos, a trend that shows no signs of slowing. Economic Force: Latino youth are projected to contribute 78% of all net new U.S. workers by 2030, and Hispanic consumer spending is outpacing non-Hispanic spen...

132. How to build a high-performing diverse team in today's political climate 11.10.2024

In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court said that it was no longer lawful to use affirmative action as a way to diversify the number of students colleges and universities accepted each year. As a result, a decades-old policy meant to help universities do a better job of building a diverse and representative student body is no longer valid. As a result, many companies have been reevaluating t...

131. Brands rollback of DEI, microfeminism, and insensitive headlines: Inclusive marketers react 03.10.2024

There’s a lot going on in the world these days, which often means there’s lots going on in the world of inclusive marketing. And sometimes – certain topics really just require a conversation – an opportunity to work through thoughts, feelings, and ideas – on the journey to forming opinions. So that’s what we’re doing on today’s episode. I sat down with a few folks from my inclusive marketing crew...

130. How to plan more inclusive business events with Eman Ismail 26.09.2024

When it comes to business events, particularly those where important and transformational relationships are formed, it's very common for them to not be inclusive -- particularly for people who, for whatever reason, don't engage in specific activities that are considered "norms" in these types of settings. A big part of inclusive marketing is challenging what is often considered to be "normal" in y...

129. 7 Customer acquisition strategies smart brands used to reach more consumers 19.09.2024

Customer acquisition is one of three core components of any good and effective inclusive marketing strategy. In particular, brands must prioritize "inviting" consumers from underrepresented and underserved communities to be their customers. In this episode, I walk you through seven customer acquisition strategies smart brands use to win new customers from often ignored communities. Get the Inclusi...

128. Inclusive marketing isn't enough. Why (and how) to build an inclusive brand 12.09.2024

Being successful with inclusive marketing is about more than just the marketing. It requires building an inclusive brand that supports communities and thinks and behaves inclusively throughout the organization. That's what consumers say they want. In this episode, I walk you through why building an inclusive brand is essential to your success with inclusive marketing. I also show you how to build...

127. How to create a multilingual content strategy with Selim Dahmani 05.09.2024

It is very likely that people who speak different languages also have the problem your brand solves. As such, a smart way to grow your brand and customer base is to intentionally engage with consumers who speak other languages with content that attracts, converts, and retains them. In this episode, I sat down with Selim Dahmani, a Senior Growth Manager at HubSpot, who is focused on growing the bra...

126. How to identify and eliminate friction in your brand's customer experience 29.08.2024

A lot of brands have unnecessary friction in the customer experiences they deliver. That friction negatively impacts those brands’ conversions. That friction and impact on consumers is even more pronounced when it comes to people from underrepresented and underserved communities. This episode is all about how to identify and get rid of the friction in the customer experience your brand delivers sp...

125. How to increase conversions with an inclusive website and social media audit 22.08.2024

Most brands don’t know how much they could improve their conversions by optimizing their website and social media to also work for consumers from underrepresented and underserved communities. Conducting a website and social media audit can highlight opportunities to deliver better experiences for all the customers you want to serve while improving your conversions. In this episode, I walk you thro...

124. 3 Ways to deliver customer experiences that boost conversions 15.08.2024

The experiences you deliver play an important role in how well you do at converting people who are considering your brand. Far too often, brands deliver customer experiences that do not hit the mark for people from underrepresented and underserved communities. As a result, conversion rates for people in those communities suffer, as they go off in search of another brand that does a better job at m...

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