For companies to reach LGBTQ consumers, they need to look beyond the marketing metrics they measure and see the people behind the numbers, says Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Banana Media, a digital media, marketing and advertising firm.

"Marketing has become statistics. Companies think, 'I want 100,000 impressions and this many click-thrus and this many people subscribing to my newsletter,'" Skallerud says. "But people aren't numbers. Today, it's about companies acting like people and focusing on how they engage with their customers."

Pink Banana, which has offices in Los Angeles and New York, uses a "360-degree approach" to reaching LGBTQ consumers, aiding companies with everything from ad buys and traditional public relations to content marketing and online analytics.