Did you know that 1 in 5 people have a disability? Whether it’s visual, hearing, motor or cognitive, many of us need a little help with accessing content online.
By taking steps to improve the accessibility of your posts, you can not only enable more people to enjoy your stories and empathise with your experiences, but you avoid losing up to 20% of potential customers!
Moreover, principles which make content more accessible for those with disabilities make content more accessible for everyone! It’s easier to read, watch, share, remember and appreciate which ultimately increases people’s awareness of your company.
Throughout this blog we’ve pulled out some quick wins to make your social media posts more accessible, we hope you find them useful!
Capitalise hashtags
A simple one to start with is capitalising your hashtags. While #sundaybrunchinyork is probably the default for most social media users, #SundayBrunchInYork is easier to read for those with cognitive and learning difficulties. Additionally, people who use screen readers can have their devices read out hashtags like these whereas those without capitals might be harder to decipher.
Add captions to videos
It’s a well-known truth that most people will watch videos online with the sound switched off. If you’re not adding captions or subtitles to your clips, you could be losing a proportion of potential engagers who are commuting/double-screening while simultaneously watching a family movie/meant to be working. And let’s not forget folks who have hearing loss.
Write image descriptions
You might have noticed the #ImageDescription hashtag on Instagram. Influencers are using this to raise awareness of how providing a summary of what their picture shows helps more people access their photos. Writing this doesn’t need to be a chore: many examples are just as entertaining as the main caption!
Don’t rely on text in images
Graphics are a great way to showcase customer testimonials or present an inspiring quote. To make sure you’re not leaving some folk out, include the text from your image in the main description as well. Plus, fancy fonts and snazzy backgrounds may look funky, but depending on the device, lighting, patience, and vision of users, they could see it differently!
These are just a few tips to get started with making your content more accessible, but we’ve barely scratched the surface!
For more info on this and ways to help plan and create accessible social media posts, visit the Government’s Communication Service: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/digital-communication/planning-creating-and-publishing-accessible-social-media-campaigns/