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Making Social Media Accessible: How to Ensure Inclusivity

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Social media has become an undeniable cornerstone of modern life. It’s where we connect with friends and family, stay informed about current events, and discover new products and services. But for many people with disabilities, engaging with social media content can be a frustrating and exclusionary experience.

At Bigg, we believe that social media should be accessible to everyone. This isn’t just about ticking a box; it’s about creating a welcoming space where everyone feels included and empowered to participate.

In this guide, we’ll explore why accessibility matters, the benefits it can offer your business, and some best practices for making your social media content more accessible. 

Accessibility: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Accessibility refers to the design of products, services, and environments to be usable by people with disabilities. In the context of social media, it means ensuring that individuals with disabilities – whether visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor related – can engage fully with content, features, and tools on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (fka Twitter), and TikTok. 

By implementing features like alt text and captions and adhering to design best practices, social media users can remove barriers and ensure that people with disabilities can engage, communicate, and consume information online with the same ease as anyone else.

Let’s take a closer look at why it matters so much:

Inclusivity and Equal Access

Social media has become a vital space for communication, entertainment, education, and information-sharing. Accessibility ensures that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from these activities, fostering inclusivity and equal access to these digital environments. Making platforms and content accessible allows users with disabilities to participate fully in digital life, whether they are consuming content, sharing opinions, or building connections.

Legal Obligations

Accessibility is not just a moral imperative; it’s also a legal requirement in the UK. Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses and service providers must make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure their services are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes digital platforms like social media, meaning companies could face legal consequences if their social channels and the platforms they use are not accessible.

Social Responsibility and Ethical Considerations

Social media platforms play a crucial role in shaping communication and interaction in society. By prioritising accessibility, these platforms and their users can contribute to a more equitable and inclusive digital world. Companies and individuals who demonstrate a commitment to accessibility not only comply with legal expectations but also contribute positively to the broader social good. This aligns them with values of inclusion and equality, enhancing their reputation and trust among social media users.

Avoiding Reputational Risks

Failure to make social media accessible can have serious consequences, including reputational damage. Social media platforms and businesses that neglect accessibility may face backlash from disability advocacy groups, negative publicity, or even boycotts.

Inaccessibility can also lead people to switch to more accessible alternatives. The most recent Click Away Pound report found that 69% of disabled adults had left a business’ website due to inaccessibility, while 83% only shop on sites that they know are accessible. In the social media context, this could translate into users disengaging from creators who don’t cater to their accessibility needs.

Benefits of Accessible Social Media for Businesses

Social media has become a key part of any business’s marketing strategy. It’s the go-to channel for interacting with customers, sharing stories, and building lasting relationships. Ensuring your social media content is accessible is therefore not only the right thing to do but also a smart business move. Here are just some of the benefits of improving accessibility across your social channels:

Increased Reach and Revenue

Whether your business operates locally, nationally, or internationally, you’re missing out on a significant portion of your potential audience if you neglect accessibility. In the UK alone, there are approximately 16.1 million people living with a disability according to the most recent Family Resources Survey. Globally, it’s estimated that over a billion people live with some form of disability. By making your content accessible, you’re opening up a massive potential customer base that many businesses overlook. This can lead to increased sales, brand awareness, and market share.

When it comes to revenue, the figures say it all. The collective spending power of disabled households (i.e. households in which at least one member has a disability) is estimated to be worth £274 billion a year to UK businesses, while the online spending power of people with access needs is around £24.8 billion. Sectors such as retail, hospitality, transport, and utilities stand to lose millions per month by not making their services accessible.

Better Engagement

When your social media content is accessible, it invites higher levels of interaction. People are more likely to engage with content that they can fully experience – whether through sharing, commenting, or liking your posts. Features like descriptive captions, alt text, and readable formats allow more users to understand and connect with your message, driving up engagement rates.

This inclusivity creates a positive feedback loop: the more people interact with your content, the more your business’ profiles will appear in people’s feeds and search results, further boosting visibility and audience interaction.

Improved User Experience

Accessible design isn’t just beneficial for people with disabilities. It can enhance the user experience for everyone. For example:

  • Captions help viewers follow along with a video even when they can’t turn on sound. 
  • Alt text and image descriptions help those using screen readers, but they also improve content understanding for anyone who might miss details in an image.
  • Readable fonts and high-contrast colours make your posts easier to read for all users, including those who are viewing on mobile devices or in different lighting conditions.

By focusing on accessibility, you’re making your social media content more user-friendly and ensuring that it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

Enhanced SEO

Believe it or not, accessible content can positively impact your SEO as well. Features like alt text, closed captions, and descriptive hashtags don’t just help users – they help search engines understand and index your content more effectively.

Alt text, for example, allows search engine crawlers to “read” what your images are about, which can improve your rankings in image search results. Similarly, captions in videos can make your content more discoverable, since search engines can pick up on keywords spoken in the video. The result? Increased visibility and organic traffic to your social platforms.

Foster Brand Loyalty and Trust

When your business goes the extra mile to ensure its social media is accessible, it shows that you care about all of your customers – not just the ones who don’t face accessibility challenges. This commitment to inclusivity strengthens your brand image and can foster deeper connections with your audience.

Customers are more likely to stay loyal to brands that share their values, and accessibility is a value that resonates across demographics. Plus, creating an inclusive digital experience makes your business feel welcoming and authentic, encouraging both new and repeat customers to engage with your content.

Tips for Making Your Social Content More Accessible

There are many ways to make your social media content more accessible for people with disabilities. How many of them are you already doing?

Add Video Captions

Captions ensure videos are accessible to users with hearing impairments and those watching without sound. Closed captions can be toggled on or off, while open captions are always visible. Closed captions are ideal for accessibility, but use open captions if needed.

Each platform offers options to add captions:

  • Facebook: Auto-generate or upload .srt files, with support for multiple languages in ads.
  • Instagram: Auto-generated captions for Reels and Stories, though .srt files are not supported.
  • TikTok: Auto-generated or manual open captions using TikTok’s tools.
  • YouTube: Auto-generate, manually write, or upload captions.
  • X: Auto captions for all videos with .srt upload options.

Always Use Alt Text

Alt text provides descriptions for images, helping visually impaired users understand the content. Accessibility tools rely on these descriptions, and leaving them blank will result in screen readers simply saying “image”, leading to a poor experience. 

While some platforms offer auto-generated alt text, these are often vague, so adding custom text is preferable. Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and tools like Hootsuite offer alt text fields for images and GIFs. If unavailable, integrate descriptions into the post copy.

Best Practices for Alt Text:

  • Focus on what’s essential in the image (e.g. “A bar chart showing year-on-year growth in sales.”)
  • Avoid phrases like “image of” or “photo of”.
  • Include humour or subtle visual cues when necessary.
  • Transcribe any text in the image if it’s central to its meaning.
  • Add alt text for GIFs where supported or describe them in the post copy.
  • Keep descriptions concise, as screen readers take longer to narrate alt text.
  • Avoid using alt text for hidden messages or jokes as it can confuse users relying on it.

Write Easy-to-Understand Text

Clear and simple written content enhances accessibility for everyone, especially for users with disabilities or non-native speakers.

Tips for Text Accessibility:

  • Write in plain, easy-to-understand language.
  • Avoid using complex fonts, as these are unreadable by screen readers.
  • Use abbreviations carefully, adding full stops or spaces to ensure clarity.
  • Avoid alternating caps or excessive use of all caps as they are challenging for screen readers.
  • Don’t use symbols like asterisks to replace letters.
  • Write hashtags in Pascal Case (e.g. #SocialMediaMarketing) for screen reader compatibility.
  • Place hashtags at the end of posts and keep blocks of hashtags in a separate comment.
  • Use inclusive language, including gender-neutral terms and diverse emojis.

Create Accessible Visuals

Visuals can present challenges, especially for those with vision impairments, but can be made more accessible by following a few simple guidelines:

  • Ensure text has sufficient colour contrast.
  • Avoid using only colour to convey meaning – use symbols or labels for clarity.
  • Avoid using flashing or animated images, which may trigger epilepsy or migraines.
  • Don’t crowd images with too much text; instead, include lengthy text in the caption so it can be adjusted as needed.

Make Memes and Emojis Accessible

Memes and emojis are popular on social media but can confuse assistive tools. Screen readers may misinterpret them if not used carefully.

Emoji and Meme Tips:

  • Don’t use emojis as bullet points, as screen readers will read each one aloud.
  • Clearly describe memes in alt text, explaining both content and context.
  • Avoid text-based visual art (e.g. ASCII), as it can be confusing when read by assistive devices.
  • Place emojis at the end of sentences, and limit them to three per post.
  • Avoid repeating emojis, as this can be time-consuming for users of screen readers.

Stay Updated on Accessibility Features

Many social platforms now prioritise accessibility by introducing new tools like alt text and auto-captioning. Stay informed on each platform’s latest accessibility features to ensure your content is as inclusive as possible.

Embrace Feedback

No-one is expected to be an accessibility expert. If you receive feedback on making your content more inclusive, be sure to listen, learn, and improve. Apologise if necessary and keep evolving to make your social media channels more accessible.

Bigg: Here to Help You Embrace Accessibility

At Bigg, we believe that social media accessibility isn’t just a legal or ethical responsibility – it’s a powerful way to create inclusive spaces where everyone can engage and connect. By implementing these best practices, you’ll not only improve the user experience for all but also enhance your brand’s reach, reputation, and loyalty.

Make your social media channels more accessible today by partnering with us. We’re well-equipped to help businesses create accessible and inclusive digital experiences for both new and prospective customers. Whether you need advice on implementing alt text on your site and socials or a full social media content strategy, our team is here to help. Get in touch to get started on embracing accessibility across all your marketing channels.

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