Social Media Accessibility Guidelines for Business – Growth Business

There are more than 16 million people with disabilities in the UK, accounting for one in four people. Every company must ensure that its marketing strategies include people with any disability.

In this article, you'll find actionable tips for creating more inclusive social media content for your business.

Web accessibility regulations

Accessibility refers to how easily a product, service, environment, or device can be reached and used by a diverse group of people.

There are two primary guidelines for website accessibility in Great Britain. The first is the Equality Act 2010, and the second is the Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018. These UK accessibility laws are based on the International Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and their four key principles.

Compliance with these regulations is essential for public sector organizations to ensure that their digital content is accessible to all users.

Best practices for social media accessibility

Follow the best practices below to ensure your social media content is accessible to everyone.

#1 – Write accessible social media posts

The copy

• Use common and easy to understand words
• Edit the text so that each sentence is a separate communication point
• Use active voice instead of passive
• Avoid using technical language, acronyms and jargon
• Try to use more 'we' and 'you' in your sentences
• Don't avoid giving instructions
• Do not use 'nominalizations' (for example it is better to use ' completely than completion)

You can find detailed instructions on how to create plain English texts on the Plain English Campaign website.

Paragraphs

• Keep your sentences short and clear. Do not use more than 25 words in one sentence
• Do not use non-standard mathematical symbols. A sentence like for example “Accessibility = the key to inclusivity” may be difficult for people with disabilities to understand. Instead, it is recommended to write: Accessibility is the key to inclusivity
• Use line breaks to introduce space in your social media posts
• Add line breaks to add spacing in your messages

Formulate your message as simply as possible, so that an average is created A nine year old can easily understand the text. To make sure your text is simple enough, you can use online readability checker tools such as the Hemingway App, The first word, Small SEO toolsand more.

#2 – Use accessible fonts

• Avoid using small fonts, as this makes your texts difficult to read
• Avoid using italics and bold fonts
• Keep your text left-aligned to make it easier to read for people with cognitive disabilities

#3 – Make links accessible

• It is better to use full links instead of shortened versions
• Include one link per post, as navigating to different links can frustrate the audience
• Always include a CTA (call to action) with a read more or Learn more clutch
• Highlight links that lead to videos or audio by adding them [VID] or [AUD] before the coupling
• Use CamelCase for hashtags (e.g. use #New message rather than #new message)

#4 – Use initial capital letters for hashtags

• Start each word with a capital letter
• Never use more than two hashtags per post
• Add the hashtags to the end of your social post. This way they do not disrupt the flow

#5 – Make emojis more accessible

• Avoid adding more than three emojis per message
• Add emojis to the end of a sentence
• If necessary, add a description of the emoji in your main post copy, immediately after the icon. For example, “[Slighlty Smiling Emoji]”

#6 – Use color with accessibility in mind

• Don't just use color to convey your core message
• Avoid using color to distinguish information in tables and charts
• Do not use light colors on light or white backgrounds and dark colors on dark backgrounds
• Avoid using low contrast. For the majority it is difficult to read
• Use block colors instead of gradients
• Avoid using a large color palette

#7 – Plan accessible graphics, videos, and images

• Include all important messages in the post copy and not in the images
• Avoid crushing images and anything that can break more than three times per second
• Do not post images of printed text and documents. If necessary, be sure to provide a link to a full HTML version of the content in the message, rather than a PDF, which may not be accessible
• Don't place animated images behind text, as this can cause problems for screen reader users
• Add subtitles to your videos. Be sure to check automatically generated subtitles as they are prone to errors.
• Avoid using multiple columns for important information in compact images. Simply using bullet points does not solve this problem

#8 – Add alt texts

• Provide alt text where possible. On all popular social media platforms it is possible to add alt text to the posts
• It is important to concisely convey the content and purpose of the image while ensuring clarity and specificity of the description
• Transcribe the text that appears in the images

Accessibility can lead to rewarding results

Implementing accessibility in your digital content goes beyond regulatory compliance; it is a strategic step towards inclusivity that can greatly expand your customer reach.

This approach not only increases your brand's reputation, but also increases customer loyalty and sales. Investing in improving accessibility yields beneficial results for both businesses and communities.

David Gevorkian is the CEO and founder of Be Accessible.

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