Thumbs Up! 7 Social Media Accessibility Tips to Craft Lit Content For All to “Like”

How can social media accessibility affect everyone? Let’s say you don’t consider yourself to be disabled under normal circumstances. 

One sunny day, you go out to enjoy a cold hike in the winter. Surrounded by reflective white snow, you realize partway through that your eyes start to hurt and that you left your sunglasses at home. By the end of the hike, you’ve developed a condition that leaves you unable to see due to too much UV hitting your cornea. This snow blindness lasts at least 48 hours, but you still have an important project that has to get done tomorrow. 

Another scenario: You’re minding your own business walking down the street when you see some kids giggling nearby, ducking behind a building. As you pass the alleyway, they jump out and blast an air horn directly in your face. Ouch! Suddenly, you can’t hear the traffic around you, or anything else for that matter. You wait a couple days for your hearing to improve, but the doctor says that it may take up to two weeks for it to fully return… if it ever completely does, that is.

These may be a couple of extraordinary examples of ways folks can acquire a disability either temporarily or permanently, but they are realistic. Did you know that every 1 in 6 individuals in the world has or will have a disability, and many of those are usually accumulated after adulthood? Check the receipts. 

Accessible Social Media: Everyone’s Path to Inclusion

At some point in our lives, almost everyone will experience having a disability to some extent. That’s just one reason why the fact that accessibility in social media matters to everyone, not just disabled individuals, is something we can’t be sleeping on. 

And when it comes to social media, the majority of the human population is on some platform or another (or a lot of them!). Therefore, at work or at play, the social responsibility of inclusivity we each owe one another actually benefits us in digital spaces, too.

To truly master the cyber world, marketing professionals that embrace accessible practices up their skill sets and gain authority as progress continues for an equitable future. 

The Power of Inclusion: When we prioritize accessibility, we create an environment where everyone can fully participate and engage with social media content. It’s about tearing down barriers, like poorly formatted text or inaccessible images, so that diverse voices can be heard and valued to build a digital world that welcomes everyone.

Elevated User Experience: Accessibility improvements go beyond catering to disabilities; they enhance the experience for all users. Clear captions or transcripts for videos, for example, benefit individuals in noisy environments or non-native speakers trying to grasp the content. By considering various needs, social media platforms can boost usability and satisfaction for everyone involved.

Broaden Reach and Engagement: When we make content accessible, we invite individuals with disabilities to interact and share, amplifying engagement and expanding potential reach. Plus, accessible content is more easily consumed and understood by users with diverse learning styles or cognitive abilities. Accessibility opens doors to wider audiences, a pillar need for success in marketing.

Navigating Legal and Ethical Waters with Ease: Many countries now mandate digital accessibility, including social media platforms. By embracing accessibility standards, we not only fulfill legal obligations but also demonstrate ethical responsibility towards inclusivity and equal access for all. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Plus, the more you do it, the more naturally it comes.

Future-Proofing the Long Game: Prioritizing accessibility from the start sets the stage for growth and adaptation. As technology evolves, so do the importance and complexity of accessibility considerations. By weaving accessibility into the fabric of social media, we sidestep expensive retrofits or the need for complete rebuilds down the line.

In a nutshell, building in accessibility in social media ensures that all individuals can partake, engage, and thrive in the digital realm. Accessibility isn’t just about making things easier for some; it’s about creating a world where everyone can participate fully, because true inclusion benefits us all.

Easy Does It

Can’t wait to make your social media dispatches more welcoming to everyone? It’s less daunting than you might think! Whether you’re sharing riveting news with your following or communicating with your target audience, these simple tips will make certain that all individuals, regardless of age or ability, can be a part of the conversation.

#HashtagsThatSpeak

Let’s kick off with hashtags. To rocket your accessibility game, capitalize the first letter of each word in your hashtag (called “initial case” or “camel case”). This is actually really a helpful pivot to make as it aids screen readers in correctly deciphering the hashtag, dodging scrambled words. 

This not only benefits those with vision impairments but also supports individuals with dyslexia or cognitive disabilities who may grapple with word sequences. For example, #AccessibilityForAll is more definable than #accessibilityforall.

Picture Perfect with Alt-Text

Including alternative text (alt-text) for your images is essential for screen readers to best function (and good SEO!). Without alt-text, screen reader users lose out on grasping the essence and context of visuals. There are both good and bad ways to enter alt-text; excellent and thoughtful advertisers verse themselves in best practices to maximize their efforts.

Alt-text should be descriptive, accurate, and concise. Ditch phrases like “picture of” or “image” and plunge directly into the narration. And, never forget to conclude your alt-text with a period.

Twitter Alt-Text

1. Start composing a new Tweet.
2. Attach your photo.
   • For Tweets with GIFs, instead of attaching a photo, select a GIF at this stage.
3. Click on “+ALT” (for mobile) or “Add description” (for desktop) to access the alt-text input field.
4. Enter a descriptive text of the image.
5. End your alt-text with a period.
6. Click on “Done,” and voila! You’re set. Your description can be edited by reopening the “Add description” dialog before posting.

LinkedIn Alt-Text

1. Upload a photo.
2. Click on “Add alt text” (for mobile) or “Alt. text” (for desktop).
3. Pen down your image narrative.
4. Click on “Done.”

Instagram Alt-Text

1. When you’re ready to post a photo, click on “Advanced Settings” at the bottom.
2. Click on “Write Alt Text.”
3. Write a brief description of your image in the alt-text field.
4. Click “Done.”

For bonus points, add an image description within your post’s caption on Instagram. This provides more space to convey the image’s main message. Check out @BlindNewWorld for examples.

Facebook Alt-Text

1. Click on “Photo/Video” on the “Create Post” screen.
2. Select the photo you want to upload.
3. Click on “Edit Photo” (represented by the paintbrush icon 🖌️), then “Alt Text.”
   1. If there’s auto-generated text, replace it with your own alt-text in the edit box.
4. Enter a description of your image.
5. Click “Save” in the bottom right corner.

Not too painful, was it? And for such a good cause too, it almost sounds ludicrous not to do these simple steps!

Social Media Accessibility Slaps!

Are you ready to engrain digital accessibility as a pillar of not just your social media posts, but your entire digital presence? In the age of social media, our digital footprints can leave lasting impressions. Whether you’re dipping your toes in or leveling up, the mavens at Fullmoon Digital are your co-pilots. Let’s chat about how we can strive to make these impacts echo inclusivity, compassion, and equal access together.