Is accessibility important in marketing?

Did you know that around 1 in 6 Australians (around 5.5 million people) living in Australia live with a disability? (That doesn't even account for people who have not/cannot get a diagnosis). That is a massive part of our population and a huge market of people you might be missing with your digital marketing.

This question is often raised in discussions around digital content and print media. For example, what makes something 'accessible'?

I feel the need to explain what accessibility means, as it's one of those words that loses some of its meaning the more it is said.

Accessibility, when taken at first sight can be seen literally as 'the ability to access', with a benefit from some system or entity. The word focuses on the concept of enabling access for everyone, but especially for people living with disabilities or impairments.

When thinking of the word we might picture a ramp where stairs used to be, or brail on a menu, but where does the digital space fit into that narrative?

Web accessibility, that is the ability for all to use the internet in an equal way, is often missed in conversations regarding digital accessibility. So, what can we do about it, and why should we be actively fighting for an accessible online space?

The fact is that there are so many reasons why we should want to have a space for all, and accessible marketing is the perfect example. With such a big part of our population covering these statistics it makes you think, what are they missing out on, and what audience is your business missing out on?

Too often, due to a lack of education or something going amiss during the process, our society puts barriers in place that might alienate certain individuals, such as inaccessible websites or social media posts.

Making a change isn't as daunting as it seems.

Let's run through some best practices in terms of digital content.

Number 1:

Colour contrasts and font sizes

When it comes to social media posts, or website design, the colours and fonts are a huge part of your branding, so I understand why it could be scary for someone to come in and say "Okay now make it accessible" but that's why there are so many amazing free resources online that can help you.

My favourite? WebAIM Colour Contrast Checker. This handy tool allows you to analyse your brand colours to ensure that they are accessible online.

As digital marketers, living in a world of diversity, having a tool that can help us quickly determine if our content will be inclusive is a lifesaver.

Number 2:

Captions and ALT text

Alt text, or alternative text is a bit of copy that appears instead of an image or graphic. This is normally something that a screen reader would read out to someone who might not be able to see the image or graphic for any reason.

To achieve the best alt text I would recommend trying the function yourself. Turn your phone to black and put on the screen reader and scroll through Instagram. This will show you what type of alt text works best, but also just how many people miss this step and could be missing out on a large portion of the population as a potential consumer.

When it comes to captions, we know that most of society is moving toward having captions, but ensuring they are correct and well-timed is a small gesture everyone will appreciate.

Number 3:

Accessibility Menu

There are many widgets and software that allow you to add an accessibility menu to your website which can help make everyone's experience that much better.

These normally allow each individual to change the font size, highlight links, get rid of images and increase the cursor size.

These changes might seem small but have a big impact on the people who need extra aid when looking at a screen.

Let's make marketing an inclusive space for all.

Beyond the above, there are many different steps you can take to help achieve a more inclusive and diverse online space which will not only benefit the consumers but help you reach a wider audience, that is usually forgotten about.