Accessible posting on social media

03/20/2024

Accessibility on social media is an important aspect of ensuring that all people, regardless of their abilities, can participate in the content.

There are 7.8 million people living with severe disabilities in Germany, and there are many more who are not included in these statistics, for example due to temporary disabilities. These include broken arms and legs, eye infections, or simply carrying a baby in your arms. However, it is not only physical, visible disabilities that are relevant, but also invisible limitations such as autism, ADHD, color blindness, or dyslexia.

Although implementing accessibility may seem daunting at first, the benefits of investing in it are undoubtedly worthwhile in many ways. The realization of accessibility as a fundamental human right remains incomplete in various parts of the world. Inclusion, especially in the field of digital technology, still offers much room for improvement. Expanding your potential audience is a direct result of offering easily accessible content. By removing barriers

, people who are normally excluded can now interact with your important content, offerings, and solutions instead of going to your competitors because they don't understand them.

In addition, search algorithms promote the availability of easily accessible content, which is then accurately captured and displayed by the algorithm. The benefits of accessible content go beyond people with disabilities: for example, watching videos without relying on sound – very useful on trams. Subtitles offer a way to understand the content without the need for audio.

So it's about designing planned uploads to social media channels in such a way that they can be used in different ways. The challenge here is to know WHERE barriers arise and to use the channels accordingly. And that's not easy! Potentially, it's mostly images/videos, sounds, texts, and the entire community management, including emojis, GIFs, etc.

Here are some tips for creating accessible social media posts:

1. Clear and Understandable Texts

Write clear and straightforward content.
Avoid long sentences and only use foreign or technical terms when absolutely necessary.
Ensure the text is easily readable by using a legible font size and simple fonts.

2. Use Emojis Sparingly

Screen readers convert emojis into text.
For better accessibility, place emojis at the beginning or end of your content, not in the middle.

3. CamelCase for Hashtags

Write hashtags in CamelCase (e.g., #OutdoorAdventures).
This improves readability for screen readers and helps prevent confusion or misinterpretation.

4. Alternative Text for Images

Provide meaningful alt text for visual content such as images and graphics.
Avoid embedding important text within images unless that text is also included in the alt description.

5. Subtitles and Audio Descriptions for Videos

Always provide subtitles for videos.
Include audio descriptions when necessary to describe visual elements for users with visual impairments.

6. BITV Compliance Check Steps

The BITV test includes various checkpoints based on the Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV) 2.0.
These checkpoints assess areas such as:

Text alternatives
Time-based media (like audio/video)
Keyboard operability
And more

Remember that accessible content not only benefits people with disabilities, but also improves the quality of your content for all users. And yes, algorithms already reward relevant content with better reach! Accessible posts are not 100% possible, but they are becoming increasingly relevant in the channels. The channels themselves are also offering more and more options for designing posts in this way.

We certainly have many more aspects and details to cover, such as concrete examples and how portals such as Hootsuite, radaar, brandwatch, etc. deal with this. The best thing to do is give us a call and we can discuss the possibilities for your social media communication.

More about our accessibility services at DRIVE