How to Make Your Content More Accessible to the Hard-of-Hearing

There have been countless how-to articles, videos, and think pieces that discuss how to get the most out of your social media content, but they don't always touch upon making that content accessible for everyone.

For example, 94% of marketers have claimed that they've used videos to increase users' understanding of their content so far in 2022. That's all well and good, but what about users who can't even hear those videos? There are 48 million people in the United States who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and your social media marketing campaign shouldn't ignore them.

Your social media marketing campaign should be accessible to everyone, including those who are hard-of-hearing. TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are blowing up in a big way, giving small businesses a unique way to showcase their brand and attract new customers. But video content can quickly alienate a significant portion of your audience if you're not mindful. Here are just a few ways to make your content more accessible to the hearing-impaired community.

Provide Multiple Contact Options

Far too many businesses only give out phone numbers for their contact information. This effectively alienates their deaf clients unless the number has a teletype option. Your campaign should provide a phone number that people can call, but customers should also be able to reach out to you by email, DMs in social media, messenger service or anything else that doesn't require someone to hear someone speak to them.

Caption Your Videos

If your marketing campaign involves video, be sure to include captions. This will not only allow your deaf clients to benefit from your content, but it will make things easier for anyone else who has to watch a video in a place where they can't turn up their volume.

There are plenty of software options available for captioning videos, but your best option is to embed the captions right into the video. These cannot be turned off, but it will ensure that everyone will be able to see your captions without having to turn them on. Plus, not all captioning software is compatible with all video software; some of your visitors could still be out of luck if they happen to be using the "wrong" software to watch your video.

Provide Transcripts

Even if you take the time to caption all of your videos so that everyone can view them, you should still provide transcripts for your video and audio content. These transcripts can be posted in a blog format that anyone can read, even if they haven't been able to watch the related video or listen to the audio stream. Once again, this is also incredibly useful for those who don't have the time to watch an entire video or who can't turn up the volume on their device. It also helps boost your site's SEO, which is a win-win if you ask us!

Hire an ASL Interpreter

If you're streaming live and can't provide live captions, you can always hire an ASL interpreter for your hard-of-hearing viewers. Ensure that you have a legitimate interpreter who can keep up with you. Also, speak clearly, so nothing is lost in translation.

No matter what kind of content you produce, it should be accessible to everyone. Fortunately, Ear Level Marketing specializes in creating websites and other social media marketing solutions ideal for reaching the deaf and hearing impaired. Contact us today to learn more about our services and find out how we can make your next marketing campaign accessible to everyone.