Creating content material that’s accessible and inclusive is essential within the work of content material advertising and marketing, not just for shaping the notion of your model but additionally for being socially accountable. Your content material must be relatable to everybody within the viewers, no matter their background or talents, in order that they don’t really feel excluded or tired of your model . Due to this fact, accessibility and inclusion shouldn’t be an afterthought however a basic facet of your content material creation technique. On this article, we’ll talk about some key areas to think about whereas crafting advertising and marketing content material in your B2B model that’s each accessible and inclusive.
1) Type information
On the core, your content material workforce wants to know what is supposed by accessible and inclusive content material and your organization’s ongoing dedication to it.
You can begin with outlining how your corporation will guarantee your content material is accessible and inclusive — and what content material goes towards these requirements.
Your fashion information ought to embody a particular part about language and pictures. Many phrases and phrases are rooted in our vocabulary, and we don’t take into consideration their undertones. For instance, you possibly can specify avoiding the usage of gendered jobs (“fireman”) or phrases like “falls on deaf ears.”
Your fashion information may notice particular ways in which textual content will be extra accessible. “CamelCase” for hashtags (capitalizing the primary letter of every phrase) is healthier for display screen readers. Ornamental fonts in social posts are inaccessible to display screen readers altogether. And, as Chelsea Citadel, who heads up content material at Lavender factors out, you want areas on each side of any emojis.
Extra ideas whereas creating content material that follows your fashion information embody all the time utilizing clear and concise language: Keep away from utilizing overly sophisticated jargon, technical phrases or slang that is likely to be unfamiliar to a few of your readers. Preserve your language easy and simple to know.
Pleasant reminder that in case you aren’t including areas on each side of your emojis, you are not producing content material that’s absolutely accessible to all people studying it. 💜
— Chelsea Citadel (@ChelseaCastle) February 10, 2023
2) Photos
Photos can usually really feel secondary to content material groups. You end a weblog publish and rush to seek out an acceptable hero picture or add some alt textual content. However for the reader, photographs are a part of the primary impression.
For those who’re utilizing inventory images or creating illustrations that embody folks, just be sure you’re representing range: race/ethnicity, gender, age, and skills. With the huge vary of individuals in fashionable society, you’ll give off a vibe that your organization isn’t paying consideration — or doesn’t care — in case your photographs lack range.
Give alt textual content the eye it deserves. For anybody utilizing a display screen reader, your alt textual content ought to have an effect in the best way you count on a picture to reinforce the content material. (Plus, you give context to Google for search engine rankings.)
Write good alt textual content descriptions for all your photographs. And you need to use them as a strategy to improve your model content material! A few of the finest alt textual content can also be enjoyable and playful, along with describing the picture.
3) Movies
We’re within the Age of Video. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels… movies have crept into our LinkedIn feeds and even present gross sales outreach strategies. And video content material will be limiting for folks in numerous methods, starting from hearing-impaired to neurological problems to ADHD.
If video is a part of your content material technique, bear in mind to make your movies accessible to viewers. Meaning all the time together with closed captions and contemplating extra various codecs like audio variations, audio descriptions. You also needs to embody a transcript for individuals who desire to skip the video altogether and skim the content material as an alternative.
Video will be particularly arduous for folks with sensory points, so keep away from auto-playing, loud default volumes or flashing lights.
4) Interviewees
Collaboration is a vital a part of content material, whether or not you’re interviewing subject material consultants or internet hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators characterize a various group of individuals?
With our personal podcast, Elevate B2B Advertising, we’re on a mission, not solely to Elevate the B2B advertising and marketing business, but additionally to raise the various voices making an impression throughout the house — actively searching for out voices who promote and mirror inclusion (in addition to encourage us all).
Illustration issues, particularly in industries dominated by males, white folks, or each. For those who solely seize the “straightforward to seek out” consultants in these fields, you’re not getting a variety of views. Even in case you’re not conducting dwell interviews however quoting consultants based mostly on analysis, be sure to’re together with marginalized folks — and actively searching for them out.
Ask any of your collaborators for his or her appropriate pronouns. Don’t assume. Use the right pronouns in something you write or any interviews you conduct. In case your collaboration contains audio — both dwell or recorded — ask your collaborator for proper title pronunciation.
“Collaboration is a vital a part of content material, whether or not you’re interviewing subject material consultants or internet hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators characterize a various group of individuals?” — Katelyn Drake @KB_Drake Click on To Tweet
5) Web site
Many of those components talked about will converge in your web site. And since web sites usually include a lot of content material, you’ll wish to look at every web page in each internet and cellular codecs.
Colours
Coloration — and particularly, coloration distinction — makes your web site content material extra accessible to folks with visible impairments or who’re colorblind. They’ve problem with sure colours or coloration combos, doubtlessly making it arduous for them to navigate your website.
For those who use a coloration scheme with good distinction for a variety of individuals, you’ll enhance the general person expertise, no matter visible talents. You possibly can run your colours by means of a distinction checker to see in case your website wants enchancment. This is applicable to textual content, photographs, icons, and buttons.
Fonts
Not all fonts are created equal, and a few are very tough for visually impaired folks. If the font is just too small, too skinny, or has a low distinction with the background, it is going to be tough to learn.
Sans serif fonts (like Arial) are higher for folks with dyslexia as a result of the letters are much less crowded. For those who’re in search of a serif font, a mono-spaced font like Courier is simpler to learn.
Total, select one thing easy, with good spacing, and don’t use italicized fonts.
Construction
Creating content material that flows in a logical order is a vital a part of web site accessibility. Heading twos (H2s) and heading threes (H3s) assist display screen readers. Breaking apart blocks of textual content with headers additionally helps neurodivergent readers with data processing.
You may as well use bullet factors to extend the readability of your posts.
Assessment and make adjustments as wanted
As Rease Kirchner, senior content material advertising and marketing supervisor at Webflow factors out: “[Inclusive content] isn’t a badge of honor you earn with a single initiative or intention — it’s an ongoing and intentional effort.”
As you create your B2B model content material, take into consideration range and illustration. Total, be sure that your content material displays range and keep away from stereotypes. Use inclusive language that doesn’t exclude sure teams of individuals based mostly on gender, race or means.
As entrepreneurs, we’re all the time on the alert for adjustments on the earth round us. Expertise, tradition, language, work — they’re all continuously evolving. And which means being conscious of extra methods to be extra accessible and inclusive sooner or later.
For those who’re in search of a artistic accomplice to help your model’s content material wants, join with the TopRank Advertising workforce. Contact us to be taught extra!
