Why accessibility should be a priority in your digital marketing strategy

From user-generated content to the metaverse, there’s plenty of fads around that will eventually fade away. But accessibility isn’t one of them. And, crucially, it’s something that should be a priority in your digital marketing strategy. Let’s get into why…

Reaching a wider audience 

The whole point of digital marketing is to help your brand connect with more people. So why limit the potential reach (and impact) of your campaigns by making them inaccessible to entire demographics? According to the World Health Organization, around 16% of the population live with some form of disability - that’s over a billion people. So if your digital marketing campaigns aren’t accessible it means you’re missing out on connecting with a huge chunk of the global market. It's not just those with additional accessibility needs either, inaccessible strategies also risk alienating others who’ll recognise your brand for lacking diversity and inclusion. And nobody wants that.

Enhancing user experience

Accessible design is better for everyone. It really is that simple. Straightforward navigation, clear fonts and high-contrast colours improve the user experience for audience members of all kinds. And good UX leads to better results. When people find your content easy to read and interact with, they’re more likely to engage with your campaigns, stay on your site and, crucially, convert into customers. 

Improving SEO

It’s not just your audience who’ll love your accessible marketing strategy, search engines will too. While the algorithms of Google and its cousins remain a mystery, one thing’s clear: they aim to provide the best possible results to searchers, and that means accessible content. 
Using descriptive alt text for images, clear heading structures and meaningful links makes your digital marketing accessible and aligns with SEO best practices. So by embracing accessibility, you’ll also enhance your search engine ranking. It’s a win-win.

Building brand reputation 

To build a loyal community of brand advocates (and who doesn’t want that?!) you’ve gotta prioritise accessibility. People today are sick of smoke and mirror marketing and seeking an alternative - thirsty for authentic companies they can trust. Making accessibility a priority in your marketing will prove that inclusivity is more than a meaningless value written on your website. Helping you to build audience trust and earn people’s loyalty.

Encouraging innovation 

Constraint breeds creativity. Stop thinking that by following accessibility guidelines you’ll be diluting your design prowess, because actually the opposite is true. Designing for accessibility forces you to think more creatively and come up with more innovative ideas - keeping you apart from the crowd and ahead of the game.

Keeping you compliant

We know it’s not the most fun topic, but it’s an important one: legal compliance. Yep, lots of countries now legally require digital accessibility. So avoid the scary world of legal jargon and the threat of sanctions by making sure your digital marketing strategy is inclusive and accessible.

Ethical responsibility 

We could bang on about the ways in which accessible marketing benefits your bottom line (because it does!) but the real bottom line is that it’s simply the right thing to do. Everyone deserves to have equal access to information, services and brands. And by creating accessible digital marketing strategies you’ll help to make sure they do. 

So, no - accessibility isn’t going anywhere any time soon. 

But it’s also not an obstacle for your digital marketing, it’s an opportunity. Prioritising accessibility in your strategy will actually help you to reach more people, boost brand awareness and build a loyal community. Ultimately enabling you to have an even bigger positive impact. And that’s what we all want to see. 

If you need a helping hand combining accessibility and creativity, we’ve got your back. We’re the B-corp certified brand and digital agency dedicated to creating and reshaping brands for good. Just get in touch to chat about your digital marketing strategy and how we can support you to increase your impact by increasing your accessibility.