Reach out with inclusive Social Media

Reaching out to all customers and visitors is key in these challenging times, so it is even more important to ensure your social media work is inclusive. Here, Becki Morris, Director of DCN and Associate Consultant of EMBED shares a selection of top tips to help.  

• Collate interesting narratives with good images that stand out
• Always consider that if you use an image that someone may not be able to see it – use an alternative text function on your tweets. These are available on social media management tools such as Tweetdeck and Hootsuite.
• If you use any sound, someone may not be able to hear it – captions can support audiences particularly if there are issues with background noise, people who may be hard of hearing due to industrial injury or are d/Deaf and neurodivergent (particularly people with dyspraxia, ADHD and autism spectrum condition). Creating captions can be done via online training and there are transcription tools available via Otter which can be saved to create closed captions.
• Avoid jargon or abbreviations to ensure your message is clear.
• Ensure that the language and images you use represent diverse and inclusive communities.
• Ensure that the hashtag has capital letters at the start of each word such as #InclusivePractice
• Take time to plan your social media messages, and always link to your website using URL shortening tools such as Bitly.  This can highlight your services and donation opportunities to visitors and potential visitors.

Like to know more about inclusive social media? All of these tips have ‘how-tos’ available on DCNs website: http://bit.ly/2kellKs  and you can check out DCN’s captioned podcast at  https://youtu.be/H30jiDES–E

Becki Morris, Director of DCN and Associate Consultant of EMBED