Do you want to make sure that your marketing content is accessible to deaf audiences? If so, you’re in the right place! In this blog post, we will discuss 9 tips for making your content more accessible. People with hearing loss represent a large audience, and it’s important to make sure that your marketing materials are accessible to everyone.
Marketing to deaf audiences can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With just a few simple changes, you can make your content more inclusive and reach a larger audience, not just hearing impaired individuals. And when you do that, you open up your business to a whole new group of potential customers with spending power.
Deaf and hard of hearing people make up a significant and growing consumer market. In the US, there are about 35 million deaf and hard of hearing people, which is about 10% of the population. And this market is only going to grow as the population ages. So if you’re looking for new ways to reach consumers, marketing to deaf audiences could be a great option. But it’s not as simple as just translating your materials into sign language.
The deaf and hard of hearing population includes people who were born deaf, people with limited hearing (who may or may not use hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices), and those who experienced hearing loss later in life (also known as late-deafened). As a result, communications preferences and abilities vary widely. Some people use sign language, some read speech or read and write in English (or another spoken language), and others do all or none of these things.
Here are some tips for how to effectively market in a way that is both accessible and appealing to deaf audiences.
- Provide multiple contact options
- Prioritize visual imagery that effectively communicates the intended message
- Use simple and straightforward language
- Consider a bilingual approach and include signed versions of your content
- Include open or closed captions for any audio content
- Explore live captions
- Share a transcript any time your marketing includes audio
- Include image and video descriptions for those who have vision as well as hearing disabilities
- Be mindful of language differences – just because someone knows ASL doesn’t mean they know English, so don’t assume they do.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to marketing success with deaf audiences.
