Creating Accessible Content with Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have taken an active role to make content accessible for people who need it most. We think it’s amazing and so necessary! That’s why we’ve outlined everything you need to know on how to create content that reaches everyone. Whether it’s subtitles, image captions, or more advanced accessibility options–we’ve got you covered!

Twitter

Image Descriptions

Twitter gives publishers the option to compose an image description to make it accessible for people who are visually impaired. All you need to do is:

  1. Go to your Settings and privacy from the dropdown.
  2. Check Compose image descriptions checkbox.
  3. Click on the New Tweet compose button.
  4. Attach your photo(s).
  5. Click on the Add description button.
  6. Type your description of the image and click the Done button. (The limit is 420 characters.)

For more information, visit Twitter’s Help Center.

Screenshot of Twitter post

VoiceOver

You also have the option to activate VoiceOver as a text-to-speech feature. It’s available via iOS, Android, and Mac. You can select three options under this feature:

  1. Pronounce # as “hashtag”: instead of a number.
  2. Include usernames in timelines: you’ll be able to hear the display name and username.
  3. Read shortened URLs: reads every character.

For more information, visit Twitter’s Help Center.

Subtitles

In March 2019, Twitter announced that publishers will now be able to add subtitles to their videos. Hoorah! Users can read subtitles in sound-off scenarios via the web, iOS, and Android. All you need to do is upload .SRT files through either Media Studio, ads.twitter.com, or via API.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

  1. Go to Media Studio.
  2. Upload Video.
  3. Select the Subtitles tab.
  4. Select the text language of your subtitle file.
  5. Click the Upload button and select the .SRT file from your computer.

Screenshot of Twitter subtitles

You can view closed captions on a broadcast by clicking on your device’s accessibility settings and by turning on the captions option. Or, turn on your device’s sound off or click on the “cc” icon on the web to also view subtitles.

Best Practices
  1. Provide a link, if applicable, and add [PIC], [VIDEO] or [AUDIO], to give readers more information about the link.
  2. Use #CamelCase when using hashtags to increase readability. Example: #MentalHealthAwareness instead of #mentalhealthawareness.  
  3. For videos longer than 2 minutes and 20 seconds, share a link to a captioned video on YouTube or Facebook.

 

Facebook

Facebook offers a variety of options to make your content accessible to your followers. Similar to Twitter, you can add subtitles to your videos. Although with Facebook, you don’t need to have your sound off to see the subtitles displayed.

Closed Captions

You can add captions to your video by uploading a .SRT file. After you upload your video, follow these steps:

  1. Click the notification or the date and time located above the published post on your News Feed or timeline.
  2. Click at the bottom and select Edit Video.
  3. Select Choose File below Upload .SRT files and select the .SRT file from your computer.
  4. Click Save.

For more information, visit Facebook’s Help Center.

Screenshot of Facebook's caption options

VoiceOver

Facebook makes it easy to access its VoiceOver tool (if you use a Mac, iPhone, or iPad). On your iPhone or iPad, all you need to do is go to your Settings, click on General, then Accessibility, and VoiceOver. Then turn VoiceOver on.

Add Alt Text to Images

You can add descriptions to your images by using your computer or iOS devices. It’s important to note that the description will only be read if the user has a screen reader to access Facebook. First, select your photo, then click Edit Photo, and click Alt Text. Facebook may automatically generate text for your image. However, you can also add your text when you click Override generated alt text. Add your description and click Save. And that’s it, you’re done!

For more information, visit Facebook’s Help Center.

Best Practices
  1. Use Facebook’s automatic alt-text generator.
  2. Include a link to give your fans more information.
  3. Include captions when sharing a video.

 

Instagram

Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms. Only recently did Instagram announced their new accessibility feature–alternative text! And we’re over the moon! It’s a big move and here’s what you need to do to get onboard:  

  1. Upload a photo to Instagram.
  2. Edit the photo if necessary, then tap Next.  
  3. Tap Advanced Settings at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Write your Alt Text.
  5. Click Save or Done.

Screenshot of Instagram's accessibility settings

Screenshot of Instagram's alternative text

Best Practices
  1. Add as much information about your post in the description. Include descriptive details in brackets. Example: [IMAGE/VIDEO/INFOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION]
  2. Use #CamelCase when using hashtags to increase readability. For example, #MentalHealthAwareness instead of #mentalhealthawareness.  
  3. Add captions to your videos using apps and software such as Cliptomatic, 3Play Media, and Amara.

For more information, visit Instagram’s Help Center.

 

YouTube

Subtitles and Captioning

YouTube uses speech recognition technology to generate captions for your videos. While this is a great tool, it’s also important to review the automatically generated text for accuracy. You may need to edit the text before you decide to publish it on your YouTube channel. Follow these steps to help you access this tool:

  1. Head over to your Video Manager. Select Creator Studio, then Video Manager, and Videos.
  2. Next to the video, click the drop-down menu next to the Edit button.
  3. Click Subtitles and CC.
  4. Select Language (Automatic) in the “Published” section to the right of the video.
  5. Edit text for accuracy.

Screenshot of YouTube video language settings

Screenshot of YouTube's subtitle settings

Best Practices
  1. Always review your video captions before publishing.

For more information, visit YouTube Help.

 

Conclusion

We’ve come a long way when it comes to creating content that is accessible to everyone. However, we still have more work to do. Following these guidelines will bring users one step closer in making this a standard protocol on all social media posts.

Hitting the Bulls-Eye When Targeting

My mother tells me I have an overactive imagination. Sometimes, I imagine myself as the protagonist in a high-stakes video game centered around navigating the oversaturated advertising landscape. I duck to dodge a barrage of ads that are targeted to “women in the US between the ages of 18 and 34”; barrel roll to avoid an ad for an electric camping stove. I click, out of a fleeting curiosity, and am rewarded with camping supply ads for the foreseeable future. Mission failed.

Google makes little effort to hide their data collection process, citing a desire to give highly personalized, relevant results (i.e. ads). I’ve come to peace with this practice, especially because as a marketer I understand the value of well-targeted advertising. As a consumer, I personally prefer an ad that reflects the products and services that I would genuinely be interested in.

Unfortunately, many advertisers are forced to rely on 3rd party data aggregates to create targeted campaigns, which can sacrifice accuracy for scale. This targeting is based on limited algorithms and oftentimes misleading assumptions about consumer behavior; (for example, clicking on a camping stove which must mean that I have an interest in a sub-zero sleeping bag). What is an advertiser, limited by the capacity, to do?

Define your audience. Properly define your audience. Sit your team down (while we’re on the subject: is your team diverse enough?) and flesh out exactly who your consumer is. Don’t just stop at age, location, gender – look at their behaviors, both exhibited and predicted. What does that mean?

Exhibited can also be defined as “past” behaviors – actions that the audience member has already taken. Predicted is defined as “future” behaviors, with an emphasis on the likelihood of that action actually occurring. Let’s apply this principle to marketing a keto-friendly frozen dinner:

  • Audience Member 1: Female, 18-34, Washington DC, Ward 2, within 1 mile of a grocery store; history of yo-yo dieting, emphasis on low-carb or Atkins; search history of quick and easy healthy meals to eat for weeknights; search history of diets for weight loss; video watch history of keto 101/what is ketosis; likelihood of purchasing frozen meals; likelihood of repurchasing frozen meals; likelihood of starting keto diet
  • Audience Member 2: Male, 18-34, Washington DC, Ward 3, within 1 mile of a grocery store; history of keto diet; search history for quick and easy keto meals for weeknights; search history of keto-friendly foods; likelihood of purchasing frozen meals; likelihood of repurchasing frozen meals; likelihood of maintaining keto diet
  • Audience Member 3: Female, 18-34, Washington DC, Ward 4, within 1 mile of a grocery store; content creator of Keto 101 videos; long history of keto diet; active lifestyle; likelihood of purchasing frozen meals; likelihood of repurchasing frozen meals; likelihood of sharing information about the product

By breaking our audience down in this manner, we have a barometer for the type of copy that might resonate with each segment.

For Audience Member 1, our language would be tailored to the keto-curious beginner who is looking for an easy and less-daunting way to embark on this diet journey. The voice would be welcoming and nonjudgmental with laymen terms about ketosis.

Audience Member 2 may respond well to copy that speaks to keto not being a fad, but that also acknowledges its difficulty and provides an alternate for days where cooking just isn’t an option. The voice would be empathetic and conversational, dropping some mid-level language about the keto diet.

Audience 3 is a seasoned keto dieter and, more importantly, a cultural influencer. When creating the copy, you would suggest that this a great resource to share with individuals who are afraid of starting their keto journey and that even those who have the access and knowledge to create a keto meal themselves will find this frozen meal up to snuff. The voice would be informed but not educational and contain high-level language regarding ketosis to make this audience feel respected.

Once you’ve figured out who your audience is, you must figure out where they are and what types of ads they respond to. This part, I’m afraid, is a whole lot of trial and error. Play around on different platforms and, if budget allows, experiment with innovative creative types. As you’re doing so, always refer back to your defined audience and determine whether or not this would be the best way to reach them.

You may start your campaign and just let it run its course. Trust me, I know that it’s tempting! However, when you examine your results weekly or bi-weekly and continuously refine your audience, you’re adding a human touch to data targeting. Over time, you improve your targeting practices and understanding of your audience. This is what will make your paid campaign more accurate and advertising more “authentic”.

That being said, my best ailment for your targeting woes looks beyond the realm of paid advertising. To improve as a marketer, you must split your efforts between paid and organic efforts. Whether your organic effort is social listening or having meaningful conversations with your online community, having that “human touch” is a crucial complement to any paid advertising campaign.

A highly targeted campaign backed by “authentic” conversation – a two-way conversation between advertiser and consumer – is the only real advertising bullseye; curiosity on behalf of the marketer is that secret ingredient to success. Your desire to engage with and truly learn about your audience and its needs always produces the best advertising campaigns, from creative to targeting right down to analytics.

Say we come full circle to the video game analogy. Let’s argue that this is the type of game you play through multiple times. Think of 3rd party data vendors as a disorganized list of cheat codes. The majority of your first run is unscrambling the list and figuring out which cheat code to use in each situation. Think of our tactic of refined targeting and organic efforts as playing through the actual game once, and learning about the landscape and characters and plotlines.

How does your initial choice impact your second run? Don’t just rely on cheat codes. Learn the game to beat the game.

8 Tips to Successfully Capture Live Posts

Nowadays it seems like most organizations share live updates of their events via social media. Think about events like the American Music Awards tweeting celebrity red carpet looks or even local events such as Mayor Bowser’s Maternal & Infant Health Summit live tweeting. Why do organizations share their event via social media? Because of the added value! Social media can increase your event’s engagement by reaching a wider audience, even those who cannot physically attend your event.

If you want to broaden your event’s success, there are some key things to keep in mind before you start live posting. While it may seem easy to post at the moment, having a plan in place can help you prevent any foreseeable chaos. Here’s how my colleagues and I plan for a live event.

1. Make a list of things to share

What do you want to share on your social media accounts? Do you want to share pictures, videos, speaker quotes, or pre-drafted graphics? Create a list of action items you want to tackle when you live post. Having this list will allow you to prioritize your work and guarantee that you cover all of the messages you want to share on social media.

2. Create a hashtag

For your event, you will probably want to create a hashtag to accompany it. Associating a hashtag with your event will allow you to track the conversations and engagement from your audience. It also lets your audience follow along with any updates and participate in the conversation. Simply create a short hashtag that aligns with your event. For Mayor Bowser’s Maternal & Infant Health Summit, we selected #DCMaternalHealth as the official hashtag. Your hashtag should be no more than 18 characters to ensure that it’s user-friendly. A wordy hashtag may discourage people from using it, and it may create an issue with platforms like Twitter that only allows 280 characters.

3. Track your hashtag

Now that you created your perfect hashtag, you will need tools to track it. You may want to know how many people used your hashtag, the number of impressions, amount of engagement, and more. There are a couple of great tools available to gather these metrics. Consider using Sprout Social, TweetReach, and Keyhole to keep track of your analytics.

4. Create a lookbook

Will you have multiple speakers at your event? If you are covering their talking points via social media, it might be useful to have some key information about them. For our coverage at Mayor Bowser’s Maternal & Infant Health Summit, our team created a lookbook that included information about the speakers. In this lookbook, we included the speaker’s full name, title, organization, and social media handles. Having this information readily available made it easier to tag and quote speakers during their live session.

5. Have your equipment ready

Before your event, you will also need to decide what type of technology you will use to post your messages. Will you use your laptop, cell phone, or iPad? You need to understand your event’s layout and setup to select the best technology. If you are sitting down you may opt for a laptop, but if you are running around capturing content you may decide that using your cell phone or iPad is your best option. You will ultimately decide your preferred and most comfortable method for posting. Finally, make sure you have reliable charging options such as accessible outlets or portable chargers. You don’t want your cell phone or laptop to give out as you’re typing an important tweet about your event.

6. Make sure you have reliable internet

During big events, it’s common that internet access is unreliable and slow. And that’s the last thing you want to experience during a live event. Make sure you have reliable internet access whether it’s via WiFi, Hotspot, or via your internet provider.

7. Assign roles

Depending on the size of your event and number of social media accounts, you may need more than one person managing your content. Assign roles on who will be taking pictures, capturing live quotes, or recording videos. Every person involved should have a clear role and plan to execute their assigned task.

8. Engage with your audience

You might be pushing out 20 posts per minute on social media, but is your audience participating? Make sure you are not wasting your time and energy on only posting content. You also need to engage with your audience. Are people using your hashtag? Give a like or leave them a comment to let them know you are also listening to them. Having this open and mutual relationship on social media will not only increase engagement but show your audience that you value their participation.

Next time you have an event, keep these tips in mind. You will thank yourself later!   

7 Tips to Launch Your First Start-Up

Starting your first company may seem like an exciting—and at the same time impossible—endeavor. You may ask yourself, “Where should I start? Do I have enough resources to take this leap of faith?” I sat down with Everett Hamilton and Sheila McGee, founders of Octane Public Relations, to discuss how they started their own black-owned and women-led PR boutique agency. After almost two decades, our founders have collected a wealth of knowledge and learned many lessons about managing a company—and about leveraging public relations skills to empower communities and take action on issues that matter, such as HIV prevention or the opioid epidemic.

Our founders shared a few pointers that will lead you in the right direction if you’re looking to start your own company.

1. Evaluate Your Reasons

Why do you want to start your own company? For Sheila McGee, starting her own PR company was the only viable option. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in communications and media, it took Sheila ten years to get into the PR field. When she did, she was certain that she wanted to start her own public relations company.

Everett Hamilton wanted to make a lasting impact on issues that affect marginalized communities. And he has accomplished this and more: The Washington Business Journal recently honored him with the 2018 Business of Pride award.

First, evaluate your own reasons behind starting a PR company. They will set your trajectory for years to come:

  • Think about your set of skills and areas of expertise. How will these skills apply to launch your company?
  • Do you have the ambition and determination to finish what you started? Creating your own company from the ground up takes a lot of work. Be prepared for the highs and lows.
  • What are your expectations? What are you trying to get out of starting your own company?
  • Are you willing to make some adjustments to your current lifestyle? This may involve your finances, work hours, and/or social life

2. Money Management

Having financial savvy is essential to starting any new project. Make sure you know how you will make a salary and keep track of all your expenses. Before launching Octane, both Everett and Sheila worked for one year in Virginia and New York, respectively, to guarantee a steady source of income. Securing this flow of income allowed them to save money for a business license and other expenses.

  • Do you plan to work on the side?
  • Are you considering a bank loan?
  • Will you get help from financial investors?
  • Will you ask your friends and family for financial support?

3. Align Philosophies

Make sure you and your business partner(s) are in alignment about how you want to run your company. Sheila views this partnership as being like a marriage: You and your partner(s) need to be aligned, as this will ultimately determine your work environment.

  • Establish your company’s culture. How will you empower your employees with a shared set of values? Having a strong company culture will instill a positive working environment among your employees. At Octane, we enjoy an open-door policy, summer flex hours, summer team outings, and work-from-home days.
  • Come up with your own shared goals. Make sure your employees are on board with the company’s overall mission and vision.

4. Network Intentionally

Everett personally believes in the power of networking. Whether it’s to connect with others who might have already gone through the startup process or maybe to connect with potential clients, networking can open many doors. Not surprisingly, Octane’s first client came through a connection from Everett’s high school friend.

Join groups and organizations that can offer you more advice and give you tips on starting your own company. After you meet someone, send them a follow-up email, take them out for lunch, or send a thoughtful card. It’s important to nourish and maintain these new and fragile connections, as one great networking opportunity may lead to many others.

5. Know Your Value

Do you know your worth and your company’s worth? This will ultimately translate into the work your company will provide your clients. Even in your first client meeting, talk about money up front. You need to address financial issues head on and understand that the only business opportunities are the ones that have money behind them. Before you accept your first contract, consider these questions:

  • Is this client really interested in my work? Focus on a client that wants to work with you. Don’t chase people with who don’t have a real interest in your business or people that are not ready to buy.
  • Ask for the budget on a contract and make sure that the client’s expectations realistically match your work value.
  • If the budget doesn’t match your work value, can your client make a compromise? Let your client know that they will need to take some things off their list

6. Name Your Company

What should you call your new company? Our founders spent close to six months deciding on the name. Viable name options fell flat when they tried putting them into sentences and other work documents. It wasn’t until Sheila came across a New York Times article about the Albany Dance Company that referred to “high-octane performances” from a ballet ensemble. Octane reminds her of energy, fuel, fire, and feeling motivated. She shared it with the rest of the team and they loved it. Select a name that captures your attention and that of others.

7. Good Things Take Time

Above all, have patience. Good things take time. As Sheila rightfully put it, “Beyoncé did not become an overnight sensation.” Success may not come early, but if you learn from Beyoncé (and our founders) and perfect your skills, it might just come a lot quicker than you think.

  • Create a checklist for all your goals. Keep them updated as you mark each off. This will keep you motivated and grounded as you evaluate all the work you’ve accomplished.

You have what it takes to start your own company. If there’s a challenge along the way, learn from that experience and develop a plan of action. Be confident in yourself and in the career journey on which you soon will embark.