The “Other” Viewability in Advertising – 60 Million Consumers in the US with Disabilities Offer a Big Market to Site Owners

22 Sep 2020

The goal of advertisers is to sell products and services. They aim to reach as many people as possible to get them to buy what is being sold.

Most advertisers believe that they are doing a good job of improving their viewability and reading a large segment of the population.

However, if their advertising efforts are not accessible, they are leaving a lot of potential consumers behind.

Consider the fact that in the United States alone, there are more than 60 million people who have some type of disability.

When you factor in the rest of the world, that number climbs to around a billion people.

Not considering these people when creating advertising campaigns means that companies could be missing out on a lot of potential customers.

This is not a segment of the population that should be left out.

Yet, those who are not designing their websites and ads with accessibility in mind are excluding a large number of people.

What is Accessibility in Marketing and Advertising?

The goal of accessibility is to make it as easy as possible for everyone to experience the marketing and advertising that the company is providing. Everyone should be able to experience marketing and communications and make the decision to buy a product or service or to learn more about the company.

Accessibility can no longer be an afterthought.

Today, accessibility needs to be brought into all communications, products, services, and processes at the initial stages. It will work better when it is integrated into the process from the beginning rather than trying to add it in later.

While companies can certainly make changes to improve website accessibility now, advertising works best when ads are designed to be accessible from the start.

In some cases, this might mean making changes to the formats of the ads. Perhaps the text should be larger in some cases, and there should be audio descriptions for content, including video content.

Working to optimize the experience of the users helps to ensure that everyone will get the same information from the content that is provided.

How to Think About Design for Inclusivity

One of the first things that people need to do when they are trying to help improve ad and website accessibility is to think about potential exclusions.

What are some of the biggest problems that people would face when they experience the ad or the site?

Determining where these problems lie can help to understand different methods that could be used as a means to better meet the needs of everyone.

Often, the innovations that help to improve accessibility can make a positive difference to everyone who experiences the content.

What Types of Changes Can Be Made?

It is important not to focus solely on one area of disabilities when trying to create accessible content.

Instead, incorporate accessibility tools and principles that can help reach as many people as possible to make their experiences better. This includes creating content for those who may have mobility problems, vision issues, hearing difficulty, or cognitive issues.

Some examples of options that can be used for advertising include enlarging the text and imagery on ads to make them easier to read and see for those who have poor vision. Having the ad read to the viewer can help those who are sight-impaired, as well.

In some cases, the color set used on the ads can be modified to ensure everyone can see all of the content.

Often, people do not think about the ways that some colors can blend or make the ad difficult to read. They also do not think about the possibility of people who may be color blind. Imagine if the contact information was rendered essentially invisible because of the colors, the size of the font, or the type of font.

Offering ads that are suited toward the largest audience possible means that the company will be getting more business. People who would never have been able to find and choose those products or services will now have access. This means new customers, happy customers, and ultimately, more profit.

Getting on board with making the changes and improving ad and website accessibility today is essential. It is important to ensure that these changes are sweeping across the company, not just in one area.

All of the content on the ad campaigns need to be created with these thoughts in mind. The same is true of every piece of video content, email, newsletters, and other items that are used as part of the advertising of the business – not just the advertisements.

Comply with New Requirements

With the changes to the level of technology in the world today, there will also be digital ADA compliance changes coming. By making advertising, websites, and other online content accessible now, it will help to ensure that the company or individual is complying with the requirements.

Of course, beyond meeting requirements and beyond the chance to improve the bottom line, making content more accessible from ads to videos and websites helps to make the world a better and more inclusive place.

Getting Help to Make the Changes

No matter how progressive a company might be and no matter how dedicated they are to ensuring that they are improving marketing and website accessibility, it is a large job. Different types of industries will need ads that can reach their core demographic, including those with disabilities.

Rethinking the way that the ads are created is a huge step, but sometimes, there needs to be some additional help. It’s important for businesses to find the tools and services that can help them ensure their ad viewability incorporates the needs of those 60 million disabled people in the United States.

Working with those who know and understand what needs to be done in terms of accessibility can make a big difference. It will also make it faster to incorporate these changes.

That’s why we encourage you to contact us about TruAbilities Accessible Display. Let us show you how our tools can make your website and your advertising campaigns ADA accessible.

It’s easy to get started.

Get in touch with us now.

29 Comments