One in four American adults has a physical or mental disability, and accessibility barriers often exclude them from digital marketing messages. According to Capterra’s 2022 Accessible Marketing Survey, 83% of businesses are doing more to provide accessibility in their digital marketing, but demographics such as age, gender and race are prioritized in marketing efforts It turns out that it is often done.

In various types of accessibility, marketers tend to focus on providing visual and auditory functionality rather than cognitive functionality. This may be because they mistakenly believe that visual and hearing impairments are the most common disabilities in the United States, but in fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that cognitive impairments are more common. Yes (10.8% of Americans). Although 53% of marketers describe cognitive impairments in digital content, improvements are being made to enhance features for consumers facing cognitive challenges such as concentration, memory, and decision-making difficulties. You can do.

The survey also found that marketers recognize the need for increased education on accessibility. In fact, 45% of his marketers said education would make companies more proactive about improving accessibility. Training also helps marketers better understand specific disability compliance laws.

Beyond the need for more education, cost and technology barriers hamper accessible marketing improvements. Cost is the most difficult issue. His 69% of marketers strongly or somewhat believe that creating accessible digital his marketing is expensive. One in four of her marketers says the lack of technology to implement features is the biggest barrier to creating accessible content.

Implementing accessibility is a challenge regardless of platform. Nearly half (49%) of marketers rate social media as the most difficult platform to provide accessibility features on. Despite its longer lifespan compared to newer social media channels, 43% of his marketers still cite email as the most difficult platform for accessibility, and 39% said the same for his website. reporting.

Meghan Bazaman, Senior Marketing Analyst at Capterra, said: “By adopting a more proactive approach, marketers can reach more customers while generating positive brand perception.”

Companies that embraced accessible marketing reports not only did the right thing, they improved their relationships with their customers. Of marketers who currently offer accessibility features, 53% and 44% say they improve customer service and customer loyalty/retention, respectively.

Providing accessible marketing is profitable, but an ongoing process in the evolving online environment. Accessibility software and free online resources help marketers implement accessibility features. View the full report for more actionable insights that can help businesses improve their marketing accessibility.