Jen Dodds: The Deaf Dollar - Engaging with British Sign Language Users on Social

2025
Written By SocialDay Marketing

At SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, we're highlighting the ways brands can build deeper, more inclusive connections through smart audience engagement. Jen Dodds, Audience Engagement Manager at LumoTV, joins the festival to share her insights in her session The Deaf Dollar: Engaging with British Sign Language Users on Social. She’ll show how brands can authentically reach deaf audiences — and why doing so is not just the right thing to do, but a smart business move too.

About Jen

With a rich background spanning journalism, translation, PR, and copywriting, Jen Dodds brings over 30 years of experience in deaf media to the table. Today, she specialises in social media and audience engagement, using her unique perspective to make content more accessible, authentic, and impactful.

At LumoTV, Jen has helped drive meaningful engagement by combining creativity with accessibility — proving that when you make content inclusive, you’re not just expanding reach, you’re building real community.

What to Expect from The Deaf Dollar: Engaging with British Sign Language Users on Social

In her session, Jen will dive into the essential (and often overlooked) aspects of marketing to deaf audiences. She’ll spotlight what truly works, where brands often go wrong, and why authentic representation — including collaboration with deaf experts — is vital for success.

Real-world examples will bring her insights to life, showing how access doesn't have to mean sacrificing creativity or impact.

Key Areas of Focus

  • Understanding what "access" really means for deaf audiences (hint: it’s not just about captions)

  • How to create content that resonates with British Sign Language (BSL) users

  • The value and importance of working with deaf experts

  • How humour and authentic storytelling can break down barriers

Key Takeaways

Attendees will leave with the knowledge to:

  • Understand how to meaningfully engage deaf audiences across social platforms

  • See accessibility as a creative opportunity, not a limitation

  • Recognise the buying power and influence of the deaf consumer

  • Incorporate best practices for inclusive, engaging content strategies

Jen’s Perspective on Social Media Trends

One shift that’s made Jen smile in the past year? The rise of portrait video formats with captions. It’s a move towards greater accessibility that benefits everyone — not just deaf audiences.

A Social Media Moment That Mattered

At LumoTV, comedy clips have been a huge hit, and for good reason: humour is universal. Jen is especially proud of how these moments have connected people, showing that accessibility doesn’t have to be serious or heavy to be meaningful.

What Jen Hopes for the Future of Social

Jen wants one thing, loud and clear: more captions! She’s passionate about seeing social platforms and brands embrace accessibility as a standard, not an afterthought — because captions don't just serve deaf users, they make content better for everyone.

Connect with Jen

Want to keep up with Jen and her work at LumoTV? Follow her here:

Jen joins a lineup of leading industry professionals at SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, where top minds in social media marketing will share their insights and expertise.

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