Benefits of Closed Captioning Your Video

The last year’s challenges have demonstrated the need to build a more inclusive society. Marketers are not exempt. Consumers and business buyers expect more. They want their favorite companies to stand up for social justice. They want the brands they use to promote unbiased, fair policies. Today’s marketers must work to include people of all backgrounds, abilities, and circumstances to engage with their brands. Most marketers understand this concept. They make a conscious effort to include all employees, vendors, or clients. Including closed captions in marketing videos offer a great way to show this commitment.

Video embedded in websites, email, social media, and television has become an ever more dominant marketing channel. Making that content accessible to all is critical. Closed captioning not only is right from a humanitarian standpoint, but it also makes fiscal sense. Nearly a half-billion people in the world are deaf or hearing-impaired. Businesses cannot afford to shut out more than 5 percent of the world’s population from receiving their messages. Adding clear, accurate, well-timed, and comprehensive closed captions ensures these viewers receive the full value of your video marketing investment.

Speaking to audience members with hearing impairments is the most obvious reason to closed caption your marketing video’s audio, but there are lots of other advantages closed captioning delivers:

Attract English Learners to Your Brand

People learning English as a second language will appreciate how captions make video messaging easier to comprehend. Closed captions expose your message worldwide and reach America’s immigrant and ethnic communities. Closed captioning helps English learners comprehend the meanings behind the words they hear. You will be tutoring them on grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. You also will build your target market by ensuring they fully understand your brand’s competitive advantages.

Communicate with Customers No Matter Where They Are

You never know when a prospective client may come across your video. They may find you on a crowded subway or a windy street, where it may be difficult for them to hear. Viewing with the sound on in a library would be rude. Finding and untangling earbuds is a hassle. When you caption your marketing videos, however, anyone can “hear” with their eyes. Closed captions defeat many of life’s interferences that can distract your audience from fully understanding your message. Even with the audio on, viewers may not hear a keyword. Captioning ensures they take in every word and focus on your message.

Grab Their Attention…

Closed captions give you another chance to catch the customers’ eyes as they scroll through social media. Facebook videos play on mute, so a glimpse of text with an image can spark interest. When we use both our eyes and our ears to absorb content, we are more likely to remember the message. This is the concept behind all interactive media. Captions elevate the user experience. The viewer becomes an active participant in the news you are sharing. That creates an emotional connection that generates loyalty and lifetime value.

...And Hold onto It

Marketing optimization company Instapage found that captioned videos enjoyed 5 percent more viewing times than the same videos without closed captions. Watchers sometimes rely on captions to discern not only the words they hear but also the visuals they see on the screen. The written word engages viewers’ imagination and keeps them interested in what you’re saying and showing. It fills in any gaps in their understanding that otherwise could drive them to abandon your message.

Improve Your Google Rankings

Achieving a prime position in search results pages is just as important for video marketing as it is for landing pages. But Google’s algorithms can’t watch your videos to give you SEO credit for their content. The bots can, however, crawl through your closed captions to catalog the keywords you employ. In fact, adding closed captions and appending transcriptions doubles your video script’s impact in driving organic visitors to your website.

Closed captioning your video content accomplishes several marketing goals. Of course, the practice proves your organization’s commitment to inclusive communication. It also delivers real, impactful marketing results. Closed captions improve your SEO positioning make your videos more watchable and more engaging. Video increases its share of companies’ marketing budgets and customers’ attention every year. To remain competitive, you need to make your videos as user-friendly and as accessible as possible.

Levitate Media has produced thousands of animated and live-action marketing videos for companies and budgets of every size. As a full-service creative team, we can help you with every step of your project from concept to final cut and, of course, closed captions. To discover how our services can transform your marketing campaign through professionally produced video, contact our team, and let’s get started.