{"id":142398,"date":"2020-11-19T16:05:41","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T16:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/?p=142398"},"modified":"2020-11-19T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T16:05:41","slug":"top-six-reasons-you-should-add-captions-your-social-media-video-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2020\/11\/19\/top-six-reasons-you-should-add-captions-your-social-media-video-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Top six reasons you should caption your social media video content"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"well\">\n<h3>30-second summary:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video marketing is more than a trend; it\u2019s a must. But most companies are leaving out a key ingredient to ensure customers engage with their videos: captions and subtitles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Captioning videos in English or subtitling them in other languages has been proven to greatly boost the success and accessibility of online video content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adding captions, subtitles or a transcript to videos allows Google to index the entirety of video content, rather than just indexing the video title.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Captions and subtitles ensure videos are accessible by all: those who don\u2019t have their volume on and the 37.5 million Americans who are deaf or hearing impaired.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter what industry you\u2019re in, video content is likely part of your marketing strategy. And if it\u2019s not, it should be. According to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco.com\/c\/en\/us\/solutions\/collateral\/executive-perspectives\/annual-internet-report\/white-paper-c11-741490.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report by Cisco<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022. And <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/state-of-video-marketing-new-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by video<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Even still, videos aren\u2019t some magic token that\u2019ll get you to the next realm of marketing success and customer engagement. The online landscape is crowded, competitive, and moving at lightning speed. You don\u2019t just need users to slow their scroll, you need them to engage. And when it comes to video content, the solution is quite simple, but often overlooked: closed captions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Captioning your videos in English or subtitling them in other languages will greatly boost the success of your online video content. As a professional captioner and subtitler, I\u2019m here to help you understand why:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>1. Google can\u2019t watch videos, but it can crawl captions<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking to improve your video\u2019s SEO, adding captions is a quick and easy way to do it. Search engines like Google can\u2019t watch your video content, but they can crawl your captions or transcripts and rank your video based on the keywords they find. Although your video will also be <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2020\/09\/09\/top-six-ways-to-optimize-crawl-budget-for-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indexed for SEO<\/a> by its title, description, and tags, captions will increase your keyword density and diversity even further.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-142402\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.19.49-PM.png\" alt=\"Google can't watch videos but can read captions\" width=\"721\" height=\"728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.19.49-PM.png 721w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.19.49-PM-297x300.png 297w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.19.49-PM-768x776.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next time you\u2019ve got video content creation on the horizon, make sure you incorporate keywords into the script with this tip in mind, as it will pay off when it comes to video performance and SEO results in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2. Video captions drive more social engagement\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adding captions to your videos is almost guaranteed to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2020\/09\/24\/guide-to-using-interactive-404s-to-boost-your-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">boost engagement<\/a>, interaction, and conversion. According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/instapage.com\/blog\/closed-captioning-mute-videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a case study by Instapage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, call-to-action clicks increased by 25% after they added captions to their Facebook videos. Another study found that captions increase the time viewers spend watching a video <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tubularinsights.com\/subtitles-viewing\/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20fact,entire%20video%20to%20its%20completion.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by almost 40%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and make viewers 80 percent more likely to watch a video through the end. Simply adding captions to video content drives up clicks, overall view time, and view longevity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>3. A lot of people don\u2019t (or can\u2019t) turn on video sound<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever insomnia-scrolled through Facebook for some entertainment while your partner slept soundly next to you? Or decided to take a peek at your feed during a boring class lecture? Or what about when you\u2019re riding the public bus, having a cup of joe at your favorite coffee shop, or dining out solo? In all cases, playing a video aloud is not ideal\u2026 or socially acceptable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-142400\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM-1024x718.png\" alt=\"Example of how captions support video experience without audio\" width=\"640\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM-1024x718.png 1024w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM-300x210.png 300w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM-768x539.png 768w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM-1536x1077.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-3.40.00-PM.png 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As much as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digiday.com\/media\/silent-world-facebook-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">85% of Facebook videos are played without sound<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That means, if you don\u2019t have captions on your video, it\u2019ll be skipped by anyone watching with the mute button on, which could be a sizable chunk of your target audience. If you want to ensure your followers can view your content no matter where they are when they watch it, then do your part by adding captions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>4. Captions boost comprehension, memory, and attention<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hundreds of studies have proven that captions improve comprehension of, attention to, and memory of video content. I\u2019m a native English speaker, but my husband is Spanish. To improve his comprehension while watching TV shows and movies in English, we always watch content with the captions on. I was surprised to find that this also improved my comprehension and understanding of the content, and I now watch all video content with subtitles, whether or not my husband is sitting next to me on the couch. Including captions is the best way to ensure your takeaway hits home and leaves its mark on your viewers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5. Captions make videos more inclusive and accessible<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 37.5 million Americans are deaf or have trouble hearing, so video audio serves little to no purpose to this group. And, only <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.3playmedia.com\/accessibility-online-video-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">36% of organizations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> caption all their video content. So why not get on the right side of that number? Without captions, you\u2019re missing out on connecting with a huge audience. But remember, it\u2019s not all about business and money, ensuring your video content is inclusive of all viewers is simply the right thing to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>6. Most of your viewers likely live outside of your country of origin\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making your content available worldwide is another way to grow your reach and the impact of your video content. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creatoracademy.youtube.com\/page\/lesson\/captions#strategies-zippy-link-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to YouTube<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, approximately \u201ctwo-thirds of a channel\u2019s views come from outside the creator\u2019s home country.\u201d Think about that: a huge portion of your audience might not fully understand your message or recognize your call to action. That\u2019s a deep pool of potential customers you are missing out on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look at your analytics, figure out where your viewers live and consider creating subtitles in other languages to reach new markets. Make this a very strategic decision. Quality translation and subtitling are an investment, so you\u2019ll want to make sure you choose the right language(s) to reach the target markets you\u2019re able to serve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>A word of caution: Resist the urge to DIY your captions and subtitles<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are free machine translation, transcription, and captioning tools available on the market, take it from me: you don\u2019t want to DIY your video captions. Leave this task to the experts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Captioning and subtitling are skills unto themselves, and without training and experience, can be time-consuming and delicate tasks. Captions and subtitles must follow strict rules, including character limits, reading speed, and cue-in and -out times (when the text appears on-screen and when it\u2019s taken off the screen). Poorly timed captions and subtitles are difficult or impossible to read, which defeats the purpose of captioning or subtitling in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-142401\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-1024x550.png\" alt=\"word of caution on DIY captioning\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-768x412.png 768w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-1536x825.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM-2048x1100.png 2048w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-2.50.54-PM.png 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use resources such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atanet.org\/onlinedirectories\/search_advanced.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Translators Association Directory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (go to \u201cTranslation Service(s)\u201d and choose \u201cDubbing\/Subtitling\u201d from the dropdown list) or visit GoSub\u2019s job board to find a professional subtitler or captioner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t spend tons of time, money, and effort on creating the perfect video and leave out the key ingredient to ensuring your message reaches as many people as possible. Well-captioned and -subtitled content will increase your views, boost engagement and comprehension, and improve the overall success of your social media video content. Plus, for once, this is a quick and easy marketing fix that can make a big impact!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Molly Yurick is a Spanish to English translator, professional captioner, and subtitler. She is also Deputy Chair of Public Relations for the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.atanet.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Translators Association<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ATA), which represents more than 10,000 translators and interpreters across 103 countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A professional captioner and subtitler reveals why video captions are a must-do: drive social engagement, improve SEO, boost audience reach \u2013 to name a few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1092,"featured_media":142403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,27893,5,9,15],"tags":[161,37,993,362,986,22,96,21828,27879,27842,330,27988,27935,350,186],"content_type":[],"class_list":["post-142398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","category-digital-marketing","category-seo","category-social","category-video","tag-facebook","tag-google","tag-instagram","tag-international-seo","tag-keyword-optimization","tag-seo","tag-social-media","tag-social-media-content","tag-social-media-engagement","tag-social-media-marketing-smm","tag-video","tag-video-captions","tag-video-content-optimization","tag-video-marketing","tag-youtube"],"acf":{"tad_independentcommercial":false,"tad_content_format":false},"post_info":{"name":"idris.nagri@blenheimchalcot.com idris.nagri@blenheimchalcot.com","title":"","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Top-six-reasons-you-should-caption-your-social-media-video-content.png","category":"Content","timeago":"5y"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1092"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142398"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=142398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}