Intro
As online competition grows fiercer, capturing and retaining audience attention is getting increasingly difficult. Viewers need more engaging formats, so video has quickly become a cornerstone of digital marketing strategies. But the rise of video consumption has also shown that creating videos is not just about visuals and sound; it’s about making content easy to engage with. Subtitles play a key role in this by increasing accessibility and boosting viewer interaction. Let’s dive into how captions technology can significantly improve your return on investment (ROI) from video marketing.
How (and Why) Short Videos Are Taking Over
Video is by far one of the most popular content types online, with 82% of all traffic in 2022 attributed to video content – a significant rise from pre-pandemic times. The global shift in work and lifestyle in 2020 helped both businesses and consumers understand the value of clear, concise, and accessible content.
Why are short videos so appealing then? Users value accessibility and **clarity **in their content, and videos provide exactly that. For example, video communicates product features more effectively than text and has the potential to drive sales. And the data backs this up – 91% of people watch reviews or explainer videos before purchasing a product online.
With platforms like TikTok gaining popularity, users' attention spans are shrinking, which makes brief and captivating content essential. Short videos (from 2 to 5 minutes) are ideal for driving engagement. A quick ad or a micro-learning clip can hook viewers within seconds, making it more likely they’ll absorb the content and ultimately consider making a purchase.
The Challenges of Video Marketing
With the growing demand for video content come significant challenges. Without videos, marketing efforts may struggle to compete for attention, but on the other hand, relying on video postings without optimizing them is a sure way to fail in user acquisition and conversion. Some of the biggest difficulties with video content are:
- Low engagement: On platforms like TikTok, users decide whether to keep watching a video within just 1.5 seconds. Grabbing attention in that brief window can be challenging, and many videos fail to retain viewers past the opening moments.
- Accessibility issues: A significant number of users watch videos with the sound turned off, whether because of personal preference or their environment. Without subtitles, their engagement with the content cannot be full. Additionally, viewers with hearing impairments are completely excluded from the experience if a video lacks captions.
- Limited reach: While English is widely spoken, the global market consists of more than 7,000 languages. To truly reach a global audience, brands need to think beyond just one language.
- Poor comprehension: Non-native speakers or viewers who watch complex, technical content often struggle to fully understand a video without subtitles. This reduces the video's overall effectiveness.
The increasing popularity of short videos is reshaping marketing strategies, and brands must adapt to keep pace with audience expectations. This is where subtitles come into play. They are an optimal tool to address these challenges, ensuring that videos are accessible, understandable, and engaging across diverse audiences.
The Not-So-Hidden Benefits of Captions
The benefits of subtitles go beyond simply providing text on the screen. Here’s how:
- Increased engagement and watch time: Data shows that videos with captions experience longer watch times, keeping viewers engaged and more likely to act on calls to action.
- Enhanced accessibility: Subtitles make video content available to a wider audience, including users with hearing impairments (and there are over 430 million of them worldwide).
- Improved comprehension: Studies show that video is 95% more effective at conveying information than text alone, and subtitles further reinforce understanding. This is particularly beneficial for videos on complex topics or audiences of non-native speakers.
- SEO benefits: Search engines can’t "watch" videos, but they can index text within them. Subtitles create searchable content, boosting your video’s visibility and helping it rank higher in search results.
How to Add Subtitles to Marketing Videos
Captions can be added as an overlay in a video editor or as a separate .SRT file to display at playback. Creating quality subtitles is rather simple. So if you want to create masterful captions, remember that:
- Subtitles should be easy to read and should match the pace of the video.
- Subtitles should displayed long enough for viewers to read, but not so long that they distract from the visuals.
- Subtitles require a legible font that works well across devices and matches your brand style. An advanced app for Subtitles & Captions for Video can offer diverse editing features to help customize the subtitles.
Choosing the Right Subtitling App
When selecting an app for adding subtitles to videos, it is important to find one that aligns with the content goals. Subtitles can act as a graphic accent, an accessibility aid, a recapping tool, etc. Ideally, one app should be able to incorporate all these features. Our advice is to look for apps that offer:
- Automatic captioning. While it does save time, remember to review the outcome for accuracy.
- Multiple language support. This is important if your target audience includes non-native English speakers. Some apps like Captions offer AI-powered video and subtitle translation into 20+ languages.
- Customization options. Your captions should match your brand’s look to maintain consistency across your content.
Check out the best captions app list we compiled to evaluate the options and find your optimal solution.
The Future Is Subtitled?
Video content will continue to dominate the digital landscape, making subtitles not just a nice addition but a necessity. With technological advancements like AI, real-time captioning, and interactive subtitles, brands will be able to further enhance their video marketing strategies. Subtitles are the key to making your videos more accessible, engaging, and effective, helping your brand stay competitive and boost ROI in a crowded market.
