Closed captioning is now becoming a standard feature on pre-recorded videos, but what happens when you go live. The purpose of the feature is to ensure videos are accessible to many people, and live streaming can prove a challenging way to communicate with everyone until recently.
Live captioning is becoming a prominent way to deliver a range of webinars, videoconferences, and lectures in a live-stream setting.
What is captioning?
Captioning or captions are typically at the bottom of the screen when you watch a video. They are often available to turn on for pre-recorded videos or can be embedded into a video. However, live captioning is slightly different as it does this feature instantaneously while the live stream is in session.
There are many benefits to this type of software solution. Take a look at some of the reasons why you need this feature for your business.
Improves accessibility
One of the most significant reasons for live captioning is improving accessibility for everyone tuning in. Over 5% of the world’s population suffers from hearing loss. As video is becoming an increasingly popular medium everywhere, from social media to business, it’s vital to reach these people. Deaf or hard of hearing individuals benefit from this and can communicate and interact more easily. Plus, the live-streams can also be listened to without sound by anyone.
Boosts comprehension
If you have people listening to a live event in different parts of the world, English may not be the first language. Live captioning makes the event more understandable to others who may not understand the gestures or accents spoken in the live stream. This is particularly important in a business situation where varying cultures comprehend the way things are said in a very different manner. By using live captioning, it will provide context when needed to avoid confusion.
Increased engagement
If the majority of people easily understand your live event, they are more likely to continue to listen. With live captioning, you increase the likelihood of someone watching rather than tuning out, especially if they are sat on a busy commuter train. It’s surprising how many people listen to videos, podcasts, and live streams with captioning on, so it’s vital to provide this for live events to ensure people stay engaged.
Improves web content
Most live events are recorded and available to listen to afterward, so if you use software such as live captioning by Verbit, you can quickly turn your captions into a transcribe of the event. This helps to improve your web content by providing easy to understand readable information. Plus, it helps to improve your SEO and help your content and video rank in search engines. If the event is long, why not consider breaking it down into shorter blog posts for digestible content. Some people prefer to read an article rather than watch a video, so transcribing will also ensure you engage this audience.
There are endless benefits to live captioning; why not explore the options and see how it could help your business in the long term.