Ever catch yourself laughing out loud to a social media video, then realize you’re the only one making a sound? You’re not alone. 63% of LinkedIn users say their sound is usually off when watching videos.

If you’re looking to level up your video marketing, closed captioning could be the key to increased reach, engagement, and ROI.

In this post, we'll explain why closed captioning is essential for B2B marketers and provide tips to help you implement it effectively. Let’s dive in.

Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a video to provide additional or interpretive information to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. It includes spoken language, sound effects, and other audio information important for understanding the content. This feature is usually turned on or off by the viewer and is different from open captions, which are always visible on the screen.

80% of people who use captions aren’t d/Deaf or hard of hearing, but captions don’t just reach an aging population or those with disabilities, they also help you connect with the 59% of Gen Z and 52% of millennials who use subtitles and captions simply because they prefer to watch videos on mute.

And with a recent FCC Order mandating that multichannel video programming distributors make it easier for consumers to access closed-captioning display settings, this is one video trend that’s here to stay.

You may have noticed that many platforms already have autoplay enabled so that users can engage with videos, even when browsing on mute. According to research from LinkedIn, 44% of users watching video on a laptop or desktop do so with their sound off. This number is even higher among mobile users, with 63% saying their sound is usually off, including 21% of mobile B2B viewers who say their sound is permanently off.

For B2B marketers, subtitles, text, captions, and visuals are a crucial part of getting the hook out in the first six seconds, even if your viewer’s sound is off.

Knowing the ins and outs of closed captions, transcripts, and subtitles is essential to making sure your video content is welcoming to all viewers, regardless of their hearing abilities or language preferences.

Let’s take a closer look:

• Closed captions provide speech-to-text captions for both live and pre-recorded content, making them invaluable for individuals who are hard of hearing, deaf, or prefer to read along with the speakers. The text appears on the screen concurrently with the spoken dialogue, ensuring that everyone can engage with the content.
• Transcripts, on the other hand, offer a written record of the spoken words in video or audio content. These are especially useful for individuals who prefer to read the content separately from the video or audio file. Transcripts provide accessibility and convenience to a broader audience, allowing people to follow along at their own pace.
• Subtitles translate captions into different languages, making the event or content accessible to those tuning in from around the world. Subtitles expand the reach of your content, allowing you to connect with a global audience.

In the past, marketers who wanted to add closed captions to their videos would have to save, upload, and run a separate caption file. Not anymore. Modern marketers are spoiled for choice when it comes to automatic caption tools.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the top options for easily adding captions to your B2B videos.

Goldcast is specifically designed for B2B marketers with a video-first content strategy. Compared to other closed caption and AI tools, it comes with features that are purpose-built for time-strapped B2B marketers challenged to do more with less.

With Goldcast, it’s easy to make your events globally accessible by providing translation, captioning, and subtitles in various languages—not just English. Benefit from real-time speech-to-text captions for both live and pre-recorded content, catering to audiences who are hard of hearing or prefer reading along.

To get started, simply log into Goldcast Studio, choose from over 12 languages for speakers, toggle on captions, and enable subtitles. Viewers and event attendees can view captions by clicking the CC button. You can also enable subtitles for different languages, activate captions for on-demand events, and download transcripts in multiple languages to use in your post-event assets and follow up.

Make your events accessible to a broader audience. Goldcast offers speech-to-text captions and translated subtitles for live streaming, pre-recorded and RTMP events. Book a demo today to learn more.

Need to add captions to existing webinar recordings, interviews, or podcasts? With Content Lab, you can easily add captions, subtitles, and translations to video clips for your social media channels, emails, blog posts, and more. Simply upload any online video and instantly add speech-to-text captions using fonts and colors that align with your brand.

From there, it’s easy to repurpose your video into multiple other formats, including .txt. Content Lab will automatically transcribe your video and generate a draft blog post to help boost your search engine optimization (SEO). With an accurate text version of your video, you can leverage your content across all text-based formats.

Turn your videos into multi-channel campaigns in minutes with Content Lab. Try it now and get up to 1 hour of uploaded video per month, totally free.

No more clunky .srt files. Adding closed captions to your YouTube videos is easy. Users can choose to upload a file, type captions and subtitles manually, or use the auto-translate feature inside YouTube studio.

• Pros: Easy to use, integrated with the platform, supports multiple languages.
• Cons: Limited styling options, may have accuracy issues.
• Free version: Available with basic features.
• Time: Usually fast, depends on the length of the video.
• Reliability: Generally reliable but may have occasional errors.
• Edit capabilities: Captions can be manually edited.
• Style changes: Basic customization options available, including various sizes.
• Generation: Can be auto-generated with YouTube's AI technology.

VEED.io is a video creation platform that offers a range of captioning features to help users create professional-looking videos, without requiring advanced skills. Just log into your account, “create project”, upload your video, select “auto subtitles,” then edit and customize as needed for accurate captions.

• Pros: User-friendly interface, allows customization of style, supports various file formats.
• Cons: May be more time-consuming for beginners.
• Free version: Available with limited features.
• Time: Variable, depending on user's proficiency.
• Reliability: Generally reliable, but accuracy may vary.
• Edit capabilities: Editing tools available to edit captions manually.
• Style changes: Extensive style customization options.
• Generation: Can be auto-generated with AI technology.

MixCaptions is an app by Mixcord that makes it easy to add closed captions to your videos. As with other tools, all you need to do is add your link or video file into the platform, let MixCaptions automatically generate your captions, then review for accuracy. Once you're satisfied, MixCaptions also enables you to share your videos to your social media platform of choice.

• Pros: Focus on video captioning, easy to use interface.
• Cons: Limited flexibility for advanced users.
• Free version: Available with basic features.
• Time: Quick, with automated processes.
• Reliability: Generally reliable for basic captions.
• Edit capabilities: Limited manual editing options.
• Style changes: Limited style customization available.
• Generation: Auto-generates captions using AI.

In addition to user-friendly playback functionality, the Amara Caption Generator platform offers a range of benefits, including AI-generated captions in multiple languages. Users can also opt for a combination of AI and human proofreading for increased text accuracy starting at $1.25 per minute.

• Pros: Collaborative platform, supports translations and subtitles creation in the same window.
• Cons: Interface may be complex for beginners, limited styling options.
• Free version: Available with some limitations.
• Time: May vary, depending on user experience and video length.
• Reliability: Relatively reliable, with user-generated content.
• Edit capabilities: Video editor available for revising captions manually.
• Style changes: Limited style customization options.
• Generation: AI speech recognition technology used for automated captioning, but user input may be required for accuracy.

In B2B event marketing, closed captions play a pivotal role. They not only enhance the overall event experience and expand your event’s reach, they also elevate your entire video marketing strategy.

Goldcast's Translation and Captioning offer speech-to-text captions for both live and pre-recorded content, ensuring accessibility for a diverse global audience. And with Content Lab’s AI-powered repurposing platform, you can quickly filter out filler words for easy transcript editing.

Take your B2B events to the next level. Explore Goldcast Core today. Or start repurposing your video content with free forever access to Goldcast Content Lab.