Data breaches increased 68% in the past year, and the associated expense of each incident rose 10% to an average of $4.24 million. These numbers show the significance of data security in today’s modern world.
Today, on January 28th, nations across the globe recognize Data Privacy Day to commemorate the Council of Europe’s landmark personal data protection treaty. Now, more than four decades have passed since the signing of that convention, but the importance of keeping data private is more relevant than ever.
Take a moment today to learn more about the vital need for data protection and how to keep your business’s and your customers’ information safe and secure.
In today’s workplaces, it’s not just tech-oriented professionals who handle data. Nearly everyone regularly uses logins, and by the end of 2021, 67% of company infrastructure existed in clouds. Data breaches can harm not just major corporations like Facebook, Audi and Microsoft – all of which suffered breaches last year – but government bodies, nonprofits and even individuals. No organization is too big or too small to fall victim to these attacks.
Fortunately, there are ways you can protect your data and shield your business from the unfortunate costs and bad press related to data breaches.
You may believe you’ve taken the right measures to protect your data, whether it’s stored in your workplace or at home. However, you could be overlooking security risks that are more commonplace in today’s increasingly virtual business environment. Here are a few considerations for protecting your data.
The average number of third-party vendors an organization has is 182. These vendors might include external marketing firms, website consultants, accountants or accessibility providers like Verbit. Selecting the right companies to contract with is vital because vendors can put your data at risk. For example, Target sustained a data breach that leaked credit and debit card information of 41 million customers when an attacker identified a weakness in a vendor’s security.
One way to check on a vendor’s security standards is to look for their SOC 2 Type II reports. These reports review five criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. All reports include the security information, but not every business will need each category.
You should determine which criteria are relevant for your company and ensure your providers offer those protections. For instance, if you handle HIPAA-protected data, the privacy criteria is going to be a critical section of any SOC 2 report. Take the time to ensure that you trust your vendors with your data because if they are irresponsible, you could face the consequences.
Verbit for example has taken every measure to become HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant to ensure customers using us can rest assured that their information is protected. Our platform is built to secure the audio and video files being shared with us for captioning and transcription to keep the information contained within them confidential.
Plus, with more events, meetings and interviews happening remotely, there is greater information being recorded and shared. For today’s increasingly digital and remote workforce to operate successfully, professionals must guarantee that conversations, data and content remain private.
62% of employees work remotely at least part of the week. Apple, Microsoft and Slack are just a few examples of corporations embracing remote and hybrid work arrangements. Although remote work offers significant benefits, 80% of business and security leaders report increased risks related to the growing numbers of off-site employees.
Luckily, there are many ways you can improve security, even if your team is working around the globe, including:
Beyond technological solutions, you should talk to your employees about the importance of data security and ensure that they understand any steps they need to take to protect private information. For example, the Federal Virtual Training Environment offers a six-hour course on cybersecurity. You could also create your own training resources, but ensure that they meet all accessibility standards by including features like captions or audio descriptions.
Software and security companies frequently add updates to improve data protection. However, if you or your employees ignore those updates, you could be creating vulnerabilities. Issuing reminders to your workforce and checking to ensure they stay current will benefit the entire organization.
Data security isn’t something you can take care of once and never think about again. Protecting yourself and your company is an ongoing process.
Data breaches are bad for business, but robust security can be a significant asset. Complying with security regulations and best practices is great, but the businesses that go the extra mile will build trust among their customers.
IBM points out that if you demonstrate a solid commitment to customers’ privacy, you can stand out among your competitors. In fact, about one in five consumers reported avoiding at least one brand in the last 12 months because of their data privacy policies. Awareness of this issue has been growing and will likely continue to increase, giving companies that prioritize data protection an upper hand in their markets.
In honor of Data Privacy Day, remember that when your customers choose your product or services, they are putting their trust in you. Respect that trust by taking the time to ensure that you are doing everything you can to prevent a data breach.
As a leading captioning and transcription provider serving 1,600+ customers, Verbit places a high priority on data privacy. Contact us to learn about how our SOC 2 compliant accessibility services are greatly assisting remote workforces and promoting more inclusive corporate environments worldwide.
This week, Verbit is taking part in Accessibility Plus, a virtual event which will deep-dive into the important topic of digital accessibility. The event, which will be held on January 25th on Zoom, will offer participants expert-led sessions on the rise of digital accessibility lawsuits, the implications of 2021 lawsuits on the future and tips to implement throughout their businesses to avoid legal issues.
Join Verbit there to learn about accessibility trends being witnessed that are now affecting businesses’ bottom lines, as well as the importance of meeting legal benchmarks like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Participants will walk away with actionable strategies to implement accessibility measures throughout their website and company policies.
Business professionals, technology leaders and accessibility advocates alike will gather for an afternoon led by Accessibility.com focused on:
Don’t miss the chance to network with leading experts in business accessibility, legal requirements and more to ensure your business or brand is effectively engaging diverse audiences in your conversations, workplaces and marketing, to include consumers, customers, employees and potential candidates with disabilities.
With an increased focus on online accessibility and a 64% rise in accessibility lawsuits being witnessed, ensuring accessibility with the right insights is critical. Verbit’s leaders are excited to bring the company’s captioning and transcription tools front and center as a key solution that businesses can implement now to meet industry accessibility needs, particularly with the shifts to greater online, remote work and experiences.
Check out the Accessibility Plus event page to learn more and register.
Video content is essential in today’s digital world. 52% of consumers want to see more video from the businesses they support, but connecting with individuals who speak different languages isn’t without its challenges.
Multilingual transcription services, also known as subtitling, can help businesses professionals translate their videos for audiences and employees who speak different languages. If your goal is to engage and grow audiences, multilingual transcription offers an effective way to reach global participants and drive communication with international employees.
Here are five factors business professionals should consider to decide if they need to provide multilingual captioning and transcription of their content.
Business videos and events are being shared more globally. Brands are drawing and aiming to attract more diverse audiences and need to cater their events and messaging to meet more international needs. Adding multilingual captions to presentations, events and brand videos can help engage international audiences much more effectively. Consider the amount of foreign shows you can watch on Netflix thanks to captions or any time you’ve visited a foreign country and seen the same products being sold there. You’ll understand that not offering multilingual captions will mean missing out on additional audiences and consumers.
It’s also very important to consider that effective multilingual captions must retain the meaning and context of the original video or original speaker’s sentiment. Ensuring these translations are done correctly and by professionals rather than auto generated is key.
Aside from how you communicate with the public, look at your own team. More teams are operating globally and language barriers are often the norm. Captioning your Zoom calls with teammates and providing multilingual captions on videos you’re sharing can help ensure clear communication and bridge these gaps. Non-native speakers will be able to better comprehend and retain information being distributed by your C-suite. Plus, it provides all employees with a visual aid to help them better decipher different accents, dialects or terms used in other regions they may be unfamiliar with.
Captions will also help your employees overall even if they’re produced in the same language as the speaker. Your global team members are often working remotely and need additional tools not just to comprehend what is being shared accurately, but to account for settings where watching with the sound is not an option. Whether they’re working from a coffee shop or next to their children at home, offering captioning can help them participate without the sound, as well as maintain their focus more effectively so that they don’t miss what was shared during a meeting.
Global businesses often have online training sessions for employees and want to offer the same training to employees globally. Providing employees with the option to read along with captions in their own language during their training can provide the flexibility they need and increase their level of focus and attention.
Additionally, placing these videos on-demand with the option to view them with multilingual captions and transcripts of the dialogue will be appreciated. 42% of employees would rather have flexible video options in addition to their live training meetings. These transcripts can also help to make your training videos searchable so that employees taking these sessions can go back and reference specific parts that were said by entering and searching by key words. Overall, captions are shown to increase watchtime, meaning that they’re effective at keeping employees engaged, especially important when conducting long training sessions.
Captioning and transcribing your business’s videos also ensures accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including those who are Deaf and hard of hearing.
While captions promote inclusion and diversity initiatives, they’re also essential in scenarios where employees and consumers with disabilities need them in order to participate with equity as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar legislation passed in countries you may be operating in. Multilingual captioning services which reach 99% accuracy levels allow for all of your employees and consumers globally to participate and comprehend your videos. Free, automatic built-in captioning tools often aren’t accessible since they are known to contain errors. Why not enlist an accessibility solution that avoids leaving your business vulnerable to lawsuits? Your employees and consumers will also appreciate your efforts to include them and their peers with equity.
Search engines can’t watch a video or listen to its audio. However, they can read text. Making your business’s videos more “visible” and readable to search engines will improve their SEO. Transcribing your video content and placing the transcripts on your site pages is one great way to improve your business’s SEO and discoverability.
When using multilingual transcription, video is able to rank for keywords in different languages and international markets. Video transcripts allow potential customers to find video quickly when they can search for keywords that appear in them. With 68% of site traffic coming from search engines, improving your business video’s SEO can bring in more visitors and lead to more business opportunities. Plus, taking that extra step to provide transcript translations means even greater discoverability internationally.
With 78% of people watching online videos every week, it’s essential for business leaders to look for ways to enhance their videos and attract greater audiences. Incorporating captioning and transcription alone, plus in multiple languages, will help to tackle that feat and have a greater global footprint.
Employees want to work for businesses which are inclusive and consumers want to buy from brands which represent them and their values. Verbit is helping businesses meet these needs by making the videos they’re sharing both internally and externally more engaging and accessible. To begin using multilingual captioning or explore how it fits into your current video and event strategies, reach out.
In November 2021, a record 4.5 million Americans left their jobs. The high number of people quitting was part of a trend that persisted throughout the year, earning the label “The Great Resignation.” With so many employees throwing in the towel, business leaders are realizing they need to change course if they want to attract and keep talent.
Research shows that offices with ping-pong tables, open floor plans and bean bag chairs aren’t the draw candidates are seeking. Luckily, the strategic use of technology can help usher in a more positive work environment by giving employees things that they do want, like better communication, more time for projects that help them develop as professionals and better work-life balance.
Here are some inspiring ways technology can transform corporate culture and meet the needs of employees and their employers.
Employees reported they’re spending about half of their work time on scheduling and on menial tasks that take them away from their substantive work. When employees spend too much time on repetitive or mindless tasks, it can leave them feeling undervalued and unmotivated.
AI-powered technology like Xtracta can come in to perform data entry and fill in forms, taking over these simple, repetitive tasks. For example, the charity New York Foundling suspected that too much time on dull data entry was contributing to its 42% annual turnover. When the organization implemented software robots to perform the most repetitive tasks, its turnover dropped to just 17%. The results highlight the fact that when employees can devote time to work that helps them develop as professionals, they are happier in their positions.
Today’s employees want and expect greater flexibility in where and how they work. Work from home opportunities lead to greater productivity for many, cost savings on commuting and less office space rentals for employers. According to surveys, 74% of employees stated they would be less likely to leave their company if they had the option to work from home. Given the struggles many companies face when it comes to attracting talent, this statistic deserves attention.
Zoom and other video conferencing tools are nearly ubiquitous because of their ability to make working from home less isolating. However, video conferencing technology is just one of many solutions improving remote work conditions.
Another useful technology for remote workforces is Freedom, which blocks websites and apps during work hours to prevent employees from falling down Facebook rabbit holes. By removing the temptation to find out what’s trending on Twitter, Freedom allows people to work more efficiently and be more productive.
Also, when teams are logging in from home, cafes or airports, they may create security risks. ExpressVPN is a product companies are turning to as a way to data when their employees are working from anywhere. All of these technologies are paving the way for flexible long-term work-from-home arrangements.
From developing fake meat to solar glass, innovative tech companies are working to improve the environment. However, employees expect even businesses whose primary focus isn’t sustainability to contribute to the effort by reducing their own negative impacts. For instance, 70% of employees are more likely to accept jobs from sustainable companies and most millennials report they’d even take a pay cut to work for an employer that values sustainability.
When it comes to using technology to better the environment, few companies can compete with Microsoft’s goal of eliminating more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit. The tech company put its money where its mouth is, and invested $1 billion into developing tools for carbon removal.
Another example is Google, which implemented an AI model to reduce the energy usage of its data centers by 40%. Smaller companies can take more modest steps by going paperless or cutting down on travel by relying on video conferences instead of in-person meetings.
According to a recent survey, 67% of job seekers want to join an inclusive company. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that just 17.9% of people with disabilities were employed in 2020. Compare that to 61.8% of people without disabilities and the need for more inclusive, accessible workplaces becomes clear. Luckily, technology offers better and more cost-effective accessibility solutions. Using these tools to support a more inclusive workforce is a great way to improve company culture.
Webinars, video conferences, training videos and other employment events and resources can exclude people who are Deaf or Blind. Adding captions is a solution that empowers job applicants and employees who are Deaf and hard of hearing. Similarly, audio descriptions accommodate employees and candidates who are Blind. Technologies like those offered by Verbit make it easier for businesses to offer these services.
Companies like The Motley Fool use Verbit’s automatic speech recognition (ASR) assisted tools to generate real-time captions efficiently. However, it’s best practice to support this technology by enlisting professional human transcribers like Verbit’s to check the ASR’s work to deliver more accurate captions. With this process, live webinars, meetings and events can include captions so that those who rely on them can always take part. Audio description, which offers in-depth descriptions of images so that those who are Blind have better access to information can also be instituted. These forms of advanced accessibility technology support efforts to improve corporate inclusivity, while opening the door to wider talent pools.
Poor communication is not only frustrating, but it leads to inefficient workflows and can be expensive. Communication barriers lead to an estimated loss of $37 billion internationally. A recent survey also found that 63% of employees considered leaving their jobs due to poor communication. 90% of employees say that communication is the key to a good work environment.
Tools like Slack allow employees to connect easily and in real-time. Blink is another application that offers quick internal communication among frontline professionals in healthcare, transit and construction. This technology takes a mobile-first approach to communication for individuals with jobs that keep them on the move and away from desks.
Implementing services that simplify communication in the workplace and offer more opportunities to receive instant answers to questions is a smart way to foster a healthy company culture.
Although corporate culture is ultimately about people, not technology, these resources create opportunities to build relationships, reduce stress and make employees feel valued. Verbit’s accessibility solutions help to support employees in the new world of greater remote work and global teams. Contact us to learn about our captioning, transcription and audio description and how they can help to enhance your meetings, events, videos and more to better fuel an effective corporate culture.
If your business is producing a podcast or planning to start one, you’re on the right track. According to recent projections, there will be more than 144 million podcast listeners in the US alone by 2025. Not only are more people listening to podcasts, but they are spending more time listening to them as well.
Promoting your business through podcasts is a great way to connect with your audience, but business leaders must also make note of how they’re reaching and including diverse audiences. The stakes are higher for brands to be aware of whether or not their content and media, including podcasts, are accessible. Offering accessibility solutions improves the reach of your podcast, while also helping you avoid sticky legal situations that are now popping up. Luckily, you can take a few simple steps to ensure you’re meeting current podcast best practices.
When creating your podcast, you might be focusing on generating ideas that will resonate with your audience, who to invite for interviews and other important matters. However, before your podcast goes live, you need to think about how people will access the content. Not everyone will be listening to each episode.
Individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing rely on captions and transcripts when tuning in to a podcast or watching a video. Other individuals interested in your topic may also prefer reading because their surroundings aren’t conducive to listening. For instance, they may be on a train and lack headphones or at home and don’t want to disturb other members of their households.
If reaching more people is not enough of an incentive to ensure accessibility, remember that laws require equitable access for people with disabilities.
Two major civil rights nonprofits, the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Advocates, recently filed a lawsuit against some of the leading podcast platforms for failing to meet accessibility standards. Pandora, SiriusXM and Stitcher allegedly lacked proper audio transcription efforts related to their podcasts.
Representatives of the plaintiffs argue that failing to offer transcripts excludes those who are Deaf and hard of hearing from news, entertainment and educational programming in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA requires accessibility for people with disabilities in places of public accommodation. Lawsuits are increasingly demonstrating that this definition applies to virtual spaces, including websites.
Before tackling the issue of podcasts directly, you should first consider whether your overall website is accessible. Every private business with an online presence should review the accessibility of their site, which means looking at their font style and size, their colors and other issues that may create challenges for people with disabilities. Colors that prevent people with low vision or color blindness from navigating the website are one example of how your site could be inaccessible and put you at risk of liability.
Another critical consideration is whether people can use screen readers to access your content. Without such features, the site may exclude those who are Blind.
When it comes to B2B podcast best practices, remember that the public will expect sophisticated businesses to adhere to the law and invest in accessibility solutions. Naturally, transcripts are a critical accessibility tool for every podcast, large and small, but larger corporate producers are more likely to face scrutiny for their shortcomings. As the lawsuit against SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher points out, offering transcription services is reasonably straightforward in today’s market, especially with existing technology that can streamline the process.
Many producers also create videos to compliment their podcasts. Videos of those speaking help listeners feel more connected to the presenters. However, in these cases, you should consider captions one of the top podcast requirements. Captions will allow viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing a chance to watch the program and understand the content. A professional captioning and transcription provider can help ensure accuracy and accessibility for all of your podcasts.
Clear audio recordings are a must-have for your podcast and readily achievable with the right equipment. Decent microphones, recording software and mixers are affordable tools that help businesses create professional sound quality. Taking the proper steps to level out audio can also ensure listeners have a good experience whenever they tune into your podcast.
However, you only control your end of the recording and content. Guests can add credibility and versatility to your content, but they’re also an unpredictable variable. When you interview guests or take calls from listeners, you may need to contend with inadequate audio quality, heavy accents or other challenges. You can minimize negative impacts by offering guests recording advice and a list of guidelines that they can follow if they call in from another location. For instance, you should remind guests to:
Still, spotty connections and equipment failures may lead to unexpected glitches.
When the sound quality is lacking, captions can offer clarity. Unfortunately, automated captioning or transcription services may struggle to produce accurate results, especially when the audio recording is less than perfect. Verbit solves this issue by using AI and professional transcribers. Incorporating technology and human professionals offers greater efficiency and high-quality, 99% accurate transcriptions and captions.
Verbit’s technology provides podcast producers the tools they need to improve accessibility and meet the strict legal requirements of the ADA and other laws. Contact us to begin making your podcasts more inclusive and reach greater audiences.
In the US, conversations surrounding inclusion and related legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act are occurring with greater frequency. More institutional and business leaders are investing in supporting accessibility as their every action, site page and marketing campaign is being examined under a microscope, especially as they connect more with diverse audiences online.
As businesses continue to operate more globally, the accessibility needs of the UK audience simply cannot be ignored. Why? It’s not just because creating equitable experiences is the right thing for professionals at businesses and brands to prioritize, but because it’s worth £274 billion.
That’s right – the spending power of people with disabilities and their households is estimated to be worth £274 billion per year to UK businesses.
More than 1 in 5 UK consumers has a reported disability and businesses who ignore their needs are estimated to lose a whopping £2 billion each month. Luckily, business leaders can take a moment to further understand the challenges individuals with disabilities face online to better meet them and gain their business loyalty.
Online Barriers Play a Significant Role
Do you know if your online content is accessible? Whether it’s your website, marketing videos, live streams or events, your content and design must be clear and simple. That definition translates roughly to a level at which most individuals can engage with it without needing to adapt it, but with a structure in place to support those who do need to make adaptations.
If you’re drawing a blank, you’re not in the minority. While Forbes reports that digital accessibility is being reframed as “an all-out business win, not a compliance burden” most business websites are failing audiences and consumers with disabilities. 97.4% of 1 million homepages tested had detectable WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) failures.
The Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernisation also found that just 4 in 10 local council homepages – government bodies which are often held to higher standards than businesses – failed basic accessibility tests. Websites are often the biggest culprit in the realm of inaccessibility.
Yet with the online spending power of individuals who are disabled reaching approximately £16 billion, an inaccessible website can translate significantly to your business’s bottom line. Additional estimates show that 4.3 million online shoppers with disabilities click away from inaccessible websites and have a combined spending power of £11.75 billion in the UK.
Taking the steps to partner with a brand like accessiBe or add accessibility widgets that offer options like magnifying text, add captions like Verbit’s to recorded marketing videos and live streams or offering audio description capabilities to individuals who are Blind can make a serious difference in retaining these consumers.
Legislation to Keep Top of Mind
The UK’s Equality Act of 2010 replaced a formerly piecemeal approach to anti-discrimination laws. The EQA, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act everywhere except Northern Ireland, demands the protection of individuals living with disabilities. It aims to prevent discrimination based on categories, such as age, sex, religion, sexual orientation and political affiliation. The UN Convention on disability rights has also been agreed on by the UK to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in the region.
With the Equality Act of 2010 in mind, leaders at public entities and businesses can do more to follow its guidelines and support the accessibility requirements of today’s UK consumers. Making reasonable accommodations for people living with disabilities often comes in at very little cost, but the amount businesses will lose in ignoring these needs – whether they’re fully obligated to or not – will cost them significantly. In fact, 75% of individuals with disabilities and their families have walked away from a UK business because of poor accessibility or customer service. That’s a clear statistic you business cannot ignore.
Verbit is working with corporations and businesses across the world to help support them on their accessibility journeys with AI-based technology. Verbit’s accurate captioning and transcription which can be applied to live and recorded audio, such as podcasts, and videos and events, is helping them engage online audiences and target consumers more effectively in real-time. With most ‘free’ tools on the market not meeting accessibility benchmarks, Verbit’s highly accurate services can come in to better support today’s UK consumers’ accessibility needs.
Verbit was ranked No. 1 in Power in Diversity Israel’s 2021 Women in Startups Report for the best representation of women in large companies of 500 employees and more. The report was based on 424 startups and 70 venture capital firms surveyed.
Power in Diversity Israel, which commissioned the report, uncovered gender diversity numbers and insights, reasons why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are important for startups and how to successfully promote inclusive practices.
Noteworthy companies joining Verbit at the top of their categories include Zencity, which secured the leading spot in mid-size companies of 100-500 employees and Darrow, which secured the top rank for small companies of 50-100 employees.
With Verbit’s core mission centered on making the world – including classrooms, workplaces and online environments – more inclusive, it has made inclusive hiring practices one of its leading initiatives. Verbit employs 1,000 people globally, and women amount to 60% of Verbit’s workforce.
“All the recent research done on the subject of gender diversity shows that it significantly contributes to the business achievements of companies,” said Tom Livne, CEO and Co-Founder, Verbit. “It produces different and varied directions of thinking and action that lead to more effective solutions in a large proportion of cases.”
At Verbit, 44% of managerial positions are held by women and the percentage of women in technological positions is about a quarter of all employees.
“At a time of fierce competition for quality manpower, I believe more and more women should be promoted into the industry,” Livne said. “Women should be encouraged to learn technological professions from an early age. If we make the field accessible to them and remove psychological obstacles, we will have a strong and creative workforce, working hard to reach goals, curious and loyal. One that I am personally proud to work with.”
Additional noteworthy 2021 Women In Startups report findings include:
The report also explored that people and culture, business development and product development all impacted the investment and benefit of DEI in the startup industry.
“A start-up that is attentive to the contribution of an inclusive culture, will reflect the variety of its customers’ identities in its own workforce. This will bring added value to the company and its ability to attract a diverse client base and grow its business. Companies who have a diverse management team and understand the value of DEI, demonstrate better financial results, are able to add improvements and changes to their product offering, and are more effective at problem solving and critical thinking,” the report states.
The report noted key connections among pain points, challenges, goals and how DEI policies can be instituted to serve them. For example, more diverse recruiting efforts can be considered when a startup’s leaders find themselves experiencing high turnover or fast expansion.
Power in Diversity Israel is a joint venture consisting of 60+ Israeli VC firms and 170+ Israeli startups to promote greater inclusion and diversity in the Israeli tech industry. The full report can be read here.
Business leaders and marketers are seeing great benefit in boosting their brand identities and connecting with consumers on Instagram. With 1 billion active monthly users worldwide, this visually-focused platform offers them the ability to attract audiences by sharing engaging content like images and videos.
Marketers using Instagram are now focusing more on video since videos receive twice as much engagement compared to other posts. Yet posting a video and engaging effectively with followers are two different things. With the majority of viewers – an astounding 92% – choosing to watch videos without sound, marketers must provide captions to reach them effectively.
Instagram video captions are easy to produce and offer, making them an essential piece of a social media strategy.
If your goal is to increase your audience reach, Instagram video captions are a huge benefit. 80% of people now use Instagram to decide whether or not to buy a product or service.
With captions, Instagram videos become searchable. Users can search for keywords that appear in the captions rather than being restricted to searching for hashtags or picture captions. This searchability will drive more people to your business profile, leading to more sales, customers and growth.
Additionally, it’s equally important to consider if your brand’s Instagram offers an inclusive and equitable experience to diverse viewers. Non-inclusive content means missed opportunities to connect with potential customers and can have negative effects, including pushing consumers away. 71% of them choose to leave a business’ website rather than complain.
Adding captions for Instagram videos therefore isn’t just best practice to account for today’s silent viewers; it provides much-needed accessibility for users with disabilities, including those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. With lawsuits related to the Americans with Disabilities Act on the rise, your brand simply can’t afford to not be inclusive. Plus, 64% of consumers are known to take action after watching an ad they consider inclusive, so it’s really a win-win.
Instagram’s automatic captioning feature makes it easy for creators and business leaders to offer quick accessibility for their videos. The captioning feature was released for 16 languages in mid-2021, and many Instagram influencers and content creators are using automatic captions for their stories and reels.
Using Instagram’s captioning feature is quite simple, but it’s important to caveat that the captions are typically not fully accurate and can make a business or brand look unprofessional when they’re riddled with errors. However, captions are better than no captions.
Here’s how to add captions to Instagram stories and reels if automatic is the only option for you:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app and scroll to the Instagram Stories or Reels camera. You can either record a new video or select an existing one from your camera roll.
Step 2: After your video is ready, tap on the sticker icon at the top of the screen.
Step 3: Select the blue “Captions” sticker.
Step 4: Once you select the sticker, the words “Transcribing audio…” should appear on the screen. After a few seconds, the automatic captions will start to appear. Users can move the caption text around and customize the caption format using four different text formats and multiple color options.
Once captions are complete, be sure to review the captions for accuracy. While Instagram’s automatic feature offers a quick way to provide captioning, it’s likely to include errors and misspellings. Worse, Instagram doesn’t allow users to manually edit captioning mistakes.
It’s also important to note that some Instagram users don’t have access to this captioning sticker. In those cases, users can manually add text to videos to provide captioning, but it can be incredibly time-consuming, especially if you’re faced with uploading dozens of marketing or influencer videos.
To make sure you’re offering an equitable and inclusive viewing experience that meets ADA guidelines, 99% accurate captions are needed. Luckily, professional captioning services like Verbit’s can be employed easily and provide cost-effective captioning at scale for your Instagram video captions.
With thousands of potential customers, marketers need to keep their audiences hooked. If captions are inaccurate, it makes the brand look bad and the content worse. The chances of keeping consumers engaged dwindles. Good visuals can help attract initial interest, but captions are what keep the viewer’s attention with longer watch times.
Professionally captioning your Instagram videos is easy:
Step 1: Decide on a Captioning Partner
Look for a captioning provider that offers you high-accuracy and adheres to ADA guidelines. These are the two most important elements needed to keep your brand’s videos accessible, inclusive and engaging to all viewers and consumers. Verbit is trusted by leading businesses, universities and marketers across all industries to produce 99.9% accurate captions for videos at scale.
Step 2: Request Captioning for Your Video: After you create your videos for Instagram whether directly within the platform or elsewhere, upload the saved video to your desired captioning service and request open captioning. This type of captioning ‘burns’ the final caption text into the video.
Step 3: Captioning services can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete, depending on the turnaround time chosen. Verbit’s captioning software can quickly deliver captioning results for a short video or reel, using an efficient process that combines AI and human transcribers to guarantee the captions are fully accurate and professional.
Step 4: Upload The Video To Instagram: Upload the final video to your Instagram story, reel or video post as you normally would but now with the captions burned in.
If you’re creating video campaigns and video marketing initiatives for social, you must provide captioning to viewers to stay competitive, or they’ll just keep scrolling. Captions provide more engaging video experiences and contribute to a more inclusive, accessible social experience for all.
Verbit’s professional captioning is built for corporate and business needs to help brands and social media marketers come off professional and avoid potential legal issues. Reach out and let us help you caption your video content and scale your efforts today.
The shift to virtual events spiked during the pandemic, but they continue to be a key business and marketing strategy for connecting with audiences in 2022. Whether you’re a veteran event producer or just starting to dip your toe in the world of webinars, you can’t ignore the importance of facilitating attendee engagement.
In fact, engagement is the secret sauce for hosting in-person, virtual or hybrid events. One method many business and event producers are implementing today to help attendees stay connected and retain the information is captioning. This tool ticks many important boxes. Specifically, they improve attendee engagement and accessibility for those with disabilities, international viewers, and others. Here are 10 additional compelling reasons why captioning your events will help take them to the next level and engage greater audience pools.
About 37 million people in the US are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. Captions help include these individuals in your events and ensure they can participate with equity whether attending virtually on in-person. Not effectively including this population can result in an expensive lawsuit while causing you to lose out on their buying power. These facts are noteworthy considering people in the US with disabilities control about $490 billion in disposable income.
Virtual and hybrid events allow you to reach global audiences. Captions are incredibly useful to serve as a visual aid for those attending your events and participating in a non-native language. Taking this small extra step will make it easier for global participants to understand the content. As a result, they will feel more included, increasing their likelihood of engaging with your business and becoming repeat attendees.
Statistics show that seniors are the wealthiest age group and one-third of people between the ages of 64 and 75 experience hearing loss. Since people over the age of 50 are responsible for more than 50% of consumer spending, it’s a huge misstep that only 15% of advertisements target them. Captioning is just one way to ensure you include and connect with older audience members.
69% of viewers watch videos with the sound off. Some members of your virtual audience will likely be viewing silently from their workplaces while commuting or when home with other family members they don’t want to disturb. Captions offer these viewers flexibility and increase the chances of them participating and comprehending the event content. Captions will also prevent them from dropping off the event after noticing they can’t meaningfully participate if using sound is not an option.
People may not be able to attend your events at the given time, and on-demand video will allow them to engage on their terms. If you go through the effort of planning events and recruiting speakers, why not get additional eyes on your content through on-demand viewing opportunities. Especially when not live, captions will help engage these on-demand viewers and keep their attention. Some viewers may also be watching the recordings on the go without sound. Captioning recorded events translates to a minimal investment but a big payoff in giving your events more longevity and views long after they occur.
Some event attendees, as well as the business producing the event, can greatly benefit from transcripts of the event dialogue. The transcripts are helpful for generating post-event articles, quotes for referencing and callbacks for important research in an easy, read-through format. Fortunately, if you’re captioning your events, you can produce the transcripts seamlessly. For example, Steve Broido, the Director of Multimedia from The Motley Fool, uses Verbit for its live streams to both caption the content and deliver word-for-word transcripts to use after them.
Some webinars and events can last for hours. Searching through the recorded video manually when attendees want to rewatch a relevant section can be time-consuming and frustrating. If you caption and transcribe your events with a partner like Verbit, you can deliver attendees searchable event content. That resource allows them to easily jump to the desired part of the event recording they want to watch. This feature is also helpful for event producers and anyone who wants to go back and reference specific sessions, speakers or occurrences.
Captions improve engagement, comprehension and retention for attendees and on-demand viewers whether they’re watching with the sound on or silently. In fact, viewers are 80% more likely to complete event videos when they include captions. Therefore, captions will help you spread your event messaging more effectively so that it resonates with your target attendees.
If you’re not considering how your events can improve your brand’s search engine optimization (SEO), you should be. Live streaming your events with the captions and generating transcripts for your site after those events allows Google and other search engines to crawl them. As a result, your content is searchable and you will increase your SEO rankings.
Captioning your events is another excellent and easy way to demonstrate your corporate commitment to inclusivity. The benefits of gaining this reputation are extensive, especially given that 64% of purchasers are more inclined to buy from companies they view as inclusive. Accommodating the diverse needs of various attendees won’t only help you attract and engage more people in your events but is also highly likely to help your business’s bottom line.
Captions are one essential way to improve your events, whether they’re shown in-person, within Zoom webinars or in hybrid live streaming scenarios. Contact Verbit to learn more about our event captioning and other accessibility solutions to ensure you meet the needs of attendees with disabilities and the on-demand expectations of all event viewers.
As more businesses operate remotely and globally, communicating effectively with both employees and audiences around the world has become a higher priority. While it’s easy to target different markets with products and services online, engaging them and quite literally speaking to them in their language is another story.
Video and audio continue to emerge as the primary means for brands to market themselves and connect and train global workforces. Professionals charged with these tasks can turn to technologies like Audiovisual Translation to transform their videos to make it more relevant in select markets. Additionally, tools like translation can help professionals localize their content to reach select target audiences effectively and ensure their message resonates with them.
Audiovisual Translation, often referred to as just “translation,” refers to the process of translating content from one language to another. This includes translation of “audiovisual” content like how-to videos, marketing videos, music videos or podcasts. Translation services are most reliable and effective when performed by a professional human translator. Automatic translation tools are often inaccurate or do not pick up on slang or phrases specific to one language effectively, which can make the business using it appear unprofessional.
As business professionals craft plans to engage with audiences and employees based around the world more effectively, there are new trends in audiovisual translation to be aware of.
Aside from meeting specific requests for videos and materials to be translate, business leaders will see a variety of added benefits when using translation:
Price is undoubtedly an important factor affecting the decisions professionals make on whether to translate content and how to do it. However, free automatic translations can have serious errors and misinterpretations. Using a professional translation service is best practice to ensure that the true meaning of the video’s language is communicated in translations, helping leaders effectively localize and target people across different regions.
Verbit’s translation is designed specifically for today’s business needs, helping professionals better engage viewers, reach more international event attendees, target consumers more regionally and fuel smooth communication among global team members. For more information on how to start using translation, reach out.