Research shows that videos are essential in creating an impact on consumers. Consumers say that they are able to retain 95% of a message when delivered as a video. More than 70% of consumers say that they become aware of new brands through YouTube. Most video consumers view videos as a mode of relaxation.

These statistics show that videos are a key lifestyle element of most of your customers.

Whether you are using video content for marketing or as a means of customer engagement, an important aspect of focus should be video accessibility.

An accessible video is delivered through multiple means so that the message reaches all intended audiences easily. Accessibility also includes a technical aspect where the right format and player need to be used to deliver your content.

Given here are some techniques that can help you create accessible videos:

Develop Videos with Good Aesthetics

Whether you are doing video advertising or video ads, or producing other video content, the first step toward accessibility starts with the use of good colors and text. Here are some key factors to keep in mind while deciding the text and colors in a video -

·    Make Thoughtful Use of Colors – Harsh colors can be painful on the eye of users. Use colors that are pleasant and support content delivery instead of obstructing it. Avoid conveying information using colors alone.

·    Apply Sensible Color Contrast – Contrast is a key element of color presentation. Use contrasts that blend seamlessly while being soft on the eyes. Use colors that bring out the contrast well, allowing consumers to readily identify the distinction.

For example, if you are using charts or text in the videos, then a poorly-designed contrast can be distracting or can block information from the viewer’s eyes. Such factors can diminish the viewer experience. 

·    Avoid Flashing Content- Flashing content has an unpleasant effect on viewers’ eyes. In people with conditions such as seizures, flashing can trigger seizures. 

If flashing content is a must, then reduce the impact by limiting it to 3 flashes or lower. That is, there should be 3 flashes or lesser in 1 second.

Include Captions

Captions are text reflecting the audio content of a video. There are many benefits to captioning:

· Captions enable viewers with a hearing disability to access and grasp your videos.

· They enable people whose native language is not English to understand your content completely.

· Captions help convey the meaning of your video to the audience with clarity, especially if the content is technical in nature.

· Captions enhance viewer experience enormously.

A professional video production company develops videos with captions that integrate seamlessly into your videos irrespective of the video platform they are used on.

In-house video production may be an option. But the expertise and equipment that comes with a video agency elevate the video production process and the end results as well.

Develop Video Transcripts

Transcripts are a textual reproduction of the entire video content. A transcript includes all information that would be available to your customers only by watching a video.

Developing transcripts deliver several benefits:

· They increase the comprehension value of your videos.

· They take your videos to audiences that would otherwise be unable to watch your video due to issues such as technical limitations.

· They enable you to reach audiences that only want to scan and understand your video without watching it from start to stop.

· Transcripts can boost search engine rankings. As search engines crawl text, they search the transcript for keywords and display your videos if relevant.

· Transcriptions can be designed to deliver an interactive user experience. For example, when a viewer lands on your video for a specific keyword, all the keyword mentions in the transcript are highlighted.

A viewer can click on any such keyword mention to be taken to the corresponding segment on the video.

Include an Audio Track

An audio track for a video gives a verbal narration of the important aspects of the video. Including an audio track helps people with visual disabilities. It also helps viewers that are not able to see the video due to technical glitches.

For accessibility, the availability of such an audio track must be announced to viewers at the start of the video. 

Choose A Relevant File Format and an Efficient Video Player

Increase the accessibility of your videos by using a Web-relevant file format. Using older or incompatible formats reduces video quality, creating a poor content experience for viewers.

Whether you are developing a video in-house or using a video agency, ensure that you decide on the file format beforehand. The chosen file format must be up-to-date to ensure faster video loading and uninterrupted viewing.

Choose a video player that supports multiple video-friendly features to increase accessibility. A video player must include the following settings and features for accessibility:

· Video-supportive features including play and pause, and volume, that can be keyboard-controlled, as well as assistive technology features such as screen readers. 

· Support for accessibility elements such as transcripts and captions

· Does not play videos as soon as the user opens the webpage. Such integration can be annoying for viewers. It can also interrupt the functioning of assistive features such as screen readers.

In Conclusion

Creating amazing video content is great. But making them accessible matters more for your audience as well as your business.

Whether you are delivering marketing videos or other video content, making videos accessible widens their reach. Integrating accessibility into the video production process at the outset itself can help create accessible videos without any significant addition to cost and time.

An experienced video agency has up-to-date content creation knowledge and can add features that increase accessibility.

If you are looking to develop exceptional video content for marketing or for specific business purposes, then you may want to check out Melty Cone. We are an NY based company with experience in accessible video production and video marketing.