It’s amazing to note just how many more marketing options we have now, compared to twenty years ago. The rise of the internet, the dominance of viral videos and the creativity of GIFs means that you can flex your creative muscles in a variety of ways.
The popularity of these modern forms cannot be understated either. No less than 40 percent of the world’s population has an internet connection, compared to 1 percent in 1995. It’s an astonishing jump that means that if you utilise this platform, you can reach over 3.3 billion unique users.
However, users don’t equal customers. A marketing campaign doesn’t just mean running a Twitter account; it’s a fully-fledged multimedia assault on all areas of the web. It’s amazing to see how just many businesses rely purely on a few social media channels. The poor results speak for themselves, with these particular businesses only targeting a select group of people.
Consumers like to ingest their media in a ton of different ways, and that’s where a multimedia marketing campaign comes in. If it’s your job to market your business, you should be making use of every digital channel available to you, for maximum results.
In this post, we’ll run through a few of the different ways you can use multimedia, and how it can benefit your business. It’s not 1995 anymore, and companies need to adapt more than ever, else see their business vanish into obscurity.
- Images, GIFs and Memes
The rise of the GIF has been a well-documented one, and they’ve recently expanded to social giants Twitter. It’s an upgrade of a basic image, and can sift through multiple frames to create the illusion of it being a video.
Similarly, memes expand on the basic concept of a still image to add text, with often humorous results. Memes usually hit on popular current affairs and trends, so you’ll likely see them change, a lot.
The reason all these forms are incredible tools on your marketing belt is the fact they’re utterly shareable. If it’s funny, and it catches the eye, users will certainly hit that retweet button. Images are generally quick to load, meaning that users will be more likely to see them when scrolling through a feed.
Why not jump in on current trends and create a funny meme to match? When a meme becomes popular, it really becomes popular. One of the most famous internet images of all time, Grumpy Cat, even got his own movie deal.
The point is, people love this stuff. It’s easy to digest, quick to share, and can brighten your day with a quick laugh. You should frequently be posting images and GIFs to your social media channels to keep them fresh. Nobody likes reading endless tweet after endless tweet. Eventually, your home feed will just dissolve into one huge, dull block of text. Break it up with images to not only catch viewer’s attention, but hold it.
- YouTube, Vine and Video
It’s incredible to think that ten years ago, nobody had heard of YouTube. Flash-forward to now and it’s one of the biggest sites in the world, and certainly the biggest video-based one. Like images, people love to share interesting videos, and some of the most famous marketing stunts have revolved around them.
The key here is to be engaging, and fast. People will stop watching if your video goes on for too long, so make it snappy. Think of that great Cadbury advert with the gorilla playing the drums, and you’ll get the idea. Vine is popular because it offers this snappy benefit, with users restricted to 6-second chunks of video. So if you’re struggling to condense things down, consider a move to Vine.
Probably the biggest obstacle with video production is the time, effort and money it takes. Pouring all your resources into this can take your focus off the main running of your business. So, getting outside help is a viable option. Many companies, like Tinker Taylor (browse TinkerTaylor.tv for details) specialise in video creation. So use them! Marketing is important, but don’t forget, you’ve got a business to run too.
- Twitter, Facebook and Social Media
So, you’ve got some outstanding images, memes and videos, and now it’s time to share them. There a quite a lot of social channels to choose, but only a few that matter. Twitter and Facebook will be your first two stops, and they probably don’t need much explaining.
What may need explaining is how to use them for your business. You can set up a page, but that doesn’t guarantee followers. Use the Facebook ‘page’ option to make a page, then ‘boost’ your posts to reach relevant audiences. Twitter also offers you a way to further promote your tweets, so take a look and consider each.
The most important social media lesson to remember is to consider your message. Something you post on Instagram, for example, may read completely differently on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is used mainly by working professionals, so you’ll want to adjust your content accordingly. That Grumpy Cat meme is of no use here.
- Non-Digital Marketing Methods
If you’re utilising the above three, then you’re on the road to marketing success. However, don’t forget about those you could be leaving behind. 40 percent of the world has internet, but what about that 60 percent? Posting flyers, getting ads in newspapers and leaving voicemails are all still viable ways to branch out. Just because it isn’t modern, don’t forget about it. You could be hitting a demographic that your competitors have left in the past.
Marketing is tricky to get right, but rewarding to pull off. You have to carefully consider how audiences will react to your message, and it can be hard to do so. Luckily, you have so many options at your feet, that it’s hard to get wrong. A multimedia marketing campaign should be your first port of call for the sheer amount of ways you can reach consumers. Construct each tweet and post meticulously, and you’ll ensure your business can reach its potential.
