Becoming a Marketing Master: Developing a Multimedia Marketing Approach to Attract an Audience

Put your phone down. Look up from your iPad. As cute as the kitten videos are, turn off YouTube. Isn’t that the 10th pic of someone’s dessert you’ve seen
on Instagram or Pinterest in the last two minutes? Look at the world around you. Count to 10. Are you shaking yet? Me, too! As much as the fact that
we can’t stand peeling ourselves from our devices might drive some people insane, this is the new world we live in. And, if you want success in the
crazy, online world, you have to play the crazy game.

Multimedia Marketing is now the Norm, Not a Flash-in-the-Pan

Different multimedia avenues are being taken advantage of by businesses large and small. People (well, most) are inherently visual and audio beings. Full
HD television commercials are being recorded on iPhones. Bands (not just garage bands – stadium acts) are recording full albums on their iPads and
releasing them strictly through their website or social media channels. Everyone’s phone has a bajillion (that’s a real, made up number) apps. We’re
so enthralled with our devices that we’re walking into poles and winding up on AFV or Ridiculousness because we can’t keep our eyes
off of them. Shiny things! And, not only are businesses taking a multimedia approach to creating advertising assets, but those assets differ by the
various devices the public uses to find, absorb, and share information.

Build a Multimedia Approach and They Will Come

Let’s build a multimedia approach to how you can best market your business. Every industry is going to have its quirks, but here are some foundational
ideas for strategies you should consider:

1.) Website

Let’s start at the beginning: your site. It needs to be relevant, it needs to be optimized, it needs to be trustworthy, and it needs to speak directly
to the most common denominator of customer. It needs to be findable, usable and valuable – basically, it needs to rock. And, more so than ever, it
needs to be RESPONSIVE! A responsive site responds to the screen it’s on – your desktop, your iPad, your phone, etc. Your site needs
to provide a positive user-experience, or it risks falling into the oblivion of tertiary (or worse) backup brands for consumers. Think about it – don’t
you hate it when you load a website on your phone, and the entire homepage is squished into the tiny screen like an ultra-stuffed suitcase just to
avoid carry-on fees at the airline gate? When a website forces people to break out a magnifying glass, you can bet that you’re losing customers daily.
Furthermore, Google has come right out and said that websites that do not offer an excellent mobile experience will not rank well for mobile searches.
Your ranking (where you show up in a Google search), therefore, is going to take a beating if your site is not responsive. Your competitors are going
to breeze right by you.

2.) Video 

Who would have thought that cleverly scripted, six-second videos (a little app called Vine) would entertain us for hours on end. Every day, people watch
hundreds of millions of hours of video on YouTube and generate billions of views. 300 hours of video is being uploaded to YouTube every minute of every
day. Video marketing is a huge opportunity that shouldn’t be ignored.

3.) Audio 

Some research states that 1/3 of shoppers will leave a retail store if it has an unappealing soundscape. Audio affects us emotionally and physically (don’t pretend like you don’t dance like no one is watching when no one is watching). Using audio in marketing, not just in video, is a way of offering more diverse content while appealing to different types of learners and buyers.

4.) Apps 

Does your company have 100 different brochures, 50 different PowerPoint presentations, ten different sales videos, and 100 sales reps that each need their
own particular mix of each? Why not put everything into a custom app that your reps will go gaga for (no more hauling around boxes of brochures in
the trunks of their mid-size sedans)? Is your target audience made up of teens that are glued to their Xbox or PS4? Why not build a video game to create
a buzz around your brand? There are approximately 1.6 million apps available for Android users and approximately 1.5 million apps available in the
iTunes store. Join the revolution.

5.) Social Media

Do yourself a favor, here – don’t try to take on the world right out of the gate. Be sure to have a good handle on some key leaders. Fish where the fish
are.

• Facebook: Advertising on Facebook is doing incredibly well for businesses. Promotions, Page-Like Ads, Awareness Ads…they’re
  all working!
• Twitter: Guess who just started indexing Tweets? Our friends at Google. Relevant Tweets, retweets, and follows are going
  to help your site’s ranking.
  
• Instagram:
   Are you taking square pictures (the format Instagram uses)? Are you being strategic with your profile link by, for example, pointing
  to a landing page calling out your latest promotion? Make sure you’re cross-promoting with your partners. Make sure you’re capturing customer info
  by posting links to download an ebook or sign up for your newsletter. Instagram has become a very effective marketing channel.
• Google+:  I’m reaching a little by putting Google+ in the social media section, but the reality is that since it’s
  a Google product, your site will benefit if you have an accurate, up-to-date Google+ profile. Make sure the physical address is correct – that’s
  where Google pulls information from to put you on the map during local searches!

I could go on for days. Do you have an “in” with the local TV stations to get the best bang for your buy? Are your radio spots making the phone ring? Are
people rubbernecking on the thruway to look at your billboard? Am I going to see your company kiosk at Crossgates during your busy season? There are
so many channels available to help your business thrive. 

The team at BrawnMedia loves jumping into all avenues of multimedia. We’re here to strengthen your brand. Give us a call at 518-472-0060 to chat about
how we can help you put together and execute a multimedia plan to drive results for your business!

Written by Mike Gray,  Account Executive at BrawnMedia.