Is Multimedia an advertising strategy NO marketer or online
business owner today can go without?
For some, this might seem like a rather bold claim but for an
exponentially growing number of businesses, both online and
off, the statement above is not bold and/or far fetched in any
way. Rather, it conveys a sentiment that is shared by many and
more and more online business owners are beginning to believe
in the enormous potential and power of multimedia. As a
result, the use of multimedia online, in the form of video and
audio specifically, is beginning to grow at an incredible rate.
Just as Television changed the dynamic's of the North American
household, Multimedia will change the dynamic's of the World
Wide Web for many years to come.
This sentiment is also shared by industry experts who have
conducted research into this phenomenon called multimedia and
they too are convinced that multimedia's popularity is growing
at an awesome rate and will very soon become the dominant
advertising strategy on the Internet.
Here's a few quotes from experts regarding the explosive
potential and increasing reach of multimedia:
----------------------------------------------------------------
“Capturing and sustaining the attention and interest of the
individuals viewing your web site is essential. Video can add
compelling visual (and related audio) content to your website,
enabling you to engage your viewers in a more powerful and
emotional manner. It can help you to create lasting and
positive impressions of your company or organization, enhancing
opportunities for increased customer loyalty and repeat
business.” [Emphasis added] (Hospitality Sales & Marketing
Association International (HSMAI) Article: “Net Enhancements -
Six Features To Improve Your Web Pages and Generate Increased
Awareness” by Donald E.Bender, Jan. 2001)."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"An online study conducted by DoubleClick in the Spring of 2001
showed that exposure to streaming media increased ad recall by
up to 118%, increased recall of key message points by up to
197%, and increased the likelihood of a purchase by up to 25%.
The study further showed that elevated brand awareness from
streaming media exposure remains high for 30 days. According to
Carton-Donofrio Interactive, streaming media has a 70% response
rate for content, a 60% response rate for advertising
information and a 49% "buy" rating for online merchandise.
(Streaming Digest, 2001)."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"According to a Measurecast/Yankee Group study, streaming media
ads have been shown to deliver five times the click-through
rate of a traditional banner (Media News, May 2001). Similar
results (4.8 time click-through rate) were reported by
eMarketer and eAdvertising Report. According to Vendaria, when
streaming video is embedded into a marketing e-mail, click-
through rates are 28% higher than without the video."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Streaming video and audio is one of the fastest growing areas
of the Internet. In 2000, the streaming media market was $440
million. By 2004, that figure is expected to grow to $2.5
billion. Experts predict that within the next couple of years,
90% of all web sites will utilize some sort of streaming media.
Spending on all streaming media advertising will grow to $3.1
billion by 2005 from $44 million in 2000 (Yankee Group June
2001)."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"As traditional banner ads continue to decline in their
effectiveness...leading companies..[will turn] to streaming media
to juice up their online advertising. These initial trials are
just the beginning of what industry experts believe
will be a huge market(Source: Hostcentric Streaming Media:
Industry Outlook)."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Let's face it, Multimedia is the future and pretty soon no one
is going to be using plain old boring text in emails and
websites and those who do will be left in the dust so to speak.
Unlike textual information and still images, multimedia,
specifically online video and audio messages and advertisements
effectively conveys unique performance information in a dynamic
and captivating manner, engaging the viewer with sight, sound
and motion. By providing a more powerful and compelling user
experience, multimedia satisfies an online traveler’s thirst for
information and help to drive consumers to take action more
quickly in the form of increasing conversion rates,
subscriptions and purchases.
Just as importantly, streaming marketing videos substantially
increase brand recall, brand awareness, and positive brand
perception, thus allowing online marketers and business owners
to differentiate themselves and compete online based more on
brand and less on price.
So now are you convinced of the power of Multimedia? Hopefully
I've provided you with some support for my assertion that online
business owners and marketers need to start incorporating
multimedia into their advertising strategy to continue to engage
their visitors, subscribers and customers. Very soon, online
prospects will respond very poorly to static content such as
text, banners and images and it's the savvy business owners and
marketers who have incorporated multimedia into their selling
propositions that will gain the competitive advantage and keep it.
I'm sure you've seen many well known and recognized companies and
brand names begin to use multimedia - video, audio online to sell
their products and/or services. The immediate question that comes
to mind is why these companies and brand names would incorporate
multimedia into their advertising strategy if there was no
substantial benefit to doing so? I'm sure you already know the
answer to this question so I don't think I need to spell it out
for you.
So, is Multimedia an advertising strategy NO marketer or online
business owner today can go without?
Absolutely. There can't be any doubt.
Resource Box:
Shane Kukec is a Corporate President, Trainer and Publisher
of a popular newsletter "The Intelligent Marketer" at
http://www.the intelligentmarketer.com where he shows people
how to generate a substantial income using simple and very
powerful marketing strategies. Shane's also the developer
of an amazing new product guaranteed to help explode
any business quickly and easily: (http:www.jvmining.com)
You can reprint this article for free on your site or newsletter
but the entire article, resource box and live links must remain intact.
