Multimedia Tools

Multimedia works; it brings words to life.

Multimedia is the use of computers to present text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in an integrated way (Webopedia).

Multimedia tools improve information comprehension, viewers understand better, and drive viewer engagement. The why and how multimedia is effective lies in the way we learn. These facts help us see why it is a good option:

• According to the Social Science Network, 65 percent of the population is visual learners. Visual learners usually prefer graphics, illustrations and charts. They are able to remember details and ideas in picture form, typically what they've seen before.
• According to 3M Corporation, the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.
• According to Zabisco, 40 percent of people will respond better to visual information than plain text.

There are a number of multimedia options available to choose from. There are things to consider when deciding which tool to use. The first thing is to understand the audience. No matter the audience, research tells us that multimedia drives engagement. There isn't one type of tool that is more effective than the other. The most effective tool is based on what is being conveyed, and the desired result or feedback. A few things to consider are:

• Visual content drives engagement. In fact, just one month after the introduction of Facebook timeline for brands, visual content -- photos and videos -- saw a 65% increase in engagement (Simply Measured, 2012).
• Posts with videos attract 3 times more inbound links than plain text posts (Hubspot, 2012).
• On Facebook, photos perform best for likes, comments, and shares as compared to text, video, and links (Hubspot, 2012).
• Research by Twitter shows that tweets that include a photo or video receive 3 to 4 times more engagement (retweets, replies, etc.) than those that don't.

 

PowerPoint is a popular tool that is easy to use. I can see myself incorporating the other multimedia tools into a PowerPoint presentation. Before this module I had never heard of Animoto, and it is a great tool for sharing photos in multiple formats. It allows users to mix audio, text, photos and videos together in one product.

 

References

Multimedia Press Releases - Add photos and video to your release. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/products-services/engage/

Schoenfeld, A. (2012, March 27). The Impact of Facebook Timeline for Brands [Study] | Simply Measured. Retrieved from http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2012/03/27/the-impact-of-facebook-timeline-for-brands-study/

Sibley, A. (2012, August 6). 19 Reasons You Should Include Visual Content in Your Marketing [Data]. Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33423/19-Reasons-You-Should-Include-Visual-Content-in-Your-Marketing-Data.aspx

What is multimedia? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/multimedia.html