Multimedia
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CloseHow to use multimedia tools and techniques to give your communications added impact.
As technology advances, so there are more and more ways to communicate using a variety of methods. Multimedia is becoming an essential part of how organisation presents information.
With a wealth of multimedia to choose from, getting to grips with what it can offer may appear daunting. The following short guide offering tips and advice on how you can use multimedia as an effective part of your communications activities and campaigns – and helping you deliver real impact.
We'll look at a number of activities that your organisation might be involved in and suggest how multimedia can be used. In each case we start with the simpler uses and build up to the more complex.
What is multimedia?
Multimedia can include text, graphics, audio, animation and video. It refers to techniques such as podcasts, webinars, streaming and live web chats.
Multimedia is really about presenting information in a different way and making your traditional communications work harder. As with any new way of communicating, it can take time to learn the skills and technology involved. But it can also be fun! Start small and have a go.
Showcasing public events/performances/rallies
If your organisation is hosting an event, running a workshop, holding a rally or doing anything else that is visual or audio, think about how you can use multimedia to promote it to a wider audience.
- Vox pops - think about taking a small video or audio camera to your event and conducting short interviews with participants /audience /attendees. These can be put together to form a short video or podcast for your website or YouTube channel, allowing people to hear voices from outside the organisation.
- Podcasts - whether it's expert speakers or audience members, staff or services users, short podcasts which share knowledge are a good way of disseminating information. Podcasts should be made easily available on your website for people to download.
- Record your event - edit the best parts and put it on your website and /or YouTube. As well as showcasing your work, this offers another way for website vistors to learn about what you do.
- Live video link - stream the even live from your website so people not able to make it can join in.
Communicating research and reports
Whether it’s your annual report or a new research paper, multimedia can help transform your document from words on a page to a dynamic, interactive resource.
Think about including interactive content in your online documents. If you have case studies in a report, consider inserting a link to a video of the person giving a verbal account of their story. If your report contains lots of graphs, tables and statistics, think about how these can be animated online – particularly if they are showing shifting trends.
Some organisations include expert ‘talking heads’ on their websites; short podcasts covering specific topics.
Example: RNID's impact report 2010
Sharing knowledge
It might be that you want to engage directly with your stakeholders and give ‘real-time’ advice on issues. To do this, you could host online discussion forums on specific topics, invite people to go online and ask questions which you can then respond to.
Another way of sharing knowledge is to develop a series of podcasts on specific topics. You might have a member of staff with a specialism in a certain area or an industry expert or celebrity speaking at an event. With a bit of imagination, these can be turned into dynamic, engaging podcasts. You could also create a series of podcasts relating to a campaign your running, with each clip representing a different element of the campaign.
Or, you could use podcasts to bring newsletters and e-bulletins to life.
Campaigning – using ‘voices’
More and more organisations have dedicated multimedia sections on their websites where they upload videos and photographs from campaigns and projects and encourage supporters to do the same. It is quick and free to create a Flickr and YouTube account for your organisation or campaign and publicise it on your website and other social media outlets. Use it to show in pictures and video how your campaign is progressing, who is involved. This can generate a sense of excitement and momentum.
Think about who you have speaking in videos; the ‘voices of the campaign’ are important – try to include the voices of those the campaign will help and if you have them, celebrity or high profile supporters.
Examples: Save the Children
Viral marketing
If you’re trying to raise the profile of your organisation or want to draw attention to something new you’re doing – a campaign or a piece of research for example – then why not explore using multimedia to create something a bit different that will prompt interest across the web?
The Royal Society of the Arts for example have created RSA Animate. The videos are quirky, interesting and simplistic in their messages; despite conveying complex information. They have been passed on, tweeted, linked to and therefore viewed by thousands of people outside of the usual RSA community.
For ideas on viral marketing and successful viral campaigns, see this viral marketing article from Charity Comms.
Delivering training and workshops
If your organisation provides training, consider how this might be adapted for an online audience. Webinars and online training packages are becoming increasingly popular, it’s likely you’ll reach more people ‘virtually’ than you would if you hosted your event in person.
Top tips on running a webinar
- Choose a reliable and appropriate service - there are many webinar services available, some are free, others are paid for. Think about how many people you expect to take part in your webinar and the type of graphics you’ll be showing; this will impact on the type of service you choose as your host.
- Plan well - as with a normal conference session, you need to send out invitations, have a schedule of events, promote your webinar and collect registrations.
- Promote it well - use your social media networks, website and e-bulletins to promote your webinar. Consider seeing if partner organisations can alert their supporters/members – perhaps think about offering a discount for charities or smaller organisations who want to attend.
- Gather participant information - when someone signs up for your webinar, it's the best chance you have to get to know something about that person. Use the sign up as a way to gather demographic information on each participant, so you can better gauge the audience and tailor your presentation to the audience.
Top tips for webinar delivery
- Be engaging - make sure you don’t dwell on one topic for too long. As a general rule, short and snappy presentations work best. Consider making your webinar interactive and inviting questions or feedback after each section. This way you have a higher chance of holding your audience’s attention.
- Audio and video - not everyone with have a microphone on their computer, so make sure there’s an option to use the telephone for audio during the webinar. Videos in webinars can often be choppy, so it’s best to use slides or still images.
Making the most of media coverage
If your organisation achieves some media coverage, you’ll want visitors to your website to know about it. If it’s a television or radio clip, find it online and link to it from your homepage. Even better, you can purchase the clip and embed it in your website (be warned though – there is almost always a cost to that).
Multimedia and internal communications
Multimedia is not just a tool for communicating with the outside world. You can also use multimedia effectively in internal communications. Think about the following tools for boosting your internal communications.
- Facebook - you can use ‘closed’ groups on Facebook to communicate to staff and have an internal message board. Simply create a group, invite staff members – and make sure the security settings are such that only invited members can view content.
- Video conferences - if you have staff in different offices, consider hosting a video conference if you want to brainstorm ideas or deliver presentations.
- Knowledge Management - online resources such as Google Docs and BaseCamp allow you to project manage and share documents and information with other members of your team.
Multimedia - dos and don'ts
- Remember to check that what you are producing is accessible to everyone. Not everyone will be able to access your information for example if they have a disability or are using an old computer or modem. If you are using sound provide a transcript of what is being said. If you're using images or graphics, add a description or alternative way of getting the information. SkillsForAccess is a helpful site.
- If you don't have the technical skills in-house, look for a volunteer or supporter who could help. If you have budget there are also communications agencies who can produce multimedia for you.
- Think about whether what you are producing is really a good idea. Does your multimedia idea fit with your brand and what you are trying to achieve? Does it add something useful to your communications? If not, don't do it!
