In a recent discussion with marketing managers, the group was asked to identify the biggest hurdle to effective use of multimedia in their organisations.
Two themes emerged. A lack of resources, and a lack of clear strategy.
While resources can be brought in, strategy needs to originate within the company. And marketing managers play a key role in defining this. So, where to start?
Set a target
The absence of clear objectives is universally recognised as a guarantee for the absence of effective results.
There are multiple theories and methodologies for setting targets, many known by acronyms (SMART, OKR , OGSM, GQIM, …). Without recommending the merits of one approach over another, if no target or objective is set for what you want to achieve, no result will be of strategic value.
And this works on multiple levels. You can set targets for the planning process itself, as well as to drive the overall strategy. The more detailed your targets, the better the outcomes.
Brainstorming for options
The concept of brainstorming has been around since the 1940s as a way for creative problem solving. It often allows you to harness the ideas and experience of the broader team as well as generate stakeholder buy-in from the outset.
Effective brainstorming relies on two core principles: participants should defer judgment, and participants should reach for quantity.
Quantity is important. It assumes that participants will dig deeper for potential solutions once the obvious ideas are out of the way. So don’t shy away from setting a specific numerical target for how many ideas you want to list.
Don’t judge the ideas while they are still flowing. By welcoming and including one person’s crazy idea, a creative and highly effective idea may be triggered in another person.
Improve the ideas. When you have reached the desired volume of ideas, start combining concepts, ask for clarifications, and start improving on the first round of ideas to develop your workable shortlist.
Connect the dots
Building your ideas into an effective strategy requires you to map out an action plan that connects your starting position to the intended outcomes with a series of steps. Steps may be found in your brainstorm discussion or drawn from your experience. Either way, spelling out the action plan in detail will help you achieve you targets.
As multimedia is but one of many communication channels you will use in your marketing mix, define what role it will play, and how it connects with the other tactics you employ. Define what would be an effective use of the medium, and what the measures of effectiveness will be.
This connectivity is equally true for the content. By developing a storyline or thought pattern that is easy to follow, your audience will be more likely to recall and respond to your call to action.
Putting it into practice
Creating effective multimedia starts with careful planning. Planning of the desired outcomes, the route to these results, and the content of the messaging. And where creativity is needed, call on the experience within your team or that of external experts.