Pick Your Media
The term "media" can be a little confusing—but this isn't about tabloid headlines and hairsprayed news anchors.
Here, media simply means the different ways to communicate information on the internet. Video, sound, graphics and text are all media.
Popular media for the web today can be as simple as tried-and-true text/HTML, or as sophisticated as Flash interfaces that integrate many multimedia elements.
Ultimately, your website's purpose is to communicate your message to your audience as clearly as possible.
That's a simple, straightforward goal—you just have to figure out the best way to do that.
Choosing the right media for your website will have a considerable impact on how well you get your message across. It will enhance your customers' relationship with your site—and, by extension, your customers' relationship with you.
Keep these points in mind when you're thinking about choosing media.
Know Your Audience
When thinking about the best media to use on your site, keep in mind the first commandment of marketing: Know thy audience.
When you choose the appropriate media for your target audience, you're filling their needs by making it as easy as possible for them to use your site. More engagement, less friction—happy audience.
That means a site visited mostly by baby boomers isn't necessarily going to need advanced Flash applications—but a site aimed at university students might benefit from a little more razzle-dazzle.
Know Your Purpose
Most websites tend to be more functional than demonstrative; customers arrive with a purpose, usually to gather information.
For such sites, irrelevant or "artsy" media distractions would probably be unnecessary and unwelcome.
That means they can negatively impact your goal-achievement—media that take long to load, for example, could reduce your conversions.
On the other hand, if you're a design firm or art gallery, "artsy" is perfectly appropriate.
Know the Technical Considerations and the Cost
Are your customers going to need high-speed internet access and a certain amount of web sophistication to use your media? Consider whether you'll need to use—and pay for—proprietary applications or programs to facilitate data storage and downloads.
Keep browser and platform compatibility issues in mind.
And think about whether you have the technical expertise to update your site, especially if it incorporates more advanced media like videos or Flash.
Keep It Simple
When choosing media, you'll find that simplicity is usually the best route.
Simple HTML text is often the best format.
With text/HTML, users can arrive at the site quickly, scan text for information, and easily work through menus and search engines.
Moreover, text/HTML is an effective and low-cost solution that's easy to update, even if you don't have any advanced technical ability.
And furthermore, usability studies show that even when sites contain flashy graphics and animations, people's eyes jump straight to the text.
Oh, and don't forget search engine optimization.
Search engines can't (yet) search video, but they love text.
Ask Your Audience
Finally, don't just assume that you've picked the right media.
You need to make sure that your media choices are helping you meet your communication goals.
So ask your audience. Have them fill out surveys and offer feedback.
And check your analytics to see if hits, click-throughs and conversions are meeting your expectations.
And keep tweaking.
The right media combination for your audience may change—so don't abandon your website once you've made your initial choices.
Test, tweak and test some more—and you'll be rewarded with a site that consistently engages your audience.
What's Next?
Now that you've chosen your media, it's time to design your information architecture.
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