Everyone needs content these days. But what kind of content is the right one for your brand?
Most people answer that question within the natural scope of their industry. In the case of the code-driven tech world, the answer often seems to focus on content containing text. It’s easy for a software company to hire a tech blog writer, write some text-driven content, and call it a day — and there is certainly value in that.
However, software brands should look further than just written content. They should also consider the value that multimedia content can bring to their brand.
What Is Multimedia Content?
Before analyzing how multimedia content can impact a software brand, it’s important to consider: what is multimedia in the first place?
You can find a brief definition of the term in the word itself. Multimedia content involves content that includes multiple forms of media.
For instance, an infographic has visuals and text. A video has audio and visuals. A podcast has text and audio.
In general, there are five categories that most multimedia pull from:
- Text
- Images
- Audio
- Video
- Animation
So, while written text is technically part of the deal, if a software brand wants to use true multimedia content, they should always incorporate at least one other option from the list above. The question is, should they bother?
How Does Multimedia Content Impact Marketing?
Multimedia content is a powerful marketing tool for a software brand. Things like videos and infographics can enhance promotional effectiveness in multiple ways, such as:
Improved SEO
Many factors drive search engine optimization. You can ramp up several of these, such as engagement, linkability and conversions, when you use multimedia content.
Higher Engagement
Multimedia is more engaging than a wall of text. Even when your blog articles are well-formatted and easy to skim, it doesn’t beat the power of a good multimedia presentation, which draws in the reader.
Better Reach
Multimedia is better at reaching a larger audience. When content stokes engagement and is easy to share, it will naturally reach a larger group of people.
Most of these aspects of increased marketing due to multimedia content tend to directly impact boosting lead generation. And, of course, when that happens, it can translate to greater revenue.
What Kind of Multimedia Content Should Software Brands Create?
Realizing the value of multimedia is an excellent first step. But the endless number of combinations that the medium offers presents another challenge: what forms of content should a software brand, in particular, create?
The answer to that question is that multiple options have proven successful for tech companies in the past, including:
- How-to videos: Software is complicated. Creating “how-to” videos that address challenging topics within your vertical of expertise can be a powerful form of tech content creation.
- Client testimonials: From combinations of pictures and text to full-blown videos, client testimonials are a great way to incorporate multimedia content into your marketing strategy.
- Answer questions: Create a video or image that answers a common customer question to encourage engagement and increase customer satisfaction at the same time.
- Infographics: These can be single images or animated graphics. Either way, presenting dense data in a relatable, easy-to-digest format is invaluable.
- Demos: Providing a pre-recorded or live version of your software is a powerful promotional tool that can incorporate many different multimedia formats.
These are just a few of the many multimedia options available to software brands. In fact, before choosing one to start, it’s wise to conduct some research of your own.
What kind of content do your current customers prefer? Do you work with B2B clients that like refined demos and clean infographics? Are you a B2C operation with customers that prefer more colorful images or how-to videos that help streamline the customer experience?
Consider your brand’s unique needs, and then choose content that aligns with them.
Writers Can Help Software Brands Create Multimedia Content
The last question worth considering regarding software brand multimedia content is how to generate the content itself. How should you go about creating complex content once you’ve chosen the formats that you think will resonate with your target audience?
There are a few ways that you can do this:
Create Your Content In-House
The best way to generate precisely the content you want is to hire an in-house team.
This gives you full control over the creative process. However, it also can be costly to bring a team of full-time technology content creators on board.
Outsource Your Content Creation to an Agency
Marketing agencies can create clean, polished, and professional multi-media content.
However, it’s worth noting that this removes your brand from the creative process. It also means someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of your code and software features will be coming up with the content.
Hire Freelancers to Help
Finally, you can embrace a hybrid multimedia content creation option. Start by hiring a small core of content creators to provide a vision, set up a strategy, and guide the content creation process.
From there, look for specific activities that you can outsource. For instance, a freelance writer can help with more than functioning as a technology writer for your blog.
If you hire a writer, they can also help with scripts for videos or podcasts. A freelance editor, like those within PowerPublish, can also help with proofreading and adjusting each piece of content. This can keep the copy clean and the messages focused on the intended audience.
Creating Multimedia Content for Your Software Brand
As the capabilities of the internet increase, the many forms of available online marketing grow. This can make it hard to know which options to choose, especially when you’re talking about an umbrella category like “multimedia content.”
However, the overwhelming number of choices only reinforces that software companies should be taking full advantage of the powerful marketing capabilities that multiple forms of content offer. From videos to podcasts, infographics to demos, your company can easily tap into the power of multimedia marketing with the use of a freelance writer.