Articles
How digital media can help your business
by David Crowe, September 2005
Digital media encompasses digital audio, digital video, the World Wide Web and other technologies that can be used to create and distribute digital "content". Wikipedia Definition
Sure, digital media has changed the way we work or even live, but when it comes to utilizing it to help our businesses we can often be short sighted. As someone involved in the industry, even I’m guilty of not always taking advantage of the technology that now pervades every part of our lives. This article attempts to point out the advantages digital media can offer to business and considers some practical real world uses.
Access to digital media
Home computers are commonplace and over half the households in the UK are now online. Even when people don’t actually purchase directly online, they are more likely to research a potential purchase via the Internet by looking up specifications, availability and naturally cost.
In addition, since the summer of 2005 broadband connections to the Internet now account for more than half of all connections. This is almost double from the previous year and makes a strong case for providing more engaging content online. Businesses should pay as much attention to their appearance online as they should their appearance in the physical world.
Adoption of other digital technology such as DVD players has been fast and now sees a huge installed user base. We are now in an age where quite often the consumer is more technologically advanced, and in possession of more information than the businesses that provide them goods and services.
The key advantages
Digital media has several distinct advantages over traditional media – paper and print based literature, advertising etc. Some are obvious, others less so. Each advantage on its own should be enough to make you consider digital media, but when combined the digital option becomes even more alluring.
Economical
Although sometimes the initial design of digital media can cost more than print design, real savings can be made when it’s time for reproduction, updating or amending. If it’s been well designed and constructed, digital media content can be quick, easy and cost effective to keep up to date. An example would be updates to a web site being much less costly than a print run for an updated brochure! Generally digital media also tends to have a longer useful life span.
Logistical
Digital media is generally easier and quicker to propagate which again makes sense from an economic point of view, but it also requires less effort to distribute. A web site can reach across the world without any additional logistics. That’s not the case with a paper brochure or advertisement. An interactive CD or DVD can hold much more data (and more engaging content) than even the thickest brochure. Even a humble email newsletter makes traditional mail outs logistically inferior.
Environmental
More and more emphasis is being placed on green practices by businesses large and small, and again digital media can help your business do its bit. It’s not just the use of paper and ink resources that can be environmentally unfriendly, but also the distribution methods and recycling of those resources. Digital media can help you avoid generating waste and using inefficient distribution methods.
Organisational
Much was made about the paperless office some years ago, but for most businesses technology has generated even more paper. However digital media can be used to eliminate some of the box files and folders that clutter the average office. By moving reference material and other paperwork into the digital domain you make it easier to store and backup. It also becomes searchable making information as easy to find whether it’s buried in a few dozen pages or a few thousand.
The digital horizon
Of course the future promises to be an even more digitally integrated world with miniaturised technology pervading every aspect of our lives. Another key advantage of digital media is that it can often be adapted for the digital devices of the future. As a rule, once something is in the digital domain it becomes easier to propagate to other media within that domain.
Real world examples
To close, here are some real world scenarios that are loosely based upon actual projects.
Example 1 – Client base expansion through USP
Your business produces goods or services that are perhaps very similar to many other companies in the region, country or even world, but you have a unique selling point (USP) that you have developed. An Internet presence that advertises a USP could attract customers from far a field. If it truly is unique you may not even have to try hard to reach the top of search listings!
Example 2 – Behind the scenes organisation
Your business relies on reference information that is distributed across numerous unwieldy folders, and although not seen by your customers you spend a lot of time searching through them on a daily basis. By putting this information into a digital format (a mini intranet or CD-ROM for example) you can create a searchable, easily updateable reference library that’s easy to copy and transport or can be made accessible to whoever you like.
Example 3 – Explanations in layman terms
Your business supplies a product or service that can sometimes be complicated to explain to your customers. You don’t want the customer to be overwhelmed by masses of technical literature, but you do want to point out the benefits your product or service has. Presenting this in digital media could convey the information in an easily digestible way using video, animation and audio.
Conclusion
While this article extols the benefits of digital media, traditional print media is still relevant and can be a worthwhile investment for businesses. However, digital media is becoming ever more dominant and in the future it will be the businesses that use it to its fullest potential that will reap the benefits.
