Are your readers switched on?

Website content discussions have been pervading the internet marketing blogs recently. The use of video clips on websites is becoming more common and research in the USA is showing a trend towards greater response rates for sites enhanced with video clips. Video has been used for years very successfully for educational purposes; teaching computer programs, how to service technical equipment, how to prepare and bake apple pie. 

But video clips on websites, albeit more visionbite than expensive TV advertising featurette, are gaining converts – partly because of small, very cheap handheld hi-res digital cameras and YouTube links. However, as targeting marketers, rather than getting swept away with the latest web techniques and gizmos, we also have to consider our audience. There are many people who positively despise any movement on screen – even simple animated gifs can make their blood pressure rise – so they meticulously switch off all browser support for anything other than basic text, and with it your message. 

The sexy flash-driven websites with super smooth image transitions are works of art on suitably advanced browsers, but if you need to grab a supplier’s telephone number from their website en route using your mobile phone, a Flash site will simply suggest you download the latest FlashPlayer (unless there’s another basic site living behind it and a savvy server). Even time-honoured HTML marketing emails can get short shrift from those with options switched off in the dungeon of their mailer’s preference files. 

So although there are many exciting marketing resources available in internet-land, it is vital that both the message and its delivery method are matched to the needs, and ability to receive, of your target audience.