To use Flash or not to use Flash, that may no longer be the
question.
For years we’ve been telling clients to restrain their Flash
impulses because, though the technology is admittedly cool, it
doesn’t add value to the typical website. During that time we
looked at Flash as something graphic artists learned to do so
they could not only control the look and feel of a site, just as
they do a brochure, but also attempt to control the visitor’s
path through the site. “Bad web design,” we said, because the
medium “demands that the visitor control the visit.” All still
true, the way most designers continue to use Flash anyway. BUT
(and we’re eating a baby crow here) we now believe that Flash
can be added to pretty much any website to improve the site’s
“selling characteristics” hence it’s longer term conversion rate.
Why have we changed our thinking? Three reasons:
1. The popularity, expense and even necessity of pay-per-click
advertising has brought the quest to improve conversion rates to
the forefront.
2. The spread of broadband has given virtually any web user who
wants it the ability to view large files without succumbing to
boredom.
3. The improvement in the way Flash handles video files has
created one multimedia platform of choice.
The buzzword is “conversion” - meaning that percentage of
a website’s visitors who take a desired action. As the price of
traffic continues to rise - whether you are paying an
optimization firm to help you with search engines or you are
conducting a pay-per-click campaign on Google or Yahoo, the need
to squeeze the most out of every marketing dollar rises with it.
For that reason, JI embarked on a program to use multimedia to
increase response. Simply put, the competition for attention
means that you need to start finding more and better ways to
convey your message and thus make the most of every site
visitor.
The spread of broadband Internet access, while not quite
reaching the growth predictions of many industry luminaries, has
now reached the point where most businesses and a large
percentage of households can get some value from multimedia
content. No more waiting forever for a video file that’s so
jerky that calling it a novelty is the nicest thing one can say.
Today we can pick appropriate spots to write, show and tell your
story so that it adds to the personality of the site and helps
to separate you from the competition.
While always an interesting way to combine text and images,
though not a practical one if you want your site to be found in
search engines, Flash has dramatically improved the way it
handles video files. The end result is that video files can
be substituted for still images and play seamlessly - now
combining motion, text and sound without breaking the bandwidth
bank.
The idea is to build once - use many times.
Simple. Say you run a real estate company and you’re looking for
something to do to set your site apart from the competition,
something effective yet affordable. So instead of the ubiquitous
virtual tours, you build a little application that combines
photos, maps, text and even sound (a narration, perhaps). After
you build the first one, new listings can be added quickly and
inexpensively (think hundreds, not thousands).
Now think what you could do with video instead of stills, or
using a voice over instead of just sounds. Say you’re in a
service business and therefore the show and tell part is
not as simple. How about an interview - giving yourself or your
spokesperson a chance to sell that service? You do it in
person and you do it over the phone, why not online? The cost is
modest, especially considering the mileage you can gain.
Think about it. We’re not suggesting a new website here, not
even a minor facelift. This type of multimedia content can be
produced independently and just linked to your site. It can, in
some cases, even be emailed to a prospect list. Here’s an example of a small Flash production that could reside
on any appropriate website.
