03.12.08 MKN launch flash video streaming
MKN Media have launched a new flash media streaming service. Clients can access the service via an easy to use control panel and upload their videos, create snippet code for website insertion and access statistics to assess video popularity. Applications for flash video streaming include video blogs, video conferencing, multi-angle camera shoots and even remote control robots!

For more information, visit our services pages or contact us here.

Whatever your product or service, most of us have been in a pitch or selling situation where your PowerPoint is used as a focal point for your story. However I am sure that there are millions slides weekly, that pass past tables of glazed eyes perhaps wishing that this presentation was different from the previous or the next.

Granted a great pitch is more than a good PowerPoint presentation, but in my experience the majority of presentations I have seen could do with, with the best intentions, spicing up a little. The ubiquity of PowerPoint also means it ends up being the default visual tool for all kinds of product showcasing - meetings, trade shows, events and even sometimes for in store promotions. I am often disappointed that more was not made of these vital opportunities when you have, or at least should have, the undivided attention of important decision makers.

A recent piece of work we undertook was for a trade show for a large software provider. There was a scary amount of PowerPoint slides, all with relevant material but for certain there was far too much content. Our task was to distill this information into a compelling story and keep the tempo message and visuals relevant to the situation. It had to be relevant and engaging at any point during the complete loop so the audience would understand the company’s services and offerings without even talking to trade show staff, or even better prompting them to take the conversation further.

For this we used flash which you might assume would be an expensive solution for what is a ‘bread and butter’ selling tool. Not so. While we thoroughly advocate spending time and budget getting your visual materials looking top notch, this total project was turned around in a day (and a night!) ready in time for the show. They key to this is that it looked like it took a lot longer.

PowerPoint is widely underused in terms of potential, but is also widely understood and very flexible. So using flash, video and 3D within your PowerPoint especially to top and tail the presentation gets people attention and ends the ’show’ with a flourish

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Even the smallest of sites do not exist in a vacuum. With smaller budgets, the key to value is not the minimum amount of pages or scraping on functionality. The key is to start the right way. Here scalability is the key. For example a content managed site, one that you can update regularly yourself, may often be quoted as an expensive proposition, but with many great open source CMS solutions available, a simple integration of a popular open platform such as Wordpress, is likely to come in budget and will allow you to grow your site over time.

Often deciding on developing a site just to satisfy your customers that you have an online presence or because the competition has a site is rarely a good enough reason alone. By accepting that the momentum of online channels is only going to increase, an ambitious company should see embarking on an online strategy as a long term process. We have often seen nice little sites designed, built, launched and gather dust in a nice little corner of the web, when there is so much more potential to capitalise on.

Creating a great site is not just up to your web agency. Maintaining and adding relevant content and changes in your site to accommodate changing market conditions, seasonal promotions and new demographics and geography is all possible internally if you have the right tools to start with. The flexibility and adaptability of your site is a great advantage and can grow as you do.

Small budgets often seem to attract similar size briefs. We often prefer to see big ideas, and work to prioritise functionality to give you the very best chance of success from the outset. As you business grows hand in hand with your site, you can then work with your agency to take it to the next stage.

So in simpler terms, your web project should not be a tick on a to-do list, rather something to grow and evolve with your business, growing organically from a great ROI. Your ideas for your site should not be limited by your budget. If you have big plans, treat it as an installment of a bigger and lucrative investment.

Tim Mckeown