1. Running head: THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
The Why and How of Digital Media Production for Small Businesses
Scott Tidmore
UWW 191G
12/05/14

2. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
The Problem
The use of digital media, including interactive websites, blogging, podcasting, streaming video,
and on-demand multimedia presentations, has become a necessary marketing tool for businesses
of all sizes in the last decade. In many cases, the practice has overtaken and, in some instances,
supplanted the use of traditional advertising and marketing tools (Sweney, 2014).
It is easy for large businesses with a deep pool of resources and existing talent to create
interesting and compelling stories through digital media. An enterprise with 10000 employees
and $1 billion in annual revenue can rent or build a studio, hire top-of-the-field talent to create
content, and pay to get customers to listen to their messages. Small and micro businesses, on the
other hand, have to make careful use of marketing resources, if they have any to begin with. This
generally means that the owners and existing employees will be planning, designing, and
creating all of the content used for digital marketing.
The problem for small businesses attempting in-house production of digital media is that most
lack experience with and practical knowledge of the content creation process. Making an online
video or writing a blog can be daunting to a business owner who simply wants to provide
customers with a how-to video or provide expert advice about their products. Fortunately for the
business owner, the same creativity which spurred the development of their business can be used
to create high-quality digital media and the process of content creation has been streamlined with
the array of sophisticated tools available for little to no cost.

3. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Why use digital media?
The daily consumption of digital media by adults in the United States has surpassed the use of
any other single category of media. In 2013, the average time spent daily with digital media was
5 hours 16 minutes, compared to 4 hours 31 minutes spent watching television (“Digital Set to
Surpass”, 2013). This suggests that small businesses now have ample opportunities to engage
their customers via a low-cost medium with a low barrier to entry.
Moving away from high-cost mass media like radio and television, which are often dominated by
a few large companies, can save small businesses money while placing them on a more equal
footing with larger competitors. Digital media provides a blank slate with equal access to
potential customers, allowing small businesses to differentiate themselves from large, impersonal
corporations through direct interactions and unique storytelling. A small business that offers a
genuine voice and original, entertaining content through blogs, videos, podcasting, and social
networks can elicit greater loyalty from an existing customer base while extending its reach to
new prospects.
Successful use of digital media created in-house by small businesses can also boost the
confidence of owners and staff by demonstrating the creative power and capabilities available in
the company. Showing what the business is able to accomplish with existing resources often
encourages small businesses to try new practices and concepts in their day-to-day work.

4. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
D.I.Y or Buy?
The first question for small businesses to consider with regard to digital media is whether the
project needs can truly be met through in-house production. When deciding whether to produce
digital media in-house or outsource the production, an honest assessment of the project
expectations must be conducted.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin
Before making the production decision, the business will have to determine what the end use of
the project will be, how long the project will be actively used by the business, and how to
measure the success of the project. If the end goal is to create a business blog, planning will have
to determine if regularly scheduled time for writing and posting new entries, as well as
responding to blog comments, will continue to be available to the project owner or if a new
employee or outside contractor will be needed to keep the blog up to date. When the goal is the
creation of a video welcome message for the company website, production values – how the final
video looks and sounds – and shelf life – how long the video stays relevant – become the
deciding factors for creating it in-house or hiring an outside production company.
Quality and ease of use / maintenance should top the list of determining factors for digital media
production. For example, poor audio quality is regularly mentioned as a key reason viewers quit

5. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
paying attention to multimedia presentations and online videos (Springer, 2013 pg. 8; Creator
Playbook, pg. 7). In order to create engaging content, businesses need to assure that any digital
media they produce is pleasant to watch, read, or listen to, and it should entertain while
informing. If the business is unable to produce interesting and entertaining content, the
production of digital media should be performed by an outside contractor.
Going it alone
When the decision has been made to create digital media in-house, small businesses have a wide
variety of tools to choose from, depending on the goal of the project. In order to avoid “mission
creep1
”, the example used for this exercise will be a video project intended to demonstrate the
use of a single product.
Digital video projects are, in the short-term, the most resource-intensive type of digital media
projects. They require controlled space to record, audio and video recording devices, lighting,
written scripts, careful planning of camera angles and set elements, and software for editing the
captured footage into a single, cohesive product. For a small business owners, the options for
renting or purchasing everything needed to create quality video are few but, with a little
creativity, they can often find the necessary resources by simply looking around their
workspaces.
1.Mission creep is a phenomena common to military, public works, and information technology projects. It happens when a
project with a limited scope shows rapid success and, as a result, has more features and expectations added to its requirements. In
the context of this writing, it describes an attempt to define multiple and disparate examples of digital media projects.

6. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Finding the space
Dedicated studio space is unlikely to available without a significant cost but a showroom or
executive office can easily be used after-hours as a backdrop for video segments. Other low- or
no-cost options include public parks, community centers, and private residences. Great video
doesn't depend on sweeping vistas or expensive sets, it just needs a little ingenuity.
What to use
One of the pitfalls encountered by newcomers to digital video is a mistaken belief that a more
expensive camera will create a higher quality end product, so they purchase high-end products
that are complex and difficult to operate. Instead of following the conventional wisdom of costly-
equals-better, small businesses are better served using the cameras already in use. A common
example would be the iPhone and iPad, which feature cameras capable of capturing high-
definition video and have been used in commercials by brands as large as Bentley Motors
(Marks, 2014) and Ducati (Hardigree, 2010).
For editing the final product, many inexpensive and free options exist. Budget-conscious
businesses can use GPL-licensed2
free software like Cinelerra, Kdenlive, and OpenShot Video
Editor for non-linear video editing and Audacity, LMMS, and Ardour for audio mixing and
editing. Each of these products are professional-grade software made available at no cost to the
2 The GNU General Public License (GPL) makes software freely available for use, distribution, and modification,
as long as any modifications are distributed under the same license.

7. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
end user beyond the time necessary to learn how to use them.
Conclusion
Digital media use offers a number of advantages to small businesses, from intangible benefits
like boosted morale and confidence to the concrete benefits of lowered marketing costs and
greater visibility against larger competitors. It provides a low-cost alternative to traditional
marketing tools while encouraging creativity and deep thought about what customers expect
from the firm. The increasing use of digital media across the population ensures that small
companies which develop the tools to create engaging content and the knowledge to use it
effectively will be positioned to become the large businesses of tomorrow.

8. THE WHY AND HOW OF DIGITAL MEDIA
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