It is of vital importance that a brand’s website takes advantage of the plethora of possibilities offered by rich media and interactive video according to Reality Digital, the leading provider of web community software for brands and businesses.

In the digital age, websites are increasingly the online equivalent of a shop window for products and information, and the criteria that a site needs to meet to ensure that it is cutting edge are constantly changing and expanding. The need for a website to reflect the business ethos, core messages and corporate personality of a company means that it must be constantly updated with new, quality content that will engage key audiences.

The growth of the online market place has been well documented, with more and more consumers connecting with the online world every day. As such, consumers have a far greater reach than was previously possible, and are able to consume online media whenever they choose to. In proportion to this, the number of companies with an established online presence has also increased, as each one tries to make their mark and stand out the most in the online world. It is emerging rich media technology that is continually shaping the playing field in this battle for exposure.

Rich media has come on in leaps and bounds since it began to mature at the turn of the millennium. Blogging was one of the first mediums to involve user interactivity (through the form of comments), this progressing following the recent social media movement. These are both aspects of rich media that a corporate website must take into account if they are to make the most of a digital presence.

Robert Proctor, Head of EMEA for Reality Digital, commented: “The interactivity factor that defines rich media is vital in the engagement of the modern consumer. The expanding variety of media that is available to consumers has resulted in some of them not being happy to simply sit back and consume information; they are no longer as passive as they once were.”

Reality Digital’s Opus social networking application has been designed specifically to make the most of consumer-brand interactivity. The rich media features of the online video platform provide consumers with a call to action that will result in a much higher degree of engagement, and this has not only been embraced by the consumer, it is now expected. Corporate website elements such as blog posts and message boards support reciprocal interaction between consumers and businesses that helps them to feel not only part of a community, but also part of the brand, whilst also enabling the monetisation of the domain through varying degrees of advertising. These elements also aid the delivery of the business’s core messaging whilst also providing the opportunity to offer the consumers a taste of the company’s personality, a factor that will go a long way in terms of consumer engagement. Small aspects of videos or blog posts such as a friendly disposition and even a calculated sense of humour will go a long way towards turning consumers into fans.

For more information on how Reality Digital can bring a social media dimension to your business, please call 0203 1785 883, or visit realitydigital.com