Multimedia combines different content forms such as text, images, or video into a single presentation, compared to traditional mass media like print media or audio recordings. Popular examples include video, podcasts, animated films, and movies.

Mobile-first Multimedia simply means creating multimedia content – photo, video, etc. by prioritizing – mobile phone users as the first or target users. Why mobile-first? Two words: Affordability and accessibility. Consumption of content using mobile devices whether for entertainment or online shopping has accelerated over the years especially with the younger demographic.

Social Media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have been some of the key players in the consumption and distribution of multimedia content. It is evident that marketing agencies and content producers should prioritize creating evergreen content and experiences with a mobile-first approach. 

VR&C Marketing is the digital media agency that publishes SwitSalone. The blog’s stories on fashion, style, history, sports, technology, entertainment, politics, and more give Sierra Leonean Millennials a platform to be seen and a place to learn about issues and news impacting their community. 

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world has shown that despite the inroads we have made to build digital news in Sierra Leone there is still a major gap to be filled. We were looking to build a team of eager new media and digital content enthusiasts who want to be the first leaders of digital in Sierra Leone.”  – Vickie Remoe, Chief Content Marketing Officer, VR&C

In August 2020,  VR&C Marketing created a six-month Digital Media Internship in Sierra Leone to provide a hands-on learning experience in writing, content marketing, social media management, photography, and mobile video production.

Week 6 of the digital media training I was welcomed as a new member to our team as  Multimedia Producer. My primary roles are to lead our mobile-first multimedia department and train interns on mobile visual storytelling – photo and video.

The training session started with an introduction to mobile visual storytelling. Highlighting the core elements of a visual narrative and how essential they are in crafting stories with emotions that increase awareness, educate, transform perceptions, and inspire more stories. While using their phones for their photography with what they have learned, we have seen an improvement in the photos they publish alongside their feature stories on our news blog.

Videos are a type of multimedia content that brings an addition of human touch and influences emotions. If enhanced for mobile, they can be very powerful in creating connections with customers by educating and entertaining. Developing a strong knowledge of the basic concepts of photography — light, framing, and composition, etc. goes a long way in building skills in video production. 

Our digital media training interns have gone from little or no knowledge of video production to create shots on their phones, no fancy camera gear, no expensive editing applications, just their phones

Moving forward these interns will have the necessary skills to produce mobile-first content whether it is through journalism or marketing. At VR&C Marketing we believe that adopting a Mobile-First content marketing strategy is about setting up content to meet the desires and needs of mobile users.