In order to be successful in marketing audio, video or multimedia program material in today’s complex marketplace, the seller must be Internet savvy. He or she should be capable of spreading a targeted story not only about the program being sold, but the production company or band’s brand identity as well.

To be successful, any business, band or individual content maker must be able to succinctly describe the uniqueness of its product and clearly identify the targeted audience for it. Words are no longer enough. To sell anything today, one also needs the high-level marketing message on video — the preferred communications medium of the Internet.

In today’s visual culture, it takes video to promote and sell any kind of audio-visual content. That’s because survey after survey have long found that Internet users watch video far more frequently than they read text. Video is where the eyeballs are.

At the same time, social media, which costs very little to employ, has proven to be one of the most effective ways to sell file-based products. The combination of video and social media allows almost anyone to be a player into today’s media.

The use of online video is exploding. By 2016, Cisco estimates that 1.5 billion people will watch branded videos online. Essentially, the Internet is becoming its own television network with each entity having its own channel. To promote that channel and what it sells cost effectively, think a combination of powerful low-cost social networking tools like blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud.

In this still emerging “wild west” social media environment, there is no precise formula for success. No one way has been proven to work for everyone. Each entity must design a specific narrative and marketing plan tailored to its individual attributes and what it is selling — whether video, recorded music or other types of entertainment.

What has been proven is this. Successful promoters must combine the written word with video, audio and still photography to produce compelling stories that speak to chosen, niche audiences. These multimedia stories are then broadcast using “transmedia” — a technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple media platforms using digital technologies.

Transmedia marketing, which is the most effective, should not to be confused with traditional cross-platform media franchises, sequels or adaptations. It involves creating content that engages an audience using various media channels to tell different parts of the story.

These segments of related content are not only linked together, but are in narrative synchronization with each other. Some part of the story may be conveyed by video, another part in still photographs and another part in the written word. The key is to make the story so interesting that audience members seek it out.

Most experts in Internet marketing suggest that a social media campaign begin with a detailed marketing plan. It is essential to a create tight, short verbal pitch that defines what your business and its products are about. What makes you and your content unique? What will make an audience want to own your product? This multimedia plan should be short and powerful enough to cut through the noise of other media to get attention.

Usually, novices hire experts to help create this plan, since specialized digital storytelling skills are needed. Having an effective plan can make or break a social media marketing campaign.

Once that message is finalized, the next step is execution. A direct online conversation with potential customers across various media begins. This may include web sites, blogs or podcasts with your company’s domain name. Also Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts can be tied them together for more effective social media execution.

Sometimes execution of a social media plan runs into unexpected obstacles. SEO (or search engine optimization) is a specialized method to help people find what they are looking for on the Internet. But what happens when users encounter mistaken identities, negative comments, or — worst of all — they can’t easily find you or your product?

One low-cost solution to this problem is BrandYourself.com, a new service that helps businesses and individuals clear Internet hurdles so their marketing campaign can been seen and work. The service can be free, premium or customized with concierge service. Six months of premium service costs less than $50 a month.

“We are about making your product or name visible when people are looking for you,” said Patrick Ambron, founder and CEO of BrandYourself. “We try to help make it so people find what they want to find. We make sure you have a very appropriate online presence around your name or product.

“If I look for you, I don’t want to find an outdated article or something that someone wrote negatively about you on their blog,” he continued. “Or not find you at all. You want to make sure people can find your website or your YouTube page. You want them to find your merchandise, your songs and yourself. We make that easy.”

Once a social media campaign begins to work, it is especially important to make it “sticky” by creating and adding continuous new material that keeps users coming back. Many businesses, after initially formulating a marketing plan and implementing it, forget to do the continuing follow-up. Social media is called social media because it’s never about a hard sell, but more about a continuing low-key conversation with customers.

The idea is to leave traces of your company and its products all over the Internet by connecting with like-minded people in online communities. This can be simple behind-the-scenes written postings, videos and photos showing the progress of the making of a video program or a record album. It helps to build excitement and keep the interest of a group of fans. Social media marketing should not begin when the program is complete. It works all along the way.

Social media is about building a fan base surrounding your company and its products. This is why it’s important to use the various sites to keep interested people up to date, whether it be for a new product announcement or a company happening or event.