Digital transformation is defined as the process of using digital technologies to create new, or modify existing business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. It transcends traditional roles like sales, marketing, and customer service. Digital transformation begins and ends with how you engage with your customers.
Not so long ago, businesses used to keep records on paper. Some are in the form of handwritten ledgers and some are typed into documents. If you needed a specific information, you needed to deal with physical documents – papers and binders, xerox, and faxes. But as we emerged into the technology era, most businesses started converting all of their ink-on-paper records to digital computer files. This process is what we call digitization: the process of converting information from analog to digital.
With digitization, finding and sharing information became easier. It also establishes ways of working simpler and more efficient for organizations. Digitization isn’t about changing how you do business or creating new types of business. It is about doing it in a much faster and better way.
HOW IS IT USED IN MARKETING?
Now that we know what digital transformation is, the next thing we should know is the of how to use it in marketing.
Marketers should drive digital transformation simply because they are the ones who understand the customer journey in a company. To achieve business success, it is important to have a comprehensive marketing strategy that focuses on raising awareness of your brand and product. You should also work on ways on how to create engagement with potential customers and nurture relationships with existing customers.
As you may have observed within the past years, marketing transformation has been crazy. It started from direct mail, print ads, radio and television advertising to online content, email marketing, PPC, SEO, and all of the other brand new technologies and techniques that were totally unknown a few decades back.
With all of these in mind, we cannot say that this evolutionary shift is over. The digital world will continue to change, and marketers should know how to respond quickly to these changes if they want to succeed.
Successful marketing teams should work on having an integrated approach and plan their activities around the customer, not on their internal processes. There should be a multi-disciplinary approach planned to get the most out of multichannel marketing. It is important to note that marketing should be an important part of every employee’s role, whether they are positioned in the sales department, HR, or customer service.
Remember that technology is not the final solution to achieving transformation, it is just a tool that can help you get there. Embrace the digital methodologies, business models and opportunities, and always put customers at the heart of the business transformation and let marketing lead the way.