Contributed By:
Tom Cochran
Source: Entrepreneur
If you
don't have a digital presence today, you don't exist.
This statement might give you
anxiety, but without a proper plan, you shouldn't rush to expand your online presence.
You need a solid foundation on top of which to build what really amounts to
your front door to the world. The importance of this shouldn't be lost on you,
and you'll need a dependable framework to serve as a guide.
To build a stable foundation,
you need to address four unique and interrelated components: content, strategy,
design and technology. Your focus on each of these must be in equal and
measured parts, ensuring a balanced approach to your digital presence. Think of
the components as four table legs, where over- or under-emphasizing one will
result in the table falling over.
Content: The first issue you need to address is defining the
message you want to communicate. Typically this begins with your mission
statement and expands from there to convey what your product or service can do
for potential customers.
This message often is born from advertising or marketing teams,
but you should remember that in the digital world, it's critical to focus on
engagement. At the heart of the internet is interactivity, and it's critical to
acknowledge that we operate in an environment of engagement, rather than an old
broadcast model.
Strategy: Once you have defined the
"what," fine tune it by addressing why you are in business and
why would someone want to listen to and engage with your message. Combining the
"what" and the "why" helps you crystallize a plan for your
messaging and communications. Your strategy should focus on your engagement
over a period of time to establish a relationship with customers. This will
chart your roadmap, guiding your company from where you are to where you would
like to be.
Design: By
now, you know what your message is and why you are communicating it, but if the
receiving party doesn't engage with it, you've failed. The packaging for your
message is extremely important, so this is where aesthetics and customer
experience come into play.
The rise of digital at the
end of the last century and through the last decade saw the parallel focus on
usability. A well-designed user experience can really differentiate your
company from the rest of the market.
The design and aesthetics of
your message are just as important -- and unfortunately, sometimes more so --
than the actual content. It has to be accessible, engaging, and understandable
so that the receiving party can absorb and process what is being communicated.
Technology: The final component is often the least understood and, as
a result, overlooked. Everyone knows how to drive a car, but very few
understand how the car works. Similarly, everyone is online, and yet, a very
small group of individuals truly understand how digital technology works.
The fourth, and most important, component is technology. I do admit a slight
bias toward this, given my role as a CTO, but objectively, one can't overstate
its importance. Without the proper tools to execute the job, it doesn't matter
what your message is, why you are communicating it or what it looks like. You
will be unable to connect or engage with your customers without appropriate
technology.
By no means is this a
comprehensive plan which you can plug and play into your business environment.
It's high-level guidance outlining the four key components required to drive
digital success.
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