The digital transformation of our society changes everything – even corporate business models. The common thing today is that someone in the IT department or marketing department is getting used to developing a digital strategy or social media strategy.
But Murthy Sree anticipates a development in which digital competence takes place in management teams and boards.
– The digital conversion must permeate the entire organisation. The way to do business and the role of sellers changes with digitisation.
“Customers have quite different opportunities today to do their own research for a purchase. It requires companies to be present with relevant content in digital media.
– Companies like Uber, Fiverr and Airbnb do not develop digital strategies. They are based on the digital reality already when they build their business model.
1. DEFINE THE OBJECTIVE
However, for most, the challenge is to develop a strategy within an existing business model. In order to develop a strategy for digital and social media, we must start by defining the concept of strategy.
– It’s a plan to achieve something. The strategy will provide the answer to what we need to do to get there.
– What are we for purpose: why should we be present in social media? It must be linked to business goals.
Murthy gave four examples of purposes, or good reason, to be in social media:
- * Increase the brand awareness.
- * Increase customer loyalty.
- * Increase the number of business opportunities.
- * Strengthen the employer brand.
“Starting here makes it easier to define audiences, formulate a content strategy and make channel choices.
2. REMOVE RELEVANT KEY FIGURES
A strategy must of course yield results and pour out into more business, or at least business opportunities. How do we know it gives results?
– Define the key ratios we are measuring. Use key figures that are as close to the store as possible and work backwards.
A reasonable starting point to ask is how to increase the number of business or business opportunities. The answer is probably that traffic to the website needs to increase. How will that happen?
Perhaps there may be relevant and value-creating material that can be led. What is required for us to offer? In this way, you need to work backwards and define the relevant key figures for each step.
3. SPECIFY THE TARGET GROUP
Today, we need to think a little differently regarding target groups. We simply need to specify them more and divide them into several different segments. So we can provide relevant content to as many as possible. Opportunities to target their advertising in social media like Facebook are virtually endless.
– Social media collects a wealth of information about us and our behaviors. This makes it possible to target the advertising very specifically.
4. CREATE VALUES FOR THE CUSTOMER
How do we get our audiences to listen? The key lies in communicating on the target group’s terms – because they have gained control of the information. It is the ones who decide who will communicate with us. This is where content marketing becomes part of the digital strategy.
– Companies tend to talk a lot about themselves; about their products and services, events they had and people employed. It does not contribute any value to the customer.
“We need to put the customer at the center. What do they have for challenges and stress points? Talk about it instead, it will make you relevant in the customer’s eyes.
Different content can and should be used in different parts of the customer’s buying process.
One type of content may sow a seed and arouse interest when the customer has not even begun buying. Other topics are significantly closer to the purchase.
– Business contacts me and want a training in LinkedIn. Hopefully they know why they need it. But when I ask what they are going to communicate on LinkedIn, they usually do not know.
– Then my answer is that there is no LinkedIn training they need. They must start by developing a content strategy so that they know what to communicate and where. Only then are they mature to train themselves in LinkedIn.
Murthy Sree breakfast lecture summarised in four points:
- Define the purpose of your presence in social media. Connect to your business goals.
- Obtain relevant key figures and a plan to follow them up.
- Specify the audience based on the advertising opportunities offered by social media.
- Create added value for your customers by sharing your knowledge that helps them solve their problems. Use social media to spread knowledge.
ABOUT THE Writer
Murthy Sree is a consultant and CEO of SEO Melbourne Services, which helps companies find new customers online through strategic advice, education and various services around social media and digital channels.
Read more about Murthy and SEO Melbourne Services at http://www.seomelbourneservices.com.au/seo-blog/