What's the first word you think of when trying to describe digital communications and marketing?
You may think of some of the different channels featured in the image above, or think of it as a highly skilled field which requires extensive knowledge of how to market to consumers online.
What if we thought of digital communications and marketing as an asset?
The definition of an asset is something that is useful or valuable to a firm. With that being said, a company's digital presence should be seen as a resource for its stakeholders. Stakeholders could mean anyone who has anything to gain or lose from a company, including its customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers, etc.
Companies in today's day and age shouldn't think of digital as only a marketing tool. It's more than that. During a lecture presented by Peter Dannenfelser, he mentioned that he wanted to bring value to his company by having their digital presence serve as a resource more than anything. He cited an example from his personal life, recalling how his child was sick and that he only had his phone to serve as a "digital asset" to educate him about medicinal dosing information.
I'm sure everyone can recall a time where they've looked up something on the internet to find out more information about it. I am also sure that everyone can recall a time where they tried to find information on the internet and felt frustrated and defeated after a grueling 45-minute search with no luck in the end.
Companies have to realize the power that the information they put on the internet has. It can be the difference between why a consumer is loyal to your brand or why they've turned their heads and walked in a different direction.
A great example of a company that has a great digital presence is Sephora.
Why is their digital presence so great?
1. Ability to easily reorder former purchases with the click of one button.
2. Thousands of reviews on most products so people can easily figure out what's best for them.
3. Ability to "love" a product and share that with friends, etc.
4. Can try on makeup looks without having to go in store via the "Sephora Virtual Artist" feature.
5. "Beauty Talk" section can allow you to chat with others about your product experiences and can even live chat with other shoppers during your web experience.
6. Cohesive with the in-store experience, mobile app (half of Sephora's digital traffic is through their mobile app), and social media platforms.
7. Sephora TV which has "how to" videos, first looks at products, reviews, etc.
8. Under products, you can see people's pictures who use them and how they actually look from Instagram if they tagged the product in it.
Users showing off their style using Rihanna's Fenty "Killawatt" Highlighter from her latest beauty line.
9. Easily accessible customer service.
Sephora's digital presence is a great asset to them. Sephora isn't just posting pictures on Instagram of its products and hoping consumers purchase them. Sephora has recognized that the modern beauty industry has become a lifestyle where people are informed, actively review products, and collect them. They want to be part of a community and share their experiences. Thus, they have used their digital presence to capitalize on that and encompass a holistic experience digitally for consumers comparable to their in-store experiences.
References:
www.sephora.com
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