Businesses across the globe are digital in nature. The
question is not, weather are not your business is digital. The right question
is, are you doing it the right way?
There are enough reasons and more to believe that not all
businesses that are having a digital presence are in actuality able to derive
greater benefit than their competitors. So what's that some of your competitors
got it right that you still haven't? Well if there was to be a simple way to
answer it, it would be the fact that they are doing it the right way and more
importantly for the right reasons.
The journey of creating a digital brand presence begins with
having a robust user friendly website. It then spins into a long journey of
ensuring the brands presence across every other digital touch point possible.
What's largely been observed is that every business is keen
to and has created its web identity in the form of website and ensuring their
presence across touch points screams out loud. But most seem to ignore that the
digital experiences they are trying to build across multiple platforms is for
the users and not just to appease the brands ego. Most often than not the
content screams loud about how awesome brands offerings are. But they seem to
be missing out all together in building a relationship with their consumers on
these platforms.
The fundamental principles of marketing have always had the
customer as the center of its universe. Every strategic move of a brand should
be about appeasing this guy called customer who is the one paying you the
dollar that matters.
A positive user experience which can help the brands create
a steady pool of digital brand loyalists is what all brands need to strive for.
The ethos of user experience is derived from fundamental
user behavior. Now there may not be a single silver bullet to help brands
decide what kind of user experience needs to be created. But then we do realize
that we live in an advanced digital age supported by smart technologies.
User behavior differs from one brand to another, one device
to another; it differs with every passing hour in a single day. But fret not
there also exists analytic tools which can capture and study user sentiments
and behavior. It’s only wise for brands to make strategic investment to acquire
these tools and also invest on right resources to derive meaningful
observations which can impact the brand positively.
Brands also need to realize that, if digital age has provided
platforms for businesses to thrive, it also has empowered customers to emerge
as a much stronger stakeholder whose voice can never be ignored. And if ignored
then the brands will end up paying a much higher price for their ignorance.
There is no getting away from the fact that consumer is the center of the
digital universe.
P.S: This article was first published by me on my LinkedIn profile with the same title: "Consumer The Center Of Digital Universe"
