Across Europe, businesses are closing their doors once more as the second wave of the pandemic causes further lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. For companies that only exist as a physical store or service provider this can be devastating - but for businesses that invest in digital transformation, jobs can be saved, customers can be reached, and companies can find essential new revenue streams that enable them to survive and thrive.
What is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation means creating a new culture at your organisation based on digital technology, updating your business processes and the technology they are built on, and transforming your customer’s experience. Core business functions like Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Support can all be built on digital technology that works seamlessly together to enhance your profits and make your customers happy.
If your business is ready for digital transformation amid Covid-19, finding the right people to work with is crucial. Choose a strategic partner that can complement and build on the expertise you have available in-house, who have solid media relationships in the sector you work in, and who understand your business comprehensively.
Data and Analytics
Collating and understanding data is a unique benefit of investing in digital transformation. Instead of guessing who sees and takes action on the ads you place on billboards or television, you can advertise online and get a detailed breakdown of the demographics that are most interested in you and your business.
That means you can spend your marketing budget more efficiently and tailor your offering to those groups.
Creating demand through Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing refers to how businesses online aim to attract customers to them. This content aims to educate, inform, or entertain potential customers who are at the beginning of the Buyer’s Journey. They can take the form of videos, podcasts, blog posts, infographics and more. Hair and makeup brands post tutorials that attract their customers, fitness gurus post workouts, and B2B brands post handy how-to guides and ebooks.
This content is promoted through social channels, on the company’s own website, through Search Engine Marketing, and through Public Relations depending on the type of content and what is most appropriate.
Digital Transformation and the Sales function
Covid-19 creates new online sales opportunities for consumer businesses
Covid-19 has created a new customer base for businesses operating online. Out of necessity, older people and those in developing countries who have shied away from online shopping in the past have flocked to it. This is a massive opportunity for businesses previously tied to a physical store on the high street.
Businesses that sell to these demographics should put specific plans in place to let their customers know they are still available to them digitally even when lockdowns are in place. Email is an incredibly effective digital marketing and digital sales tool, so a good place to start would be a strategy to collect email addresses for your customers and then keep in touch with them with offers and updates.
Online sales for B2B
Many businesses are looking for ways to reduce overheads and make their businesses run more efficiently. If your B2B product or service can do just that, now is a great time to invest in getting your message out. Make sure your content shows how the investment will ultimately save the company money.
B2B purchase decisions usually take longer and require more persuasion, so make sure you’re producing lots of content to move your target market along the Sales funnel from Attention and Interest to Desire and Action.
Digital Transformation and the Support function
Does your support team get asked the same question hundreds of times every month? That’s exactly the kind of problem digital transformation can easily solve. Creating a bank of videos or articles that answer your customers’ most common questions can save your support team hours of work.
You can also offer live webinars when you’re onboarding new customers to demonstrate the product and answer questions, or implement a live chat option. All of this reduces the number of people calling your phone lines with time-consuming queries and takes pressure off your Support team.
Final thoughts
Digital transformation can seem intimidating - but with the right partner to guide you it’s not. If you’re interested in seeing how the power of digital transformation can future-proof your business, download and read our ebook👇 or contact us for more information.
