There was a time when digital transformation meant using digital technology to enhance our internal processes. You might remember a time when your company said “we are implementing a new ERP system” or perhaps a digital accounting system or a CRM. All technology to allow us to save time and become more organised and efficient.
As the digital wind really started to blow, it encompassed more and more of what we do as professionals and it crept into our external facing, commercial worlds.
Marketing, Sales and Business development all now picking up pace in the digital version of your commercial world – your commercial digital twin.
In this digital twin, the language and behaviour is different to our historic, analogue commercial worlds. There are new rules, new methods and new skills required.
When we meet a new client, we ask them to think about the answers to 3 questions…
👉Who are the leading technical and commercial digital influencers in your sector..?
👉Why should you care..?
👉Why is it important..?
Have a think about yourself, your team and your business and the wider sector…
Some organisations are doing really well with this, some are dabbling and many are still to realise or confused…
Some have a digital commercial strategy and have rewired their commercial processes to become digital first, others are still thinking/hoping that those occasional posts from the marketing team on the company page will be enough to win in the digital twin of their sector.
So, the answers to those 3 questions:
✅It should be you and your team and you should be able to speak with confidence and hard evidence as to why.
✅As buying moves further to digital first, as prospecting and networking moves more to digital first, as our entire commercial worlds transform to digital…it’s likely you don’t want to be left behind, and its liKeLy you will see that you can lead in your sectors.
✅As digital commercial worlds grow there is an opportunity to turn the volume down on your competition and ‘own the air’ around your specialist area – to be seen and understood as the clear and true answer to those problems your sector – to provide so much evidence of your expertise and personality that people in your space begin to trust you – people leaving school;s, colleges and universities want to work with you, because they feel they know your business – harnessing the power of your complete team and experiencing the buzz that they all feel being part of something special.
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What are we really trying to achieve with our digital business media?…3 main areas to cover:
1️⃣People: To create a huge, dynamic and growing network of people who can help you and your business, and have them following you, looking at and listening to you and your team.
2️⃣Algorithms: To have all of your systems, processes and people working in such a way to achieve algorithmic favourability over your competition.
3️⃣Internet: To ensure when the questions that you should be the answer to are asked of the internet, that its now just your website the appears somewhere on page 1 but you and your team’s technical articles, your videos, your platform links – all of your rich, diverse and informative content providing a compelling case that you are the leaders in your space.
…and finally, perhaps most import of all…being able to convert all of this into results that matter for your business:
👉Revenue/profit/ebitda: Measurable, predictable and company changing results.
👉Advocacy for recruitment: Being front of mind of the talent pools
👉Investment: Identifying your business, your people, your sectors and your growth prospects
👉Commercial partnerships: Finding those people and businesses that have synergy.
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Good digital media makes you visible but that visibility alone is not enough to win the digital commercial race.
Great digital media takes strategy. It goes beyond viability and targets value and growth. It goes way deeper than putting out a few posts in your company page – its digital first thinking.
It helps you establish become the truest most compelling voice in your area of specialism, reaching and engaging your target audience in ways that traditional marketing methods alone simply cannot achieve.
Digital B2B Influence for your team, optimised websites, digital advertising, strategic social media management, video production, graphics…its about the balance, digital commercial balance.
I’ll leave you with the words of Eric Thomas sharing ‘The Secrets to Success’ in his passionate speech to students at Michigan State University
Eric Thomas
“How bad do you want it…?”
Eric Doyle (F.ISP) – The OGV Studio