Digital Media – where is it (not) heading?
In talking to a number of international media companies about their digital strategies it immediately highlighted not only a short term copy-cat mentality but also a total lack of commitment to building a long-term community management and monetization solution.
Why is this happening (apart from this being an evolution)?
Firstly there is a push for corporate to engage with consumers through social media. That engagement focuses both on employees using social media to talk to customers and via applications sold or given away. Both great and they should be part of a digital strategy but not the strategy.
Secondly when I ask these companies “now that you have reached your customer in this new digital way, what do you do with them?” This question is met with a blank look and an immediate question back, “what do you mean, we just engaged with them, what else is there?”
Where is the Gap?
I keep thinking about the corporate rush into Second Life. It ultimately was providing a social media engagement point, like Facebook, smart phones, iPad on so on.
All these contact points are fragmented, the consumer in many cases is being sent to a 3rd party where alternative services may be offered to them via other app’s or advertising. There is nothing consolidating the various touch points within a larger community strategy.
What else should there be?
There needs to be recognition of your customers seeking out additional options in how they use a type of content or service. These customers share a common interest and within a social context, they have a community emerging around a specific interest.
Specifically there needs to be a community based digital strategy. Meaning you bring all these people together within a area where they share common interest and offer them your fragmented digital services. You give them a voice and you give yourself now the ability to manage your community rather than lose them to a 3rd party.
This concept applies equally to banks, movie and TV franchises, even sports fans….etc all shared interest within a community.
Why is this so important?
The answer is no different to real life. If your customer is going to the effort to visit you then it means they have an vested interest. So apart from making them feel content and recognized the two other things you want to do with them are keep them and sell something else to them.
So next time your company sends your customer off to a 3rd party to seek information or get an application you need to understand that your digital strategy is not complete, you are not giving them a complete frame of engagement – a home.
