Communication is changing and quickly. Time ceases to exist as the Internet and mobile technology allow communications in real time, anywhere. There are no geographical boundaries. Digital disruption is considered disruptive in that digital technologies interrupt established ways of doing business at a pace and magnitude far beyond what can be coped with (think TripAdvisor, Uber). However, technology isn’t just disruptive – it is actually changing the way we communicate.
Why is communication changing?
It is more than the online space.
- Social media: allows billions of active users to communicate, build and maintain relationships with people they know and don’t know
- Mobile: communication comes with us not to us so it is instant and on the move
- Big Data: the current buzz word. It is more than just advertising allowing one to one personalised messages with a human element experience.
- Cloud: how we access our content such as files, data, songs, movies or photos has been transformed
There is a blurring of boundaries between content creators and once passive consumers of content. This has changed media forever and the once distinct boundaries of broadcasting one way messages. Consumers now create, collaborate, exchange and use content. What this means is that there is breaking down of the traditional barriers of communications and challenging businesses how they communicate and interact with customers. How businesses respond to these challenges is essential to their success and whether they will exist in the future.
How does this impact your business?
There are numerous impacts, here are five:
- Competition between businesses has increased because businesses can now reach international audiences quickly and cheaply having access to markets not previously possible in terms of scale and costs
- Loss of control over corporate messages because of multiple channels of communication
- Risks to your business in terms of brand, legal or operational impacts as both employees and external third parties interact in the social media space
- Content is no longer hard copy. It also needs to be electronic suitable to read on hand held devices and requires a combination of text, video, graphics and audio
- Internal communications with a multi-generational workforce becomes increasingly challenging as different generations usage of technology, how they receive and process information is diverse
Although digital disruption is seen as a threat, it is also an opportunity that business needs to make the most of.
Solutions which are essential
- Accept the reality of what is happening by having the right mindset
- Have a well thought out strategy for the online space including social media
- Have a website presence. Surprisingly some SMEs still don’t have an online presence
- Optimise your website through search engine optimisation (SEO)
- Be social by having a social media presence. More individuals are using the platforms to communicate and source information
- Use the community to spread your messages through brand advocates as the ‘new word of mouth’
- Be mobile friendly. More Australians are using their smartphones to access social media, to make purchases and to access information in real time
- Use the digital technologies to engage staff, find solutions to problems and network internally
Moving into the future digital disruption will continue to further impact on how we communicate, form relationships with people we don’t know and engage with those we do. Communication is social and the better businesses tap into this potential the more of a competitive edge they will gain.
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