Digital Disruption

The Covid-19 pandemic has unsettled almost every aspect of human lives. However, the social and economic phases of life were the most affected. People had to develop other ways of maintaining relationships and earning a living amid lockdowns. Businesses were not spared either. Managers and business owners had to devise ways of retaining their supply chains and workforce without physical interaction. Individual and business needs, therefore, converged at the same point- disruptive technology. Digital disruption helped both business and consumers meet their needs virtually. The pandemic forced businesses to develop digital strategies to guide them through this transformation stage. As we stand, the pandemic not only caused digital disruption but changed the digital perspective of every industry.

What Is Digital Strategy?

For most business leaders and managers, the terms digital strategy and digital transformation are the same. Consequently, the two terms are used interchangeably in business meetings or other forums. However, although digital strategy and digital transformation are closely related, they vary in scope.

Digital strategy solely refers to the application of digital technology to create a new business approach to solving current and emerging business challenges. You may also look at a digital strategy to incorporate new differential business capabilities to change the business model. Drawing a strategy is crucial in setting the business transformational agenda.

A digital strategy is a short-term or medium response to challenges in business. The responses, however, involve supporting current processes with technology to enhance performance. For most businesses, the pandemic set a stage to develop strategies to digitize operations and service delivery to respond to the lockdowns and travel restrictions.

On the other hand, digital transformation refers to changes that improve customer experience, operation processes, and business models. Digital transformation is, therefore, broader than strategy since it incorporates changing the entire approach to business, including the organizational culture. Transformation is a long-term process and requires close coordination of all stakeholders in the business. The development of a digital strategy and eventual transformation is triggered by digital disruption.

You may quickly associate the term digital disruption with adverse effects or an attack on the existing systems. However, digital disruption is a transformation caused by innovation, consumer trends, changes in business models, or pandemics. The disruption completely changes the business model by impacting heavily on the products and services delivered by an organization or the industry at large.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an example of disruptions that call for the development of digital strategies. If a business organization fails to respond to the disruption, it becomes difficult to remain relevant in the industry. Businesses lose their market share until they respond effectively to the technology disruptions. However, some companies may fail to recover their market share if they delay their response to the changes in technology.

The story of Motorola best explains the consequences of failing to respond to technology disruption. Motorola was once a leader in the telecommunication and mobile phone industry. However, the tech giant was unable to respond effectively to technology disruption brought by 3G technology. As other mobile phone companies rushed to migrate to 3G, Motorola tried to fight the disruption by heightening its marketing strategies for 2G technology.

However, Motorola was pushed out of the market by newcomers who responded effectively to the disruptions. The 3G technology allowed the mobile phone industry to move into the manufacture of smartphones. Smartphones changed the mobile phone industry as consumers enjoyed 3G internet speed. Motorola could not proceed with the trend or meet customers' demands for 3G internet and smartphone.

The Digital Disruptions Caused by The Pandemic

Covid-19 caused digital disruption by moving more businesses to the online platform. Containment measures made it difficult for companies to maintain physical relationships with their customers or suppliers. Lockdowns forced employees to work remotely while commerce moved to the internet. Business organizations responded to the disruptions by accelerating the digitization of their supply chain, customers, and employee interactions.

The pandemic accelerated digital changes causing transformations that would have taken seven years of normal digital evolution. Businesses that have yet to develop digital strategies must move with speed to respond to the disruptions. Here are some tips on developing digital strategies to respond to pandemic disruptions and improve your online presence.

Define The Why, How, and What of Your Business

Before developing any digital strategy, you should start by defining why your business exists. Defining why your business exists will help you stick to the business objectives as you digitize the products or services. The “how” will help you understand the audience or answer the question “How will the digital strategy help meet my customers' needs?” Finally, examine what you offer and how the product or service impacts your customers.

Understand Your Target Group

Your digital strategies may not work if you do not understand your market. Understanding your target group helps you develop a strategy that responds to the changing needs of your client. For instance, older clients had a lower online presence than millennials and generation Z. However, the pandemic moved the older generations to online platforms. You will, therefore, enhance your online presence to keep in touch with your client.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Backlinking

Your competitors are also moving online. Competition, therefore, shifts to online platforms. Organizations that optimize their online presence will attract more customers than those poorly ranked on the search engines. SEO content helps to improve your visibility on the internet, while backlinking your content increases the chances of getting new customers. A good digital strategy will help you create high-quality content and backlink the content to digital marketing firms like Vistatec.

Digital Strategies Mistakes to Avoid

When defining your digital strategies, avoid starting with what you are selling but why you are in the market. Do not find comfort in marketing on only one platform. While avoiding being on all social media platforms is a good strategy, backlinking helps you be in more than one place.

We Can Help You

VTQ Magazine can help expand your world and reach out to more clients. If you are currently developing a digital strategy, contact Vistatec to increase your post-pandemic market.