Are we really prepared to take advantage of social networks?

The directors are not prepared to take advantage of social networks, but use more expected. How to sell more, more often and cost effective prices. Also on the web.

One of the main conclusions we reached in the last report by comScore (a leading Internet technology company that provides analysis for the Digital World) presented last May called “The Digital Future in Latin America 2013” is that a large part of entrepreneurs do not have a clear digital strategy for their companies.

On the other hand, 70% of CEOs of companies focused on the end customer are concerned about changes digitization and further, despite the strong presence of Internet in Argentina, more than 68% of the population connects daily, these managers are not sufficiently prepared to take advantage of these new technologies, such as social networks, but use more expected.

Response to digitization

The leaders of the organizations know they have to act, but not clear who to go to meet the challenge. These do not include classical consultants and professionals are not capable to address the digital migration. From my point of view, “there is a dysfunction in offering digital services. On the one hand, classical consulting no real knowledge of the Internet and, secondly, good digital professionals without management experience at board level”.

The principle of all

Companies know that in many sectors, the major buying decisions and decide on the Internet. And they know that is a medium that should be used to advertise their brands, products and services. Organizations can now generate content and create spaces of relationship with people so that they can contact their brands when they want and not vice versa. What happens is that the Internet constantly emerging new communication environments with large and different possibilities to promote and disseminate messages.In some cases, they are very novel ways of communicating and there is some fear (and ignorance) by the organizations and their managers. We must be prepared for jobs that do not yet exist, with tools that have not been developed to solve problems that are not raised. Such is the challenge!

Web 2.0 opens a wide range of possibilities for companies and not only related to external communication. But considering that the Internet is a fundamental means of conversation where we should not talk to our customers, but talk to them: What are the steps to bring culture 2.0 to a company at all levels? Basically we need a digital marketing strategy.

But when we talk about digital marketing, not everything goes through social networks, it is true that they must occupy a very important place in online communication of organizations, but the mission of the managers of the companies will know all the possibilities that the digital environment makes available. And this is where a number of preliminary questions arise: Why do we want to be on the Internet? Who are our customers on the Net? What are your needs and how we will cover in an online mode? Are we going to develop a strategy for customer acquisition or customer loyalty strategy?

The complex dispersion of brands, actors and media on the Web requires an effort of synthesis and centralization. Otherwise, we can turn a happy Online initiative in a display of incoherence, stage fright and errors. And poor results.

It is here where they play an important role in setting goals for the company and the establishment of analytics that facilitate the continuous monitoring of a parallel to the already done on other assets Off line through the plan of “traditional” marketing mode.

Today more than ever, if our marketing efforts do not lead to our consumers to buy our product, you’d better not. Also on the web.