DIGITAL STRATEGY

 What does digital strategy mean?

Digital Strategy is a system that uses digital resources to achieve one or more goals. With the rapidly changing Technologies technology, institutions have many digital sources to choose from based on what their purpose is.

Key components of a digital strategy

The digital strategy consists of 9 key elements. Depending on the nature of your business and industry, some of these will be more relevant to you than others. The important thing is to stay competitive, so it's a good idea to research other similar businesses in your industry to see how they use digital technology. Schedule at least to keep up with what your competitors are doing.

1.   Online presence

Your online presence means how the public and other businesses perceive your business online. Your online presence includes:

• social media profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
• corporate advertising profiles (e.g., sites such as Yellow Pages Online or TrueLocal)
• links, information, reviews or articles from other business websites.

2.Digital marketing

Digital marketing to promote your business using online resources and tools. Tools used for digital marketing include websites, small sites, mobile apps and social networking platforms. This may include online banner ads, search engine marketing, Facebook ads, linked ads, blogs, guest blogs, newsletters, email marketing, mobile banner ads and e-books.

3.Selling online

Selling online sales to your business allows customers to buy from you whenever they want, even when your store doors are closed. Online marketing in general helps reduce processing times internally, allowing you to focus on employees elsewhere in the business.

4.Customer interaction

Customer communication is about giving customers access to your business in any way they like - a mobile device, a desktop computer, a traditional phone or social media. It will require a little effort from customers to get the information, service or product they want.

To support your customer engagement, you can use the customer relationship management system to help you:

• hold and collect information about your customers
• Track contacts, call back and contracts
• Track the effectiveness of your marketing and digital strategies
• Link your customer information with your accounting software.

5.Online security

Online security is very important for small businesses, as it is your physical assets - information and information stored on computers and file servers - often the most valuable assets, and often the most irreplaceable. Online security may include:

• employees' policies for accessing and maintaining company data, using digital technology, and dealing with customer data
• cloud-based backup systems (see 'Cloud computing' below for more information)
• secure software and payment systems.

6.Supplier interaction

Being active in the digital economy means you have access to global and national markets to establish potential supplier relationships, as well as the ability to effectively and efficiently provide supplier communications.

Your business can benefit from finding suppliers online - especially if your suppliers have adopted digital solutions to provide their products, services and online quotes.

7.Mobile-based solutions

Integrating mobile-based solutions for your business can include strategies such as:

• mobile commerce - offering consumers the option of switching over their mobile phone or tablet
• mobile websites - responsive websites up to mobile or tablet size
• mobile apps - purpose-built mobile apps (apps) to help users perform specific tasks. Requests can be external (customer-oriented), or internal (i.e. aimed at employees, to help them do business successfully).

8.Efficiencies through technology

Using the right digital technology for the right purpose, be it hardware (tablets, computers, smart phones, servers, etc.) or software (email marketing, CRM systems, business management software), it can reduce your business further by empowering your employees. doing their job well and effectively.

• manage time sheets and pay
• plan and resource work
• order office supplies and stationery
• manage rosters and leave
• provide real time performance appraisals of your team.

9. Cloud computing

Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs online instead of a drive on your computer. The cloud is just a metaphor for the Internet. It's one way to increase the capacity or add skills as you need them without investing in new infrastructure, training new employees, or installing new software.