If I ever had the chance to pick an alternative path for my career, simply start over, I would choose digital marketing, again. We are riding a wave of constant innovation, and new technology is continuously offering new areas to explore. Our ability to utilize the new technologies and channels are made possible with ready-to-use tools and platforms now exist in abundance. Our inspiring stories and creative ideas can now reach our customers around the globe in seconds, using omnichannel marketing to boot.
But I have a few concerns I’d like to share with you.
Digital guardians & top-dogs
Marketing people have been acting like the guardians of the customer experience as more touch-points have become digital. Now it’s also becoming top-dog-strategy in many organizations, with the expectation that great experiences and more digitalization of products and services will win the hearts and minds of our clients.
Today the responsibility for customer experiences reaches far beyond marketing.
Customer experience is about the experience of your product, your service, the buying journey, your communication, the behavior and attitude of your staff, the attention given to the individual, and the overall care your brand offers.
Are we able to deliver?
Our ability to deliver at ‘great’ levels on all customer touch-points is essential for our success. Those who have already realized this are taking advantage of the new digital opportunities making digital a core part of their business strategies.
Many new businesses are born digital, and as we shift a generation in management positions and in boardrooms, new ways of thinking about growth will emerge and strategies will evolve towards digital only. New brands are simply looking beyond this now and don’t think in terms of digital or whatever.
Be inspired by Niels B.
Some large and medium size businesses in Denmark are striving towards further digitization. Danfoss is a good example, recently announcing their increased focus on this across their entire business.
Still though, too many industries aren’t paying attention to what is going on around them. We must get going, catch up and strive to take the lead. I believe that Denmark has the talents, capital to invest, and the skills to make it happen.
Thank you Niels B. Christiansen, CEO at Danfoss for showing the way.
Many companies are on the edge or beyond competing more digital than analog, though too many have not realized this yet.
2017 is coming up fast
Your strategy preparation has started, though I encourage you to assess whether your 2017 strategy has enough focus on digitalization, and if your organization has the needed skills.
Let’s not wait for politicians to solve this, the responsibility is with us, and as Danfoss we all need to prioritize it.
- Make sure to prioritize digitalization
- Make sure to anchor a cross organizational responsibility of great customer experiences.
Good luck with your 2017 strategy.
Michael Harboe, Advisor & Founder