“Digital” needs more of “Physical”

“Digital” needs more of “Physical”

?By Siddharth Chaturvedi

?We were discussing how we could add more leads for a newly launched product in an international territory. "We will do a digital launch”, came the suggestion. “How?”, I quipped. “We will hire an agency, and they will manage the event, posting and boosting”. Somethings are best learnt by experience, is what crossed my mind.“Well then, let’s do it ", I concurred.

Mindsets and Assumptions

This digital launch remained below our expectations. To the uninitiated "Digital" is akin to "Aladdin’s Lamp" - A few (rubs and) clicks and all will get done! Earlier, I had been batting for a marketing manager in this office, who would have served as an anchor for the many physical activities that go in before, and behind a digital marketing initiative. But the mind set had prevailed!

"Do you really think our customers will use social media to query our products and services?”. This was when our social media handles were just taking off. So, we conducted a sample survey. The results proved that our customers were already on the curve, it is We, who had to do the catching up. Many similar assumptions lurk and it often takes more of “Physical”, to arrive at the real answers and the convincing that follows.

Effective Digital needs Data

“How is the SMS campaign going with our customers? More than 40% remain undelivered", my colleague replied with a wry smile. This was way before our digital journey began.

Ask, when was the contact, last updated? You will be surprised to hear the answers in your organization. Depending upon the nature of interaction, a suitable process is required to update the contact regularly. Call up customers, email them or give them small rewards for keeping their data up to date. Choose whatever works.But ,do it before and also while being on the digital journey. After all, your existing customers are your Best audience. Not to forget the ones window-shopping at your events,product demonstrations, lost deals and the like.Would I now sound convincing, if I were to say ,all this calls for more of the “physical”.

Follow the Trail

Companies embarking on the Digital journey invariably have IT systems – “A bouquet of them” , to be precise! Often, they do not talk to each other. Then there are process steps, that no system covers. Here is a dipstick check, Can a final sale can be traced all the way back to its lead and the originating channel (Digital or Physical)?. Putting your sales leads and other data through a patchy trail, defeats the very purpose of going digital. Then there are physical resources like call centers, product demonstration and event management teams that need to be looped in, to build a complete picture. Many a times these gaps will have to be bridged by?home grown IT solutions, which will call for people, to develop them.

Digital demands Physical to keep pace

At a weekly review meeting ,after our initial lead generation campaigns had begun, the sales head, asked. "What happened to the leads we sent last week?". The customer names tumbled out in bits and pieces from the other end. Obviously, these were yet to be fully acted upon. Digital Marketing's ability to generate awareness and leads is largely a function of the investment. This is assuming that other hygiene factors like content, audience and the like, are in order. While we can keep adding leads, the resources required to process them , on ground, invariably do not grow at the same pace. This is especially true when a last mile physical interaction is required to close the sales deal. Therefore, an assessment of your current processing capacities is a prerequisite.Else it will only cause more strain in the sales hierarchy and customer dissatisfaction.

You and Your stories are Physical!

From being a war of the mediums, it is now a war of content. It’s like ,whose horn gets your attention, in a traffic jam! Well, that’s the job of the Digital program manager, right? WRONG. Content generation is everyone's job. This requires the entire organization to start looking at each event as an opportunity to generate publishable (and engaging) content. Inaugurations, Product handovers, organizational milestones and more. Every piece of content then needs be screened for, whether it serves the intended narrative. Technology is yet to match up, to do this job! People with Business experience are needed, to act like sieves. And, to define a Narrative, you need yet another set of skills (people), to put it mildly!

Raised Expectations on your Supply chains

E-retailers have raised choice and delivery expectations of all customers.Even when customers know, that groceries and equipment spare parts are queried & delivered differently. Many companies are offering their merchandise over their own dedicated e-portals. While the products differ, the expectations will sooner or later get influenced by the experience customers have with the dedicated e-retailers.Simply because these common customers carry out a larger number of transactions with these e-retailers ,who operate with near ubiquitous reach. Add to this , your portal may look similar to the e-retailer's ,so why should the delivery experience be any different?.So, don’t be surprised if you start hearing something like,”…If Amazon delivers to my location in 4 days , why don't you?”

Managers of Digital are aware of these expectations, but the rest of the organization lags. One way to mitigate, is to offer your products through these e-retailers!.If not, then prepare to upgrade the back end, which matches the expectation, created by your front end and the analogous competition at large. Classification, labeling, scanners ,readers,logistics and all the paraphernalia…this again begs for a lot of “physical”.

So, till we get our magic lamps, “Digital needs more of Physical”