Americans on average spend 23 hours a week, engaging in digital communication. This fact is proven by research. If the past was some sort of indication, such an amount would only rise gradually. Digital communication has rapid adoption rates. A lot of people, brands, business entities and companies alike are still wondering what adoption of digital communications has for them?
What is digital communication?
In simple words, digital communication is the usage of online tools (email, social media, texting etc.) to reach out to other individuals, a specific audience or an entity to share or convey an offer or a message. Also, reading text in a given message or on a webpage/social media page is a component of digital communications.
A lot of companies, businesses and other entities wondered in the past two decades about what digital communication is all about. They even wondered if they should adapt to the changing environment. It is outpacing (yet complementing) old fashioned communication methods such as letters, physical mail and face to face communication.
As an effort to serve the needs of citizens in an improved manner, state governments and authorities across the world are also asking themselves the same question. In fact, they have adapted numerous digital services to reach out to citizens in need.
This process is known as digital government transformation (and is still underway). With due credit to technological advancements, state bodies are reaching out easily towards citizens. Hence the question ‘What is digital communication?’ now has more comprehensive and detailed answers.
Importance of digital communication?
The entire world understood the importance of digital communication, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesses needed to embrace digital transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic had induced lockdowns. Meetings were done on video conference calls and emails were used for all kinds of non-verbal communication.
All of this made it quite clear that digital communication is quite important. Social distancing prevented in-person meetups thus Zoom meetings, texts, social media, video calls plus emails and other digital methods to stay in touch. Pandemic or no pandemic, digital communications were always important.
It is hence important for most governments and state authorities (and their associated bodies) about how popular digital communication is. Citizens are actually wondering why state bodies are actually slow in adopting it.
Apart from benefitting state authorities, digital communication can also help streamline numerous processes and make communication easy. It helps create time for more tasks and reduce communication errors by a very good margin.
Digital communication system crossword – various methods of digital communication
Let us now take some time to explore various modes of digital communication as well as their pros and cons as they all are part of the digital communication system crossword:
Websites
Websites today serve as online platforms to help consumers buy and sell products/services/other items. With millions having access to the internet, they can reach massive audiences around the globe. Sites are easily and often used for provision of information, online ads and helping facilitate business online.
A website is more than a digital signboard as it is a company’s robust online marketing tool.
They portray the organization’s digital façade and are a robust marketing tool. Websites are also facilitators of sales and even help customers obtain the needed information with ease. Apart from providing sales teams a good channel for facilitating customers.
However, websites face constant security problems and also have problematic interfaces (which can be detrimental to user experience). Moreover, if they load slowly then they also deter customers.
Social media platforms
Social media platforms have been able to bring quite a transformation in cyberspace. People of all backgrounds (age, case, race, religion) are deeply immersed in it. Sharing experiences, learning new ones, exchanging views, establishing relationships and the like are what they do on social media.
They are user friendly technologies helping create an experience deep, easy and immersive for various users.
Not only have social media platforms become poplar tools for journalistic activities but have also positively impacted news platforms and channels. The public utilizes them to be in touch with the latest happenings, uploading their views, comments and reviews about certain products, services, companies and other things.
They even use them to stay in contact, exchange updates and share valuable insights plus knowledge with friends, close relatives and others. Here are the most popular social media platforms right now:
- Facebook.
- LinkedIn.
- Instagram.
- Twitter.
- WhatsApp.
Here are some good purposes of using social media:
- Raising brand awareness.
- Developing customer connections and brand awareness.
- Executing campaigns.
- Improved visualization of content, facts, figures and views.
- Providing users near-constant access.
- A valuable source of content.
Despite the fact that social media has a lot of benefits, it also has certain limitations which are as under:
- A lot of emotional sentiments running loose.
- Potentially isolating users.
- Click content and a lot of hatred present.
- It has adversely impacted productivity.
Blogging
A blog is a section of a website which has a series of posts or entries based on opinions, facts, personal experiences and trending topics. Blog is short for weblog. Also, blog posts are usually written like an online diary/journal. The entries are presented in front and reverse chronological order (and are updated daily).
Blogs are effective communication and content marketing tools companies have today. Through them, they can share timely and relevant information with consumers easily.
Moreover, blogs offer numerous kinds of communication. It also raises the presence of a company on the internet and is further helpful in attracting search engine optimizers.
Companies can showcase their expertise, achievements and experiences in a particular area of expertise by publishing a blog. Followers of blogs are proven assets for companies. Blogging is an affordable & resourceful public relations activity. Also, blogs are classified further as under:
- Personal.
- Business.
- Professional ones.
- Ones with affiliate marketing.
- Travel and Food blogs.
- Ones serving a Niche segment/topic.
- Tech blogs.
However, blogging has some negative aspects too and they are:
- Reading a blog post can be a time consuming activity.
- Some blogs are actually promoting false information.
Understanding Integrated marketing communication
The practice of professional communication is complex because of technology, social and digital mediums present, and the constant need of staying connected with audiences around the globe. Communication also has different meanings across different kinds of audiences and demographics.
The concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC) was first introduced in the 80s and since then, it has changed the way marketers, communicators and other associated parties interact and conduct business.
The American Marketing Association states that integrated marketing communications is a sophisticated planning process. It helps assure brand contacts a customer (existing and prospective) receives for a product, service or company are relevant and consistent with time.
According to the American Marketing Association, integrated marketing communications is a planning process which is made to assure all brand contacts a customer or prospective customer receives for a product, service or company are relevant to that very person, and are consistent over the passage of time.
Numerous forms of Integrated Marketing Communications are as under:
- Public Relations.
- Strategic Communications.
- Organizational Communications.
- Digital communications.
- Advertising and promotion.
- Publicity.
- Corporate communication.
- Media relations.
- Marketing Communications itself.
- Investor relations.
- Public Affairs.
Whilst some of these areas are basically specialties under the umbrella of communications, a majority of them are general terms describing the process of influencing, persuading, engaging and educating a wide array of audiences about any particular brand, person, issue, company or entity. Public relations and strategic communications are today interchanged a lot.
