Digital transformation is an all-too-familiar phrase that gets thrown around often in the professional landscape and within multiple industries. But what does it exactly mean? And how does it relate to the work of marketing?
Digital transformation is not as complicated as it sounds. The term revolves around a simple concept that is actually really easy to understand. However, there are multiple definitions of digital transformation, and these largely depend on when and where you use it.
First of all, what is digital transformation?
On an industry scale, digital transformation happens when businesses apply digital technologies to gain a competitive advantage. For example, in the medical field, professionals ditched filing cabinets and manual processes for much more efficient ways to store information, such as digitising health records. The transition from manual to electronic enabled health professionals to access information faster, so they make more informed decisions faster.
In accounting, digital transformation marks Photo Editing Services the shift from paper-based invoices to electronic contracts, data collection, and reporting. For HR professionals, it means automating processes and employing technology to track productivity.
In essence, digital transformation is the integration and application of digital technology into all areas of a business, changing how organisations operate and how they deliver value to customers.
How digital transformation relates to marketing
In the area of marketing, digital transformation is a whole league of its own. A digital transformation in marketing refers to the shift from digital complacency to digital excellence and is brought about by the proper usage and optimisation of various digital channels. Digital transformation helps marketers gain better insight in improving the customer journey and, through the refinement of digital channels, can bring profitable changes to businesses.
Digital transformation in action
Before the advent of digital technologies, the funnel marketers used to map out customer behaviour and action were pretty straightforward. It starts with awareness, interest, consideration, and then flows down to intent and decision. Businesses created marketing materials for every stage and simply hoped for the best. And back then, there was no accurate way to figure out how effective the marketing content was.