How Your Business Can Stay Relevant In an Increasingly Digital World

Today's brands are facing an incredibly different consumer landscape than a few years ago. Thanks to the steady rise of the internet and increased connectivity, modern consumers are now completely digitally-focused in both their personal and consumer habits. Additionally, 2019 marks the first time that a majority of the world's population (50.8%) will be connected online. For many B2C brands, this digital revolution has opened the door for new, innovative ways to connect and engage with consumers outside of brick-and-mortar stores. Building the perfect digital engagement strategy is key to staying relevant and successful in the modern economic landscape. Consumers want to do business with brands who understand and appreciate them on a personal level. Even for brands in more traditional industries such as automotive sales, recreational equipment, and the like, engaging with consumers on a digital level has become a must to survive. Today's consumers expect personalized engagement that highlights what they want to hear and see, not what brands want to push out to them. Together, traditional communication channels and innovative engagement solutions can help brands create a successful direct-to-consumer engagement strategy. Here are some communication tools to keep in mind as your team builds out a modern consumer engagement strategy: Email As a tried-and-true option, email is still a great tool for engaging with consumers. From sharing details about promotions, store updates, and new products, email is perfect for reaching a larger audience. One drawback, however, is that many modern consumers have become finely tuned to the 'marketing speak' used by many brands in emails which can turn them off and result in a majority of emails hitting spam folders. One best practice is to personalize as much as possible in your emails. Tailor images, messaging, and even promotions to specific audiences based on purchase history. Phone calls For the longest time, phone calls were the go-to channel for reaching consumers directly and quickly. Phone calls are still a go-to channel for brands that need to connect with current customers with order or service updates. In order to keep your phone call strategy updated and competitive in the digital environment, only call consumers directly as a last resort or if it's extremely urgent. The last thing you want is customers to block your number or to stop picking up the phone. And, whatever you do, don't leave customers on hold - it shows a lack of respect for them personally and for their business. Texting While texting has been around for ages in a personal communication sense, it's finally starting to hit its stride as a professional engagement channel. Whether you're sending a text to a current customer to let them know their order is ready to be picked up or to a new customer letting them know they have a 20% off coupon to use, texting is the best way to cut through the 'noisy' marketing communications and deliver direct, personalized messages to consumers. The best part? Customers actually prefer to be contacted by brands via mobile, and they're readily available. 95% of the world's population has a mobile connection and people are 7x more likely to text a company back rather than call them. This makes texting a perfect blend of concise, digital, and personal: everything the modern consumer is looking for. Social media Another innovative consumer engagement channel is social media. Facebook alone has more than 2 billion users, and nearly half of those users also use the Facebook Messenger app. Modern consumers are quick to take to social media with questions, concerns, and feedback for brands, and it's time that brands were available to turn these posts into two-way conversations. With Facebook Messenger, brands can seamlessly enter into conversations with consumers over the social media platform to provide fast, easy service where and when consumers need it most. For brands looking to succeed in today's digital-first economy, connecting with consumers on a personal level is a must. While traditional communication channels like email and phone are great for mass messages and longer conversations, innovative channels like texting and social media help deliver amazing consumers experiences to drive satisfaction and revenue. You can learn more about connecting with B2C consumers here.