ist magazine June 2022

Feature

The antiquated constructs of busi ness-to-business or business-to-consumer (B2B or B2C) do not take into account this new shift in consumer beliefs or wish es. Prospects and customers want a deeper focus on building the relationship, having a brand reflect today’s current values and providing the type of support and align ment that makes the interaction feel more like an investment in a relationship. Instead of looking at organizations as one end of a transaction, companies that wish to grow in the current paradigm must look at the who in the interaction. The focus must now move to peo ple-to-people or people-to-person (P2P). HOW TO TRANSLATE DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT INTO P2P Digital engagement and commu nication are set up to be much more humanistic than many organizations allow. The focus on connection and community is readily available for organizations. By allowing the people behind the brand to emerge out of the shadows, companies can move beyond the products and services they sell and provide engagement with the people who create those products and services. Several recommendations can be quickly applied by any organization to move past B2B and B2C and move into a P2P interaction. Here are three ways to help move in that direction. 1. Many Voices, One Brand There was a time where one person was sharing content on behalf of the orga nization. Smart organizations, however, have moved to sharing several different voices and points of view in their digital communications. Not only does this allow different viewpoints from a brand perspective, it also keeps content fresh, as many voices make the brand what it is today. Providing different styles of content engages more than one type of prospect, which sets up potential growth. 2. Focus on the Individual in Every Interaction It should be obvious that the individual consumer should be a focus. But what

Instead of looking at organizations as one end of a transaction, companies that wish to grow in the current paradigm must look at THE WHO in the interaction.

about when businesses market to other businesses? There are individuals that each business brings to the table for the engagement, and each one is important in bringing a different viewpoint. When creating content, consider the person ality of the key players in the receiving organization. What are their individ ual roadblocks? How does s/he define success? Always consider the individual sending and the one receiving the com munication. Because either way, a person is on each end of that communication. 3. Know Where the Power Lies It has been said that consumers are now holding all the cards in the busi ness interaction and have no plans to give them back. When organizations look at who is in control of the communica tion, the power lies with the consumer, not with the company. Organizations need to understand this fundamental shift in power to the person receiving marketing and communication. This will help move communication to a person-to-person level and allow the consumer to drive the engagement, which is what the consumer not only wants but also demands in today’s digital paradigm.

Taking the opportunity to bring humanity into any organization’s digital communications can bring accelerated digital growth and engagement. This may feel like a risk to some organiza tions. However, the new paradigm has shifted this from novelty to necessity. By switching the focus from B2B or B2C to P2P, digital communication can be realigned to meet the current demands of audiences. With this ever-changing shift in consumer behavior, thinking about how one person communicates with another has become a cornerstone in digital engagement. This is no longer a passing trend but a new way of being, and the organization that embraces this way of being will reap the rewards.  *accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/ reimagined-consumer-expectations? c=acn_glb_lifereimagined

About the Author: Lisa Apolinski, CMC, is an inter national speaker, digital strate gist, author and founder of 3 Dog Write. She works with com panies to develop and share

their message using digital assets. Her latest book, Persuade With A Digital Content Story , was named one of the top content marketing books in the world by Book Authority. For information on her agency’s digital services visit 3DogWrite.com.

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istmagazine.com

June 2022