Have you ever wondered how life would be if things didn’t go digital, especially during this time of a global pandemic? With the mandatory social distancing and the need to continue economic movements, now more than ever, we see how digital technologies have become more essential in businesses and our everyday lives.
In fact, according to the July 2020 Global Statshot report on the Digital Media usage in the time of COVID almost half of the world’s population are already using social media. There are also five interesting key points according to this report:
- There are 4.54 billion internet users around the world
- Facebook is still the most used social media platform around the world followed by YouTube and Whatsapp.
- Out of all the countries in the world, the Philippines remains to be the #1 user of social media, even increasing by 64% during this pandemic.
- The Philippines spends the longest time on the internet, clocking in at 9 hours and 45 minutes a day
See also: Top 4 Media Changes During the Pandemic, to know more about the shift in consumer media consumption.
Isn’t it interesting that despite the poor internet connectivity in the Philippines we remain the top social media users around the world? We don’t even need to tell you how much online selling is going on in those platforms currently — you can very well see a number on your own personal feed!
This only proves that there is a big opportunity for every kind of business to connect with its consumers through digital channels. Digital technologies may even improve internal operations for such organizations.
To help you adapt to this new normal setup, here’s a list of suggested digital transformation that you should consider:
Digital Transformation for professional organizations:
1. Establish new communication channels, not just for work!
Morning coffee routines, lunch breaks, office birthdays, after-work hangouts…
All of these seemingly mundane workplace habits are essential parts of any group development as proven by their prevalence pre-COVID. But in the new normal, organizations might forget to transform these norms that help create high-performing teams from analog to digital. Remember that we may have foregone face-to-face interactions with workmates, but digital interactions have now become the norm!
The NGP team, for instance, adapted what we like to call the 15/30 Socialization. The 15/30 Socialization project is the brainchild of the NGP Digital Team where participants join a bi-monthly video conference (you guessed it — on our typical paydays when our spirits are at their highest!) to talk about whatever we’re doing during this on-going quarantine.
With online video conferencing tools like Google Hangouts or Zoom, your teams are able to not only do business meetings, but also to create new socialization habits to make them feel that they are still a part of a team or a community, and not just bound by their professional obligations.
2. Invest in relevant digital technologies
Face-to-face is the richest, most effective type of communication, but the digital era has made leaps and bounds in terms of available technologies that can aid in various types of interactions.
Companies and businesses must also invest in digital tools and equipment that can help get the work done as seamlessly and efficiently as possible. Your organization can even benefit from “collaboration technologies” that can track the productivity of each member of the organization as they work from home:
- Project management tools or dashboards like Trello or Asana
- File-sharing programs like Google Drive or Dropbox
- Conferencing tools and equipment like HD webcams and microphones
- Reliable home internet services and home offices for employees, as some organizations have done, to ensure a professional work space even at home.
Be aware that the most expensive and complex technologies aren’t always the right solutions for better collaboration! You must also consider your team members’ capacity to adapt and learn, especially since we’re not all digital natives.
Of course, the willingness to learn is still a necessary step for every member of the organization to ensure continued personal growth and business growth.
3. Use digital media to your advantage
- There are a total of 73 million active social media users in the Philippines. These statistics prove that there is a high opportunity for your business to be discovered online by potential consumers. That is why we must learn how to capitalize digital media for your business.
Maybe your business is a restaurant chain that heavily relied on foot-traffic for sales pre-COVID, but this pandemic has greatly restricted that access for your business. You can expand your digital capacity, for instance, by partnering with online food delivery systems like Grab Food or Lalafood. This can also help expand reach and awareness to even more people outside your usual location radius.
- A common thought some people have about brands being present online is that it is costly. The truth is that being online doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket, and not being online might just cost you your business.
Don’t put it off. Putting up your own Facebook Page is as easy as setting up your own personal Facebook account! Setting up your Instagram Business Page is also very easy, and is commonly used nowadays by small businesses or SMEs. Take advantage, because these digital media platforms are all for FREE!
- In the world of online marketing, you should always remember that “CONTENT IS KING”.
According to Forbes, ‘king’ content centers around the customers rather than the product itself. They play a valuable role in giving audiences a reason to continuously believe in a brand or business. Content marketing goes beyond that which informs, entertains, educates, and offers valuable knowledge for your audiences such as thought-leadership, customer service, or even real-time marketing that are relevant to them.
Learn more about how we connect stories to achieve our client’s business goals.
4. Explore new digital media to tell your brand stories
The digital world is constantly evolving and so do the users. Data have shown that consumption for social media, food delivery apps, and content streaming platforms are surging, what with everyone staying at home due to quarantine protocols. With different platforms all vying for the attention of consumers, your brand has to be present at the touchpoints of your target consumers.
In the Philippines, more than 50% of Filipinos watch vlogs, so partnering with a channel relevant to your target niche could help your brand gain more awareness.
More and more Filipinos are also tuning into podcasts, an emerging medium that marketers should watch out for. With staying at home comes more time to create and consume, so more people are also open to exploring more long-form content to entertain themselves. Some Filipinos are even creating their very own podcasts, so if it makes sense for your brand or businesses to have a podcast, go make one today!
With all these advancements, one thing is for sure: there will always be a medium to tell your story.
We can help you connect with various influencers or key opinion leaders — vloggers, bloggers, social media influencers.
5. Embrace virtual solutions
Even without a finite end in sight to this pandemic, we must find ways to rise above these adversities. Likewise, your business must be able create a drive to learn to live in the “new normal”.
No type of communication can replace face-to-face interactions, but exploring and embracing virtual technologies are an undeniable part of doing business now. Your business might be used to holding or joining people-laden events, activations, and even conferences, but with mass gatherings banned for the foreseeable future, virtual solutions offer the same functionality and even enable creativity!
And if the thought of holding virtual live events seems daunting to you, remember that these virtual solutions need not be complicated, as all your usual online meeting and conferencing software can support most virtual scenarios. Thought-leadership engagements can be done via webinars, and awareness campaigns can be carried out through live streaming via YouTube or Facebook. Press media conferences are also done virtually, allowing simultaneous broadcast from both TV airwaves and online channels.
In setting up a virtual engagement, consider your internet connection. According to Restream, the ideal upload speed for a Facebook live event is 6-7 Mbps. Do you want to check whether you should invest in a better internet connection? Then visit this website to check your internet speed: fast.com. Still slow? Then strongly consider investing in a reliable home internet connection — because if you can’t stand the lag, then neither can your viewers.
Consider investing in additional equipment as well, for clearer, richer audio and visual experiences. A high-definition webcam and a separate microphone would be handy to help make you look and sound more professional.
And if this all sounds a little overwhelming to you, consider looking into virtual services providers that can help you set this up for your business. There are a lot of them!
We hope you find these tips valuable!
Do you want to discuss further? Or you simply need help on how to start your digital presence? Schedule a discovery call with NGP IMC digital services.
Contact us at digital@ngpimc.com to schedule a meeting.
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