By Sunil Kumar (Originally Published in Insights Success)

“The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing”
-Douglas Engelbart (Inventor, Internet pioneer)

However over-hyped or exaggerated the above words may sound; there is no denying the impact of the digital landscape on modern civilization. Even with a “technology” divide; vast swathes of the world are now interconnected with social media, cellphones and satellite-based communication.

A DIGITAL WORLD
Getting to the point; CXOs in organizations cannot neglect the “digital” element in their business plans if they plan on long-term business sustainability. Even by conservative estimates; the size of the market in India was around 10 billion dollars (2017 eMarketer) and poised to grow exponentially even further as more people hop on to the “digital” bandwagon.

Social media has transformed the way people perceive brands, research products and make even the most “mundane” decisions. As digital campaigns have become “bigger” and brasher; an online “blitz” has become commonplace for both “mega” events to relatively “smaller” local setups attempting to make a mark in a highly competitive landscape.
So; if it’s all “rosy”; then why do so many enterprises shut shop and fail to leverage the brave new “digital” world? A complex interplay of factors come into play including failure to understand the target demographic, lack of a cogent strategy, regulation and constant updation of content to dovetail with customer requirements.

ELIMINATE STRESS
Having a “digital” strategy is a must in the present day; but this does not necessarily entail doing “everything” at the same time. Blogging, tweeting, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook are some tools and ways to create outreach; but entrepreneurs and business heads need to pause, take stock of their current situation; and then gradually overhaul and streamline their “digital” approach.

After years of domain experience; Aglaia Interactive’s team of experts has identified customer pain points across sectors. Crafting a marketing message that will help you reach “potential” clients is our core forte. To make digital outreach less stressful; it is necessary to eliminate unnecessary clutter and focus on a few critical “business” metrics that make sense to you.

Contemporary “digital marketing” throws buzz words like SEO, PPC, Retargeting, Affiliates, Email campaigns, A/B testing, growth hacks, analytics and virality at businesses every day. With an ever- expanding technological universe; a growing amount of jargon may appear to be overwhelming; but the key here is to cut through the maze and create a “workable” action plan.

EASE THE JOURNEY
Before even approaching a creative agency; CXOs have to introspect and clarify their own plans to successfully leverage their digital marketing spends. Defining your marketing objectives in an articulate fashion will only help your business in the long run.

With the multiplicity of digital marketing channels around; it is useful for both the client and the agency if mistakes are not made in selecting the right avenue for your brand. Customers differ in their willingness to judiciously evaluate and opt for creative risk, brand outreach or in a price- conscious country like ours; merely fixate on cost.

The importance of “content” in digital marketing cannot be underestimated. Every agency worth their salt rightly emphasizes of the right message to customers and addressing every probable “pain point” in their buying journey. We aim to create an immersive and holistic customer journey instead of an insensitive, monolithic setup which does not inspire brand loyalty and engagement over the long term.

MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN
Establishing timelines apart from personalization and segmentation is an industry best practice. Our content experts realize the importance of targeted “content”, aesthetics and a variety of interrelated factors that impede or facilitate your brand journey.

Gartner and Ovum industry surveys have revealed increasing use of data-driven marketing and automation to enhance productivity and facilitate quick resolution times. Even though the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal on Facebook profile data-mining has raised major concerns; the overall industry scenario remains overwhelmingly positive with drastic scope for future innovation.

As Augmented Reality, IoT (Internet of Things), smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Home etc.) become increasingly commonplace; digital marketers and customers will have to come up with more creative and innovative ideas to leverage the paradigm shift that seems inevitable.

The importance of strategy, research and usability. Mobile-friendly customer experience and real-time responses have to be formulated into a tactical set of steps that execute seamlessly every step of the way. Depending on the value businesses place on client engagement; Aglaia Interactive aims to implement various aspects of a digital marketing approach that builds and enhances relationship with new and existing customers.

 

About The Author
A versatile, creative and multi-faceted personality, Sunil Kumar, Founder President & Editor-In-Chief Aglaia Interactive Solutions, is a postgraduate from the University of Westminster, London. (Ranked No.1 in Media and Communications (Europe): QS University Rankings 2013). Presented, a research paper in the IEEE Conference held at Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on the “Human Side of Globalization”. His book, “Existential Angst” was cataloged in the British Council, Sussex, the US South Asian Literature List and is available on Amazon. Also, the author of “Surreal City”- a recent work of creative fiction. The noted poet Nissim Ezekiel made him a member of the P.E.N (India Chapter).
His company Aglaia Interactive received a Microsoft Bizspark award in 2013 in the very first year of its inception; and was recognized amongst the “Top 50 Digital Marketing Companies” by the World Marketing Congress in 2016 and 2018. The firm aims to build business partnerships, expand its footprint globally and encourage a culture of creative freedom, thought leadership and innovation.

By Sunil