Digital Disruptions: Incredible Opportunities or Extraordinary Challenges for Customer Engagement?

Change is not only imminent but constant; and staying on top of trends is more important than ever. As change is influencing customer engagement strategies, the question that springs to mind is this: are digital advancements leading to customer engagement opportunities or challenges?

Digital disruptions have proven advantageous for young brands and upstart companies. The way content is being shared and distributed to consumers has evolved. From Facebook and Twitter to Snapchats and Vines, what was once considered ‘new’ in terms of social media trends are at the height of customer engagement, and the minimum standard in social media.

More established brands are facing the challenges of having to adapt to emerging trends at an incredible speed. From traditional to digital media outlets, many brands are looking for innovative ways to bring their brand and content further into the digital sphere and are looking to hire younger talent as the answer.

Moving from the digital sphere back to more traditional outlets, teenagers uploading home videos to YouTube are becoming overnight stars, and this phenomenon is enabling the more traditional media outlets, such as television, to change gears. For example, Fox Sports is now training certain internet stars to shine on television, claiming this process is easier to follow than moving in the opposite direction. While some brands are divided between traditional and digital mediums, there is no correct way to avoid the digital disruption present today.

Mark Johnson at Loyalty360 offered great insight on the topic of digital disruption: “(…) regardless of how the transition occurs, the key to successful customer engagement will ultimately hinge on an ability and willingness to remain nimble and flexible”.

Regardless of company size, digital disruptions can lead to greater engagement opportunities for companies moving in the direction of their target audience. Brands that remain static will no longer be able to cope in this age of digital disruption and ever changing trends. However, companies should not merely follow all trends; brands must understand which trends are relevant to the different individuals in this data-driven world.

Key tips for successful customer engagement:

• Assess the relevance of adapting to emerging trends with regards to your target audience
• Move in the direction of your consumers
• Remain nimble and flexible
• Innovate to stay ahead