Are You Delivering The Best Digital Experience For Your Audience?
[Do you believe that you must be a startup business in order to disrupt your industry? I don’t either. This is Topic #3 of my upcoming business book on Digital Disruption for CMOs, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Digital Marketers who are tired of online mediocrity, and are ready to disrupt their business online. This is the raw, unedited content as I write the book, for each topic; it’s not in order either, like a finished book will be — just the core topics that I am picking away at. If you’re seeing this for the first time, read through this, then scroll down towards the bottom, to see how all these posts fit together.]
The true digital experience is not just about a website. If it was, every business with a website would probably be a bit more successful, right?
We also have seen a lot of the usage of the “User Experience” — supposedly designing a website for a specific purpose or a specific user group.
What neither of these take into account is that the user experience of your website is not the same as your user experience on your Facebook page, or on your LinkedIn profile.
Sadly, when a business or entrepreneur thinks that they need a “new” website, usually what they mean is that they want it to “look” better than it is. It has nothing to do with making it functionally better, nor improving the experience, nor moving your audience into your value sequence. There simply are too many things missing to actually make your new invest even less worthy than your old, as your audience is actually expecting more.
Why does this happen? Mostly because we seem to take the replacement cycle to heart, where we simply exchange an old iPhone for a new iPhone. It pretty much is the same thing. What we miss, however, is the fact that while it looks different, it also functions differently, and allows a more seamless interface between what you do and what you want to do. This is what we are missing in a “redesign” — we believe that our audience will still engage with us if we make it look different. It won’t.
The troubling thing is that websites, as they currently exist, will probably not exist after 10 years or so. Which will probably be a good thing. They will primarily become launching points for what is most important — your products, your services, your content, your value, and most importantly, connecting with your ‘why’, your purpose. They will mostly be more like a mobile app, giving discrete functions and features to continue the conversation, make a purchase, or move them to your ultimate action.
Think beyond just a logo and a new colour scheme. These things honestly don’t matter. If there is anything that sums up business online, it’s that no one cares about you and your business. “What’s In It For Me” is what we all say — whether you are a digital millennial, or someone in there latter stages. It’s all the same — we are all selfish online, and so we, as business leaders, need to embrace this and deliver for our customers, for our audience. Think about how you will actually interest and intrigue your audience, for the long term.
What will you do without a website in 10 years? You should start thinking about it now, before it happens.
Whats’ missing? Yes, the user — the user experience is missing from the equation. Put it like this, there is no digital experience without your user, or better said, your audience (which honestly sounds better than a ‘user’).
Let’s call it your digital audience experience — DAX
Your Digital Audience Experience is really about everything that you create in the digital online space. Nothing is really old, and nothing is really new, it all exists simultaneously. Your audience can seek out this information at anytime, and either enjoy it and remain, or dislike it and move on. What is important is that you are there, and that you have in fact connected and integrated all the pieces together. This is your complete and comprehensive digital ecosystem.
Your digital audience experience needs to include all channels, all mediums, all your content and all your strategies, otherwise the “experience” may be one that doesn’t feel connected, that leaves you wondering.
We do see this quite a lot, online, with the barrage of the “easy solutions”, or least common denominator as I call it — coaching, investing, currency exchanges, Facebook ads, Courses etc. It’s an instant solution — with nothing else to support you in the long-term, and taking advantage of you in the short term. While they may have a nice presentation upfront, there are many elements that soon seem to be less part of your own digital audience experience, and more part of something that looks shabby and ragtag. There is no “history”, there is no sense of “future” — it really just seems to be designed to sell a simple product, and then move on to something else.
Collectively, your digital audience experience needs to span everything that you produce and create in the online environment. Think of it like the ancient Egyptian pyramids — they don’t actually look as impressive if the top is missing. Most businesses have some of their platform built, but are missing many of the needed elements that will actually help with your business — help with your sales and marketing.
Most websites being built will be nothing “new”. Yes, they might look better, but they honestly do not contain any real value. Why do I say this? Well, have you asked what your audience is thinking, or just gone and had something “designed”, which you then quickly say you like it or not, and then start refining it.
Any way you slice it, most websites are in fact just a brochure — there is no real action to employ. They are static, they are worse than those bulletin boards in some older shops, with thousands of pieces of paper trying to get you to buy something.
There is no sense of value, no experience, no sense of anything, really. Other than nicer pictures, some “cool scrolling” feature, and maybe a new map.
Keep in mind that your website is in fact NOT your entire digital audience experience, either. It is all elements, put together, to create your own brand personality.
Your digital audience experience must be about not only your platform, but also your content mastery, and your digital experiences combined with your real life offering. Often we get far too technical with the offering — but we always must consider that it is held and consumed by your audience, in whatever manner that takes.
When you walk into a Hotel, you can usually tell the difference between a 5-star and a 2-star… And, you probably may just avoid the 1-star, unless you are really pressed for a place to stay for the night. The point is, that each star actually tells you implicitly what you can expect, but also what the hotel will provide.
You must create an experience that your customers will truly remember. Can you create a true, “5-Star” Experience for your audience?
A true digital 5-star audience experience needs some elements of the following, to make it worthwhile.
- Intellectual — it must engage the mind of the user, and stimulate what they know or don’t know.
- Engaging — it must give the sense that your audience is doing something useful, fun, entertaining, practical — whatever it is that your business is best at.
- Entry point — it must have a beginning interaction, that establishes who you are and how you solve your audience’s problems.
- Exit point — it must point them in a direction, along their buyers journey, that will allow you to continue the conversation at a later point, on another channel or medium.
- Intrinsic value — it must have the essence that they can identify with, that creates the relevancy for them
Are 5-star hotels worth more than 3-star? Absolutely. It’s because they are delivering more value, through their own experience.
What would happen to your business if you were the “only” business delivering a 5-star level of value, to your audience? This is a digital experience worth remembering.
Video
Watch The Video on Topic 3 — The Digital Experience (click the link to be taken to the Facebook video): https://www.facebook.com/doyle.bueh...
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About My Book Writing Challenge
Here’s my “challenge”, as I write this book. I’m planning on writing 30,000+ words in 30 days — so yes, average about 1000 words per day. This is a pretty big task, as some research and referencing also needs to happen at the same time. Everyday that I write pieces of the book, I’m going to post it here onto Facebook Notes, as well as onto Linkedin Publisher. There are no sacred cows, no leprechauns, magicians, not even any unicorns here. The good thing is that I have a mind map that I’ve used to outline the main topics of content.
The content will be “raw” = no editing; only ideas and concepts. It may not look pretty, either. Editing comes later — I’ll be sharing this as well when the time comes. It won’t even be in order either, as it is impossible to write completely sequentially.
I’ll also try to create a short video that also elaborates on the concepts that I’m writing about, to hopefully fill in some extra gaps, or give me some more writing to do.
You can jump in at any time along the way — no need to follow everything — just that which might interest you and help you in your business journey — see more details below of all of the different topics that I’m putting together.
It’s going to be a living, breathing, thinking book project. I know that most authors work “in secret” not wanting their CrackerJack “unicorn prizes” to be revealed until the end… I’m thinking otherwise :). I’m thinking that by showing you what I’ve got started, and getting feedback and insights along the way from you, we’ll be able produce something of greater significance.
And, who knows — maybe I’ll even have a few other co-authors along the way…?
Most assuredly, I would appreciate your feedback along the way as well. When you decide that you would like to post a comment or send something my way, please consider these 3 questions:
- Does it make sense? Or am I just spewing gibberish? :)
- Can I apply it? How can I make it work?
- What can make it better? Images, Illustrations, Questions…
Thank you for listening, reading, watching or even lurking! :)
See you online!
If you would like updates on this project, please follow me on my social channels, or by signing up at www.disruptors.digital to get more details and links emailed to you.
Originally published at www.facebook.com.
