2020 has been a year of rapid change. Almost overnight, most people’s universes shrank to immediate housemates plus whatever they can access online.
Entertainment, exercise, education, online. Groceries, hobbies, décor, every kind of shopping, online. And of course…business, online.
New digital habits are developing rapidly – and will have ample opportunity to become ingrained over the coming weeks. Established routines and relationships have been disrupted, and even the previously disinterested are forced to contemplate change and develop new routines. On the B2B front, this will only accelerate the trend towards digital content consumption and product research. Is your company’s digital alter ego ready for the increased spotlight?
If your answer was “no” (or a hesitant “yes?”), then here’s some good news – yes, actual good news here in 2020! The secret is that Digital Transformation doesn’t have to be an elaborate capital-letter concept. It’s not a magical metamorphosis where everyone works hard for a specified amount of time and one fine day you’ll have “accomplished digital”. The secret is that digital transformation works really well in the aggregate: many small changes coming together to create a new whole.
Perhaps spring 2020 isn’t the right time to begin a new enterprise-level initiative or major software implementation. That’s okay, because digital transformation isn’t a once-and-done activity. It’s not just the high-profile stuff. It’s about transforming your culture and your mentality – the way you think and plan your activities – so that eventually digital is central to the way you do business. It’s iterative, and evolutionary, and the people change as much as the technology. So even if you feel trapped by current financial uncertainties, you can still start building your transformation. Each small win is still a win, and the next brick in the road to your better future.
Now’s the time to wrangle your product content workflow, so that it serves you rather than the other way around. Now’s the time to finally get your PDFs in one place, or rescue your teams from the spreadsheet sweatshop, with its constant emailing of files, laborious maintenance, and high risk of error. Now’s the time to stop throwing so much money and effort at translation! Pick something and take the next step in your transformation.
Because a digital shift is happening. Right now, in a seismic cultural way. And you need to be along for the ride.