From the newsletter with articles about cryptocurrencies to the selfie of a digital influencer in a fashionable outfit on a social network, digital communication is present in practically everything we see, hear and consume today.
Learn more about the concept of digital communication, its importance, trajectory, tools and strategies.
What is digital communication?
Digital communication is any exchange of information – text, image or video – made through Digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Devices connected to the internet, such as smartphones, computers, tablets, smart TVs, are examples of ICTs.
An important business tool, digital communication for public and private organizations brings together a set of strategies and tools for education, promotion, dissemination, engagement or sale of products, services and information.
Digital communication is carried out through channels such as email, social networks, podcasts, video calls, blogs, websites, instant messaging applications, among others.
The main characteristics of digital communication are interactivity, multimodality (use of different elements, such as text, photo and video), innovation, connectivity and mobility.
For companies, digital communication today is an indispensable strategy for building and consolidating a brand, since the use of the internet is interactive, massive and universal. In Brazil, 82.7% of households are connected to the internet, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
How important is digital communication?
Digital communication has become an essential part of any business or organization, especially in times of pandemic, when online activities have gained momentum.
To get an idea of the importance of digital communication, just look at the impressive number of digital presence around the world. Today 96.6% of internet users aged between 16 and 64 around the world have a smartphone, according to data from the report We are social, powered by Hootsuite.
In Brazil, 78.3% of the population is connected, which places the country in fifth place in the ranking of those who use the internet the most, according to study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
With the boom of the internet and then the emergence of mobile devices, companies began to adopt digital strategies in their businesses.
The possibility for anyone to interact, comment, share and produce information on the web has opened a new path for communication between companies and their audiences.
Organizations therefore began to seek new strategies and formats to expand this communication and relationship.
Adherence to the language of social media in the communication process and insertion of digital skills (digital competencies) in the workplace are part of this strategy, resulting in changes in the professional profile of employees, in the business culture and in the way of producing information.
Digital means of communication: learn about the main tools
The pillars of a digital communication strategy are engagement (likes, shares), traffic (visits and clicks), content production (authority on the subject) and customer relationships (what to say and to whom).
To put these principles into practice, companies use different tools, such as sponsored links, social networks, email marketing, search engine optimization, analysis and monitoring tools, among others.
Understand what some of these tools are and how they work:
Sponsored Links (pay-per-click): these are paid advertisements, in the form of simple text, that appear at the top of search engines, such as Google.
Social Networks: digital environment that facilitates connection, exchange, sharing, dissemination and promotion between people, groups and organizations. Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, TikTok and Pinterest are the most popular and most used social networks around the world. Different digital environments require different content or content guises.
Social Media: platforms for sharing content and transmitting information, such as blogs, websites and YouTube.
E-mail marketing: strategy for sending emails to a specific audience from the customer contact base or leads (registration of potential customers).
Newsletter: email sent periodically to a list of registered subscribers. Contains the most diverse content: from newsletters, events, articles to promotions and offers.
CMS (content management system): content management system that allows you to create, organize, edit, delete websites, blogs and landing pages. The best known is the WordPress blogging and website platform, which has a free version.
Web Analytics: tools for monitoring and measuring online campaigns, that is, they serve to monitor the behavior of internet users who interact with online campaigns, blogs and social networks. Google Analytics is a widely used free service.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM): mechanisms to make any action visible in online searches. SEM is divided into two modalities: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEA (Search Engine Advertising). SEO is a set of free techniques to place content at the top of searches for a specific term. This is possible because of the correct use of keywords in efficient content. SEA, in turn, involves paid advertisements for a website or content to appear in the top positions of online searches.
The advancement of digital communication
The technological transformations that allowed the advancement of communication in the Western world began to be designed around 1400, during the period of the European Renaissance.
The advent and global use of the Gutenberg printing press in the mid-15th century began the Printing Revolution. From this invention, it was possible to disseminate information and knowledge in a way never before experienced. The period marked the beginning of the Printing Era.
The next technological leap would take place three centuries after the press, with the advent of radio, telephone, telegraph and photography, in the mid-1890s, ushering in the Era of Mass Communication.
In the following decades, the world experienced a whirlwind of technological changes that impacted the form and speed of communication. The advent of television is a milestone in communication. But it was a technological leap during the Cold War that allowed the change from analogue to digital communication.
When it emerged, still in the 60s of the 20th century, from a scheme imagined by the United States Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the internet was a military project to defend the North American security system. communication of possible Soviet attacks, in the event of a nuclear war.
In the early 90s, the internet already had 20 million users. Today this number exceeds four billion people, according to data from the report Digital 2021 Global Overview Report.
Digital communication and technology
Artificial intelligence, metaverse, big data, internet of things (IOT) and 5g These are the technologies that are impacting communication at the social, business and governmental levels, blurring the border between the physical and virtual world.
This technological revolution will simplify processes, optimize results, bringing brands and the public ever closer together, as has been seen in the last two years in which the world has been experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic increased the number of internet users by 7.6% between January 2020 and January 2021. This means more than 316 million people worldwide connected to the internet.
The challenge for companies in this pandemic and mass connection scenario is to humanize the experience of online users, get closer to their audience and focus on the little things and pleasures of everyday life instead of complex and grandiose experiences.
Digital communication: how to plan yours?
More than expensive technologies and high investments in advertising, good digital communication needs to be well planned and executed. Invest in the production of quality content, in relationship with customers and, most importantly, knowing what you want to say and to whom are the pillars of a successful digital communication strategy.
First of all, it is necessary to have a diagnosis of the company's digital communication. In which networks and channels it is present, what is the posting flow, what has been done online are questions that must be answered in a report on the organization's digital presence.
Once this is done, the company must move on to defining objectives: what it wants to say, to whom, where, when and how.
Study the public through the creation of personas is part of this stage. A business can have more than one persona. And different audiences require different ways of communicating. And they are the ones who will define the editorial lines of the content.
It is also important, at this time, to study and get to know the competition, that is, companies that operate in the same segment.
Then comes the plotting phase measurable goals, tangible, relevant and temporal. This can be done by creating schedules, defining the workflow and defining resources, such as time, funds, people and space.
Monitoring results after the digital communication plan execution phase is essential to make the necessary adjustments along the way.
Always remember that content is the sum of information and experience and should be a daily conversation with the public. Generating value, therefore, is not just about selling, but about educating and informing followers about the company's values, principles and actions.
