Digital communication has changed the way we transmit information and create relationships with others. Whether personally or professionally, you use it in your daily life. When you are looking for a service, isn’t the first reflex to go online with your smartphone or computer? If you want to meet needs thanks to your know-how, it is therefore essential to be visible. Delivering messages with digital is linked to marketing, so it is often perceived as negative. But what is it really? Let’s discover together this way of communicating, its strengths and how to use it as an entrepreneur.
Digital communication: what is it in reality?
When you want to communicate with digital, you think of online advertising, remote work via a computer, or social networks. However, it is much broader, you may even use it without knowing it.
Communicating: a daily action
Let’s first focus on the action of communicating, it always concerns two people, the one who emits a message and the one who receives it. In entrepreneurship, you transmit a response to a person’s need through a service or product you offer.
According to the Larousse, communication is the “action of transmitting something, action of establishing a relationship with someone”.
Communication is an essential need for human beings: you are in relationship all the time, and without always being aware of it. First thing in the morning, when you say hello to the person who shares your ghostwriters for other’s, to your neighbor or your office colleague. Throughout your day at work, and in your private life, you create relationships, pass on ideas, values, knowledge, etc.
Digital: linked to the internet, but not only
The term digital is an English word, it translates to digital. It is related to the field of computing; it refers to everything that contains an encrypted coding. When you type an SMS on your mobile, each letter corresponds to an encrypted code to be transmitted to the recipient. Digital communication concerns all the content transmitted, the information received and the contacts established through a screen such as:
- your computer;
- your mobile phone;
- your smartphone;
- your tablet;
- your television, etc.
Digital technology is an opening to the world. When used with the internet, it allows you an even wider and faster distribution of what you want to transmit.
The advantages of digital technology for the entrepreneur
If you use this means of communication to make yourself known, or develop your business, you can reach 4.4 billion human beings who use the internet (Les Echo’s, 2019). This way of conveying can be uncomfortable for you, because you are just starting out, and it carries a negative image related to marketing. And yet, it allows potential customers to find you, and to know you better.
Digital marketing: a way to share human values
Digital communication is a marketing tool, which can be perceived as manipulation. Indeed, the objective of marketing is to make a person want to become a customer. Many TV and online advertising campaigns use certain so-called negative emotions to encourage us to consume their products. However, it is possible to bring added value to the Internet user on a subject that interests him, or to bring him solutions to a real problem without intending to manipulate him.
Using digital marketing to communicate is also an opportunity to meet real needs. It’s up to you to decide how to create your content, with fear or rather by highlighting certain values. You can even convey powerful messages of benevolence and mutual aid; some NGOs have understood this very well. They use these channels to alarm and involve the general public in saving our planet.
Here are some examples of how digital communication can be used:
- share your ideas, your values, your vision, your experience, your experience;
- transmit and enrich your knowledge, your skills;
- promote access to information;
- create compassionate groups or communities;
- develop and offer new skills through distance learning;
- provide information, solutions;
- Build inspiring relationships, connect with people who are in other countries, etc.
Digital communication to make yourself known
As an entrepreneur, using digital technology to communicate is essential today. Where do you look when you have a need? You surf the internet, type a question into the search engine and click on Google’s first result. You read, you look at the products, the values of the company, you think about whether you can trust it or not.
The interest of digital communication is to:
- meet a need with a service offer related to your mastery in a specific field;
- highlight your products, your services;
- explain your values, what you want to contribute or transmit;
- keep strong and lasting links with your community, your customers;
- have customers all over the world.
What to choose to communicate on the web?
Your goal, as an entrepreneur, is to make yourself known. As you can see, the web allows you to go faster, and reach more people.
But at first, you’re a little lost, you don’t know where to start. Everything new is scary, it’s normal, but there is always a first time in everything you accomplish. It is also necessary to experiment to know what suits you or not, and nothing prevents you from being accompanied by professionals. To start, you can consult the web, see what inspires you or not. It is also important to think about the relationships you want to have with your customers, the number of people you want to reach, and which ones (gender, age, etc.).
A tool to be seen
- Create a Google My Business page. It is a tool, set up by Google to reference companies that have a place for their sale, or their service offer. It uses geolocation for this. For example, when you type the word bakery into Google’s search engine, the first results that appear are those of the bakery closest to you (provided you have created its page).
- Videos on YouTube, etc. Filming yourself can be difficult, because it is your image and yet it is one of the most powerful means on the web. In this way, you transmit both your skills, your vision, your values, and especially the passion that drives you.
- A website. It allows you to explain who you are, the values you defend, and the reasons for creating your business. It allows you to present your products or services. To build a site, it is important to be aware that it is long and tedious. You can do it yourself with a minimum fee or contact a webmaster. You can also be accompanied in the writing of your website.
- One or more accounts on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. You can transmit to your subscribers all kinds of content. On Facebook, for example, you can also create a community. The interest is to explain who you are and what you offer so that Internet users feel confident to become customers.
A way to share and retain your customers
- Ablog. It is a type of website or part of a site. It is used for the regular publication of articles around a particular theme. Affiliated with a site, it allows you to give added value, to highlight your services, and your products. It also allows the user to get to know you better and feel confident. You can also share your vision, experience, etc. Note: thanks to SEO, the blog is also a great way to make yourself visible!
- A newsletter. This is an email sent regularly to all the people who have subscribed to your mailing list. It allows you to share in a personalized way with your subscriber’s additional content, an exclusive offer, an invitation to a new event, etc.
- Apodcast. These are audio contents prepared and recorded beforehand that can be listened to on the internet. They allow you to share your ideas, experiences, etc.
The optimization of certain content is essential
Some content is said to be optimized, to meet the criteria of the algorithms of your Google search engine for the majority of Internet users. They are robots that scan all pages on the web, they ensure that they comply with specific references in order to offer the user a quality experience.
This requires clear writing, without spelling or syntax errors, with a rich lexical field, structured, relevant content with reliable sources, etc. These web editors specialized in writing this type of content, he can also advise you. Google also takes into account the structure of the site, your images, etc.
It is also about building your website. Is it functional, aesthetic, are there links between pages? Are the content rich? On your blog or on your networks, the articles must be interesting and above all give added value for the user.
Digital communication is fundamental, to make you known quickly, and on a large scale as an entrepreneur. Even if you are new to this field, you can create your website, blog, YouTube channel, etc. You choose what you want to bring to others, you are unique, your project is also unique provided you communicate about your existence. Be authentic, explain what drives you, share your skills and the values you defend. Dare to show your difference and give the user the desire to get in touch, to talk about you, or your products to all the people he meets. So, are you up for it?
