#ForrForum Day 1 – Embracing Digital Change

#ForrForum

Day 1 of Forresters eBusiness & Strategy conference (#forrforum) is focused on helping digital leaders discover strategies and tactics they can bring back to the office to drive progress in their companies objectives.

Digital Marketers can embrace change by:

1. Becoming Customer Obsessed – like Dominos
2. Anointing a digital change agent – like Hallmark – Chief Digital Officer
3. Reallocating budget – like Krispy Kreme

The Digital Business Imperative

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mcE5Iv0hVQ

As Moneyball’s John Henry character says, the first one through the door gets a bloody nose. As will digital change agents.  Yet, when the internal zeitgeist turns in your favor, your firm will follow your lead.

Experience is the only differentiator

Barriers to Digital Change:

56% of ebusiness professionals have an multichannel digital strategy, yet only 23% feel they can deliver on it.

• IT can’t deliver
• Your touchpoint choices are spiraling out of control
• To the rest of your organization, “Digital is something HE does”
• Todays structures are no longer fit for purpose

Setting a Path to Digital Change

You need to do two things:
1. Create the conditions for digital transformation

1. Consolidate a digital strategy under a single customer-focused leader (Nespresso)
2. Organize around the customer, not the function (CVS)
3. Embed digital skills and competencies into the business (Nestle)
4. Embrace cross-functional agile ways for working (i.e. work faster)

2. Master three essential digital skills

1. Set and communicate digital strategy
2. Manage Digital change
3. Operate and optimize digital touchpoints

Each firms mix will be different

Who should lead the Digital Change?

It depends on your organizations capability:

How to serve social customers?

1. Listen and respond on their chosen network
2. Honor their issues with great customer care
3. Solicit their ideas to solve new problems
4. Unlock thie passion by stoking there conversations
5. Enlist others through sharing and advocacy

That’s it for day 1, stay tuned for a day 2 wrap up.