Digital technology is an enabler. It is a tool to help you reach an audience, manage your systems and processes and help you get found to name just a few benefits. Many businesses see digital technology as a solution to all their problems

Through the many conversations I have with businesses I rarely hear the word ‘people’ bought into the conversation. As a lover of digital I understand the many benefits it has but the most important element in digital is people.

There are people behind the screens looking at your website, there are people behind that Facebook page, there are people reading their ad or looking at your online ad.
People should be at the essence of everything we do as digital marketers yet rarely does the conversation start with people, although it should.

Everything you do should start with your audience – your target market – your people!
People are the ones you need to connect with. They are ones making the buying decisions. They are ones becoming fans of your business.

You need to put people (internally and externally) at the essence of everything you do in digital. Digital is starts and ends with people. Digital is all about people not technology.

When implementing digital marketing in particular, one very important thing to remember is the context of your content, channels and tools you are using. Part of this is understanding the buyers path to purchase and how and when they are looking at your content.

Let’s look at some examples to examine further:

When receiving your EDM will they be at their desk filtering through emails, commuting, at home with family etc. put yourself in their shoes in regards to how they might act on your communication. Delete, read, file for later …… What is there emotional state?
Where are they in the buying process?

Always consider the context of your content. When are they going to view it? In transit, whilst sitting on a train, in between meetings, at night after the kids have gone to bed, during a busy work day….. the more you understand your customer the more you can put context in what you are sharing.

So when you are working on your digital strategy, creating digital content or considering some of the tactics you need to reach your audience, remember to put people first and align the emotional connection to your marketing messages.