What is a digital platform?
A digital platform is a software or tool used for the exchange of goods, and services between manufacturers, companies, and consumers. Brands utilize digital platforms to sell products and interact with the communities within the platform and their customers. According to research, approximately 5.16 billion people use the internet which is about 64.4% of the world’s population. Digital platforms continue to be successful because of the number of people who use the internet.
Digital platforms make our day-to-day activities easy, you can pay your bills, and order books, food, or clothes from a digital platform and they’ll be delivered to your doorstep. These days there are online libraries, restaurants, fashion stores, etc. Many brands are growing their business with the help of digital platforms and this is why digital platforms are here to stay.
Types of Digital Platforms
- Social Media
Social Media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn are digital platforms that people use for social and business purposes.
- Service-based Platforms
These are online platforms you can subscribe to services, and pay bills and utilities. They are convenient and fast.
- E-Learning Platforms
E-learning is a type of learning that takes place in the online space with the help of electronic media. Students, teachers and professionals can now take training or courses on e-learning platforms and learn at their own pace. E-learning platforms came in handy during the COVID/19 lockdown.
You can get access to courses and training in different languages on these platforms, e. g, Udemy, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, etc.
- Information-based platforms
If you want to gain knowledge and insight into new topics or life’s issues, social or work-related topics, there are information-sharing platforms such as Reddit and Quora that you can sign up on and learn from people’s experiences, opinions, professionals, and experts in different fields.
Benefits of Digital Platforms
- Provide Fast and Quality Services
Digital platforms make it easy for brands to provide quality services, respond to inquiries, and get instant feedback from their customers.
- Connecting Businesses to Customers Globally
Digital platforms give brands visibility and help them connect with customers around the world. If you have an online store or your product on e-stores such as Alibaba, Amazon, etc., customers can make a purchase and have it delivered to their doorsteps.
- Boosts your Finances
You won’t struggle to make sales if you use digital platforms such as social media, email marketing, video marketing, etc. E-commerce stores are another great way to make sales. Some brands sell their products on other brands’ e-stores while some brands prefer to exclusively sell their product or offer their services on their website.
- Digital Security
Digital platforms have in-built security software that prevents data from being lost.
- Improving Productivity
Automating your tasks with the aid of digital platforms improves productivity and saves you time.
How to maximise potential of digital platforms
1. E-commerce
E-commerce platforms are digital platforms that brands utilize to sell their products. Using Amazon, one of the biggest and leading online stores as an example, their revenue for the quarter ending on the 30th of September, 2022 was $127.101B. You can sell your products on top e-stores and pay a commission to them or build an e-store for your brand. If you want to drive traffic to your e-stores, you can start blogging, or use SEO keywords when posting content or products. Leveraging paid ads, and creating unique products and services is another way to attract customers.
- Marketing Automation
If you feel like you or your staff are not being productive enough and it is affecting your revenue, marketing automation can help you stay productive by taking care of the monotonous everyday tasks you have to do. Marketing automation tools such as Hootsuite, Pardot, HubSpot, etc, can help you automate simple but monotonous tasks and free up your time which is utilized in more productive ways.
- Digital Content Distribution
Brands like Udemy are making millions of dollars on digital learning platforms. You can boost your revenue by creating e-books, courses, or training materials that can be hosted on e-learning platforms.
- Video Marketing
You don’t need to have any special video-making or editing skills to make video content for your brand. You can simply make a video of your product with your phone and share it on social media. Video marketing appeals to old and young, which influences their purchasing decisions.
- Consistency
If you read about the history of top and leading brands, you’ll find out they have gone through many challenges over the years. Most top brands were established at a time when there was no internet or digital platforms yet they were consistent in creating awareness for their brands and building up trust in their customers.
You can’t put your products on e-commerce stores and go to sleep, you have to keep running ads and promoting your brand and product. You have to consistently engage and interact with your customers on social media and keep creating awareness for your brand. Being consistent will ensure your brand retains its visibility on digital platforms.
- SEO
SEO (Search engine optimization) drives traffic to your website. These are keywords in your content that ensure it can be found by people on search engines.
- Creative and Appealing Content
It doesn’t matter the digital platform you use, if your content or product is not appealing, you may not draw the attention of consumers or meet your sales target. Your products should stand out amongst that of your competitors.
Conclusion:
Now that you know about digital platforms and their benefits, are you ready to utilize them?
If your brand is rightly positioned on digital platforms you’ll be able to fully maximise their potentials for your brand’s success.
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