If you bring up the term ‘digital engagement’ in the wrong kind of conversation you are likely to stir up a whole lot of unwanted opinions, e.g. something along the lines of these young people splashing their fancy engagement pictures all over the interwebs these days, you know back in my day we saved our money for a Tupperware set or a VHS machine; but no, now everyone has to have a whole bunch of photos taken for Facebook on a beach with the sand getting who knows where.
Fortunately, this is not the type of digital engagement we’re referring to; we’re talking about the kind that has the potential to pave the way for some serious organisational success. (Although, if you’re planning on enjoying a no-holds-barred engagement photo sesh somewhere splendid, more power to you – you get to celebrate your pending nuptials in anyway you like **insert sassy finger snaps**. )
Back to digital engagement. Let’s break it down…
Digital engagement definition: Digital engagement is the act of engaging individuals by means of digital channels throughout their journey with a company or organisation. The term can be used to refer to the engagement process of both employees and customers.
Read more: 7 Steps to driving a high-performance culture with people analytics.
In this article, we’ll be looking at a digital engagement strategy and internal marketing tools that are focussed on the journey of employees, and how it unlocks business value.
Before we jump in, let’s define ‘business value’, so we’re all on the same page.
Business value definition: Business value is an informal term that includes all forms of value that determine the health and well-being of a business in the long run. This often includes intangible assets that are not necessarily attributable to a particular stakeholder group.
When digital engagement is on point within your business, it contributes to overall employee engagement, which in turn has all sorts of wonderful value-boosting repercussions for your enterprise on the whole. An engaged workforce shows exceptional cohesion, can solve problems on the fly, will actively seek out innovative solutions to streamline service delivery, and stick around to share their knowledge with their peers, boosting the whole enterprise from within. In short, it’s every customer’s dream. Here’s what the clever folks have to say about it.
Looking few tried-and-tested ways in which you can drive digital engagement at your place of business to boost business value? Here you go!
4 Ways to drive business value by means of digital engagement:
1. Be all about that collab life.
One of the best things about living in the digital age is the ability to work remotely. Surveys have found that employees who are able to ‘telecommute’ from home are far less stressed, boast higher morale and are much less likely to miss work. When you use technology to facilitate collaborative working from more than one space and allow your employees to train virtually, you’ll have happier workers, a more productive team, and cut your overheads at the same time.
INSIDER TIP: With the use of file-sharing platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive, project management tools like Asana and Trello, and forums like Slack, it’s incredibly easy to pass files, brainstorm, compare notes and float ideas even if you’re not in the same office.
2. One word: gamification!
Hands up, who here likes to play? If you didn’t put your hand up just then, you’re either lying to your inner child (sis on you), or you need a strong cup of coffee. Buck up friend! Of course you like to play, it’s fun! This is why gamification is such a useful tool in boosting digital engagement. It hinges on our natural desire to compete and is especially useful in getting younger employees to get involved with engagement initiatives.
Read more: How company culture actually affects your bottom line.
3. Be open to the use of personal tools.
Ladies and gents, BYOD (bring your own device) is about to become a very real thing, and it’s about time. Gen Y employees are far more adept at working on mobile devices than they are desktop computers or even laptops. It’s time for the powers that be to give employees digital autonomy to work from whichever device they find most useful, provided they comply with essential processes of course.
4. Encourage peer-to-peer kudos.
Encouraging peer-to-peer recognition is one of the simplest ways to boost employee engagement, all the more so if you can provide a simple platform on which to do so. After all, your employees are far more likely to throw a ‘nice one’ or a ‘big up’ their peers’ way if they can do so at the click of a button rather than having to write a cumbersome office-wide email, or give a heartfelt speech in the canteen.
We know what you’re thinking – this digital engagement thing sounds fun, right? And you would be right.
In between boosting collaboration, gamification (why do we stop playing as adults, whyyyy?!), being open to the use of personal tools, and boosting peer-to-peer recognition, the correct approach to digital engagement is supposed to be enjoyable. In the end, that’s the best way to get everyone on board.
If you found this inspiring, just wait until you see what else we have up our collective sleeve…
In the meantime, you may also want to check out our SaaS-based employee recognition platform that has been developed to (quite literally) do all the things mentioned in this article.
In fact, we’re so sure of its immense potential to drive digital engagement that we’re going to let you try it for FREE so you can see how well it works. Click the button below to get started.
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