Digest...

It’s time to ramp up your technology IQ now or risk being left behind. Why now?

 

Technology innovation to enhance customer engagement is coming fast and furious. Here at Forrester, James McQuivey, our leading analyst and author on this subject (Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation), refers to this phenomena as digital disruption, we agree with Mary [Meeker]’s premise that every conceivable human activity is in the process of being disrupted and transformed — from connectivity (mobile phones) to purchases and cash registers (Square), manufacturing (3D printers), and even education (Codecademy).

 

Influence is rising in importance. Up to 80% of today’s buyers begin their purchase journey with a referral from their network. With a referral in hand, buyers control the rest of their purchase journey, trusting validation and messaging from their network significantly more than from vendors. With this in mind, you must understand and begin to incorporate influence into your brand strategy. Look to new vendors that measure and monitor influence such as Klout and Appinions to explore the possibilities.

 

Curating content effectively is the final frontier. There is no doubt that the right content at the right time in the right context helps customers solve their business problems. But, at Forrester, we hear over and over again how CMOs are challenged to create and curate great content customers care about, want to buy into, participate in and share with peers and social media connections. Content curation capabilities developed by Flipboard provide an interesting alternative to solving this challenge. By collecting and curating information and stories into magazines on any topic imaginable, Flipboard provides a platform for businesses to build their thought leadership and tell their brand story in new ways. 

 

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