Startup Marketing Made Perfect With Ranky

For better or for worse, technology is an integral part of modern-day life. 

Digital literacy has become one of the most important skills of the 21^st century. And we’ve every reason to believe that this won’t change for some time—perhaps even forever. 

The ability to know how to utilize digital platforms and technological devices has the potential to make your life much easier. In contrast, a lack of this knowledge is potentially hugely limiting. 

Many of the skills and jobs that are in demand right now require comprehensive digital experience. This puts those without them at a distinct disadvantage. 

Digital awareness can also allow people to use technology more safely, as it can pose a risk to mental and psychological health. Advocating for better digital awareness promotes the safe, controlled, and opportunity-rich utilization of modern technology. 

But what does digital awareness look like, and why is it so important? 

Take a look at what defines digital awareness in the 21^st century and what makes it so essential for survival in today’s online-centric business world. 

What Is Digital Awareness? 

The term “digital awareness” describes the sense of experience, comfortability, and proficiency required for basic technology usage. 

To be aware of how digital platforms or devices work is an essential skill of the 21^st century, because so much of the world now relies on it for momentum. 

Similarly to digital literacy, digital awareness aims to normalize the use of technology. 

The past decade has seen huge technological leaps for mankind, which we have adapted to at an incredible pace. Many of the digital tools and platforms we now consider standard were only invented in the past twenty years, and the progressions seem to be unending. 

Digital awareness is the awareness around how basic (and not-so-basic) technology works, and how to navigate its various tools and devices in a capable way. It’s a critical part of surviving our currently tech-dominated world and provides us with many opportunities for growth and progression. 

Businesses in particular have latched onto the digital world as a means to deepen their understanding of customer behavior and provide more streamlined services. In this day and age, digital awareness is absolutely crucial for corporate advancement.

Why Digital Awareness Is Essential For Surviving The 21^st Century 

If the sheer pace of digital evolution wasn’t enough for us to frequently refine our technological skills, the fact that the world now essentially relies on digital platforms to keep spinning should be. 

The speed at which technology is currently progressing forces us to regularly learn new digital skills and techniques. However, an awareness of the digital world can provide much more than just a sense of keeping up. 

For businesses, it means opening up a world of possibilities around growth, customer engagement, and stamping out the competition. Technology enables businesses to take their strategies to the next level, hitting goals that would seem impossible just a decade or two ago. 

Let’s go through 6 different ways digital awareness can benefit your business in the 21^st century: 

• Digital marketing makes your business more accessible  

One of the many benefits that come with corporate digital awareness is the level of accessibility it brings to customers. Because of how much time the global population spends online, no business can afford to be an outlier. 

The accessibility that digital awareness and marketing brings to your business is invaluable - after all, it's not limited by the physical world. Traditionally, marketing involved sticking up posters, going door-to-door, and striking up conversations with people who may or may not have an interest in buying. 

In today’s world, the most effective way to reach customers is via the internet. And if your business is not digitally proficient, it will miss out on the opportunity to generate fast, long-lasting impressions with loyal customers. 

• Data analytics makes performance easier to track  

The arrival and normalization of data analytics has changed the way businesses navigate progress forever. Through the use of complex algorithms that gather data and express it in ways that the human eye can easily read, much of the energy we once used for predicting trends and internal performance can now be redirected into other areas. 

Data analysis not only makes performance easier to track. It also affords businesses new insights into patterns that may not have been detectable before. 

Because of this, any business that does not incorporate data analysis into its marketing strategy is actively putting itself at a disadvantage to those that do. 

• Allows you to target more specific audiences 

Digital awareness allows your business to target more specific and niche audiences than traditional methods permit. If your business struggles to attract loyal customers, it might be because you haven’t yet harnessed the potential that modern digital strategies authorize.

Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), data tracking, and the far-reaching fingers of websites, online portfolios, and social media platforms, even businesses with the most niche products or services can attract a loyal crowd. 

• Digital awareness provides insight into what customers want 

Thanks to modern technology, businesses no longer have to preempt what their customers want from them. Even social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have implemented Business Tools that provide necessary insight into customer behavior. 

These insights are worth their weight in gold to any business, big or small. Without a profound understanding of what customers really want, no business can hope to give it to them. Especially when there are potentially thousands of others who can. 

Because the whole world is shifting into a state of digital awareness, businesses that do not incorporate their newfound tools might find themselves at the back of the line when it comes to customer engagement. 

Connecting To The Future

In a world where technology is quickly becoming one of the most valuable assets, digital awareness is an undoubtedly essential part of every business. Without it, we’d be lost in a tech-driven world we don’t understand.

The answer is obvious. Being digitally aware opens up a world of new business opportunities and protects us from threats we’d otherwise fail to see.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guest Author: Charli Tanner