Humanizing Digital: Why digital strategies need to be anchored by our human connection
Brianna Rabe, Vice President, RF Tech
 At the beginning of September, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Digital Summit: Washington, D.C. The event, heralded as the âdefinitive digital marketing gathering,â brought together men and women from all industries, walks of life, and experiences to discuss the role of digital; and how emerging and existing platforms, technologies, and ways of thinking are directing their organizationâs marketing and technology strategy.
 Sessions explored topics such mitigating crisis on social platforms, the impact artificial intelligence (buzzword of 2017) will have on marketing, and the role of user experience in customer transactions. While the impact of new technologies was an underlying theme throughout the three-day event, one concept kept bubbling to the surface across the different talks I attended: successful digital is just as much about successfully humanizing digital.
 In a world constantly disrupted by new technologies, where those coming-of-age are stereotypically portrayed as connected to their phones and click-throughâs can be seen as the most measurable metric for success, itâs easy to forget the human-element of our digital-driven interactions. But, speakers from Twitter, The Washington Post, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Defense Intelligence Agency all focused on the role we, as humans, play in encouraging genuine, real, and memorable experiences. Some key learnings:
 Storytelling is the only strategy
Jeremy Gilbert, Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Washington Post, spoke about how riveting stories (those that are compelling from start to finish) are those that speak to your audience and live for your brand. We have new technology, such as AI, that can automate a story. But, itâs not about driving clicks or UVMs, but creating content that encourages your audience to actively choose to engage with you, and ultimately chare their experience. And, your story should map back to what the brand is saying, it should be ownable and unique.
 And, we should be leveraging digital to tell a riveting story, instead of taking the human-element away. For example, ask your audience to participate in your story- submitting their thoughts or experiences. Or, go to where your audience is- such as Millennials on Snapchat. The idea that you need to polish a story and it has to be perfect isnât true; rapidly change your story through your engagement with your audience.
 Combatting crises situations with personal connection
Dianna Colasurdo, a political and advocacy executive with Twitter, discussed how companies and organizations can best leverage Twitter to handle crisis situations. While Diannaâs session focused primarily on Twitter, the key lessons can be applicable across the board when leveraging fast-paced platforms (e.g., anything online or mobile) to tell the correct story and right any wrongs. Â Platforms like Twitter are essential tools for managing a story; they can protect and strengthen your brand so you can clarify the situation and correct misinformation and advance the right story through positive messaging.
 And, itâs the humanizing element that makes social media platforms so effective. For example, you can get personal with your customers by engaging with your users quickly and directly. Direct personal replies are a powerful way to build a connection- and there is a 30% increase in likelihood that a customer will recommend a brand if they receive a customer service reply. Also, thereâs the opportunity to leverage your executives or give your brand a voice. Real, genuine people on the other side of the screen will humanize the experience- ensuring that customers feel valued and listened to.
 Digital isnât at the table; it is the table
Michael Marinaccio, Senior Digital Director at the US Chamber of Commerce opened his talk by asking, âwhy is there a digital silo when everything is digital?â Our entire world is digital: all companies are technology companies and everything we touch is made with technology (at least one piece, if not millions). Everything has shifted, and how we lead and communicate needs to follow suit.
 To do this, and to effectively communicate the value of digital, you need to tell the story: mapping back to the first point. If you canât explain the impact of digital well, you wonât succeed. To do this, itâs important to refocus digital campaigns and goals within the frame of the larger ROI: prove the worth of digital by addressing real problems and finding real solutions.
 But, most importantly, for digital to be recognized, we need to humanize what we are achieving. We want technology to have a voice, and acknowledgement that itâs important and powerful. In order to do this, donât make a task or project seem more difficult than it is; donât shy away from explaining what you are trying to achieve; and use every opportunity as a learning opportunity for those around us. Challenge the people around you to do better- and come to the table willing to bake digital and technology into everything we are doing- not as a separate and complex component.
