The key to accomplishing any business
objective is effective communication.
From selling a product to implementing a program, you must clearly share
information in a way that will connect with
your audience and achieve your intended
purpose. With the technological revolution,
businesses increasingly rely on digital or e-communication.
“Digital communication can be broadly
defined as communication using digital
media,” says Dr. William Hochstettler III,
chair of the Digital Communication program
at Franklin University. “This primarily refers
to using the World Wide Web, but can also
mean using compact discs, DVDs and emerging technologies to deliver content to mobile
devices such as cell phones and iPods.”
Smart Business spoke with Hochstettler
about the opportunities in e-communication and the education required to excel in
this growing field.
What are the most important channels for e-communication?
Clearly, the World Wide Web is the
biggest and most prominent channel, but
visual materials on DVD and audio materials on CDs still have a place in direct marketing campaigns.
Effectively communicating through these
channels requires skills beyond those
required for traditional print or television
media. New personal technologies that
increase direct marketing opportunities,
such as cell phones and iPods, provide
other technological challenges. For example, the small screen size changes how people view messages, and marketers have to
be sensitive to the fact that people often
have to pay for receiving messages.
What job opportunities exist within this growing field?
Many new positions have sprung up in
this field, but two particularly important
areas are Web development and e-marketing. In a small to mid-size organization,
people within this specialty area must be
capable of managing an organization’s use
of digital media. Responsibilities generally include the marketing, design, creation and
deployment of communication strategies
using digital media. Someone with a digital communication education would be
prepared to oversee the contracting of
the marketing to determine target audiences, the design of appropriate materials, the implementation of the design, and
finally the evaluation of the success of the
entire Web site project or Web-based
campaign.
In a large organization, people with an
e-communication background could
specialize in either e-marketing or Web
programming. For example, a person
with an e-marketing background could
plan the whole Web-based campaign for
a company and track its results. A graduate with a concentration in Web development skills could create a company’s
entire Web site.
Why is it important to receive formal training
in e-communication?
Anyone who has surfed the Web has seen
poorly designed Web sites. This is why people need training in marketing, design and
implementation. This education helps professionals understand how to create a Web
site that targets the right market; has an effective, pleasing design; and motivates
customers to buy the marketed product or
service.
What technical knowledge helps people succeed in the field of e-communication?
To implement efficient and effective Web
sites, for example, people need to keep up
with the hot skills and new products and languages in technology. Web technology
evolves even faster than other areas of technology. Over the past five years, at least three
different approaches to implementing interactivity on Web sites have seen the pinnacle
of popularity and just as rapidly declined in
favor of a new, hotter technology.
Another key point is that the most important type of knowledge is the ability to select
and use the appropriate technology to get a
quality job done quickly and cost-effectively.
Given the fast pace of getting new products
and services to market, this is extremely
important with Web-based digital communication pieces. The Web has the unique quality of being instantly available to millions of
people once it is deployed.
How does marketing training assist with
effective e-communication?
Numerous Web sites constructed using
good design techniques and the latest technology still don’t reach the intended market.
When businesses focus on e-commerce on
the Web, it should be all about marketing.
One of the early researchers in Web usability, Jakob Nielsen, makes the point repeatedly that Web site visitors are always one
click away from going to a competitor’s site.
This can be a hard lesson for traditional
businesses with primarily a ‘bricks and mortar’ mentality. They are used to viewing customers as ‘captives’ in their store who merely need to be shown and sold the right product or service. Customer service representative skills have to be built into e-communication pieces, which begin with knowing
and addressing the appropriate market.
DR. WILLIAM HOCHSTETTLER III is program chair, Digital
Communication, at Franklin University. Reach him at (614) 947-6118 or [email protected].