We all hear about digital stakeholder engagement and how it is beneficial to turn to innovative ways of digital engagement. With changing times and technology, it is essential to adapt to technology for engagement continuation and increased reach and participation.
But even digital stakeholder engagement is only effective when it’s done right. Here, we bring you the basics of digital engagement that will help you create a plan that benefits both you and your community members:
- Understand Your Stakeholders: The first thing to consider is that not all your stakeholders are the same. Some will be technologically advanced but others may not be so. Many may be traditionalists who prefer things the old way which means they will not be so drawn towards new digital methods. This should not discourage you though.
The best way to deal with both is slowly and gradually introduce digital methods of communication. This way, you will be able to engage technology-friendly folks while traditionalists will slowly get habitual.
- Create A Collaborative Ecosystem: It’s a well-known fact that collaborative efforts always bring the best results. The same goes for digital stakeholder engagement. It is essential to create a collaborative space where stakeholders can take part equally. They should be able to collect the information given, dissect it, and offer feedback freely. Unless there’s participation from their end, it will not be a successful attempt.
- Send the Right and Consistent Message: The aim of any engagement strategy is to send a message that aligns with the best interest of both your organization and the stakeholders. While earlier communication was only possible through physical meetings or posts, now times have changed for good. With new technology, you can reach your stakeholders immediately and effectively. But there’s a downside. This means there’s an overflow of information. Your stakeholders may feel bombarded with information from various channels. This is where you tread carefully. It is necessary to control the message you send to your stakeholders. It should be credible, crisp, correct, and consistent on all the communication channels.
- Encourage Feedback: As mentioned before, your stakeholders are diverse, so you must make sure that your stakeholders are able to receive the message you want to convey. But how do you do that? To gauge their opinion, you will have to ask for it. Create an ecosystem where feedback is encouraged on various levels of engagement. This way, you can collect and control opinions before they can impact your project. Also, this will enable you to discern if your engagement strategies are proving successful.
While these are a few things you should know about digital stakeholder engagement strategies, you must remember that it is meant for the benefit of all parties involved. Digitalization only means that the methods of communication have changed, the motives of engagement remain the same.
For more valuable articles, follow Engagement Hub.
