Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
Characteristics of an effective digital leader
Digital leadership is a style of leadership that strives to remove any roadblocks to success so that the organization can be more effective and productive. An effective digital leader uses digital leadership to streamline operational processes and grow the business.
We can define the digital leader as someone who leads, inspires, educates, enables, empowers, fosters partnerships, and holds the organization accountable.
As an effective digital leader, you’ll possess a certain level of each of these characteristics. You will also be strongly influenced by some or all the following principles:
- A well-rounded digital leader is capable of building self-organizing and cross-functional teams. Their leadership style is built on a positive attitude. This attitude can facilitate and foster team members’ qualities to resolve conflicts easily. It also creates a work environment where everyone can be open, honest, and transparent.
- An effective digital leader is approachable, maintains positivity, and leads with emotional Intelligence. They focus on adaptive strategic planning and execution. Essentially, this means that they strive to provoke change. They recognize digital leadership as a complex interactive dynamic from which adaptive outcomes emerge.
- An effective digital leader is aware of an organization’s goals. They understand how their job responsibilities support these goals and possess a growth mindset. They establish their leadership skills by strategically implementing the use of an organization’s digital assets to drive digital transformation, boost creativity and productivity, and increase profitability.
The style of leadership needs to be less command and control, and more collaboration with networks of teams. A leader posing as an authoritative figure who knows all the answers will not work in a business environment – particularly, where uncertainty is high and digital disruption is constant. A culture of learning is core to a digital mindset, removing knowledge and expertise as a power base.
Amazon Business
Amazon Business is one example of the successful implementation of digital leadership to achieve business goals.
Amazon transitioned from a B2C to a B2B space to meet customer expectations. It implemented the innovative use of existing digital assets to create a marketplace for businesses to purchase from Amazon and other third-party sellers.
Amazon Business provides a platform for B2B vendors who offer 250 million products ranging from cleaning supplies to industrial equipment. It earns revenue by charging sales commissions of between 6% and 15% from third-party sellers, depending on the product category and the order size.
It also offers services such as:
- Advanced shipping methods
- Exclusive price discounts
- Additional purchase system integration
- Enhanced order reporting
- Live platforms for manufacturers to connect and engage with consumers directly
- Personalized products for an improved customer experience
Amazon Business entered the B2B wholesale market valued between $7.2 and $8.2 trillion in the US alone.
Back to TopOlivia Kearney
Olivia is CMO of Microsoft Ireland she is responsible for developing the longer term strategy for the Irish business and leads the marketing strategy across B2B and B2C.
A passionate marketing leader who cultivates big ideas to drive growth and brand distinction and brings her international experience in the Tech and FMCG industry.
Cathal Melinn
Cathal Melinn is a well-known Digital Marketing Director, commercial analyst, and eommerce specialist with over 15 years’ experience.
Cathal is a respected international conference speaker, course lecturer, and digital trainer. He specializes in driving complete understanding from students across a number of digital marketing disciplines including: paid and organic search (PPC and SEO), analytics, strategy and planning, social media, reporting, and optimization. Cathal works with digital professionals in over 80 countries and teaches at all levels of experience from beginner to advanced.
Alongside his training and course work, Cathal runs his own digital marketing agency and is considered an analytics and revenue-generating guru - at enterprise level. He has extensive local and international experience working with top B2B and B2C brands across multiple industries.
Over his career, Cathal has worked client-side too, with digital marketing agencies and media owners, for brands including HSBC, Amazon, Apple, Red Bull, Dell, Vodafone, Compare the Market, Aer Lingus, and Expedia.
He can be reached on LinkedIn here.
Kevin Reid
Kevin is a Senior Training Consultant and the Owner of Personal Skills Training and the Owner and Lead Coach of Kevin J Reid Communications Coaching and the Communications Director of The Counsel.
With over twenty years of experience in Irish and International business with an emphasis on business communications training and coaching, he is a much in demand trainer and clients include CEO’s, general managers, sales teams, individuals and entire organisations.
With deep expertise in interpersonal communication through training and coaching and in a nurturing yet challenging environment, Kevin supports teams and individuals through facilitation and theory instruction to empower themselves to achieve their communication objectives. This empowerment results in creativity, confidence building and the generation of a learning culture of continuous self-improvement.
Bill Phillips
Bill is an international facilitator, trainer, and team coach. He has successfully coached CEOs, board members, directors, executive teams, and team leaders in public and private companies, NGOs, and UN organizations in 15 countries across four continents. He is also the creator of Future-basing®, a highly potent process for building strategy, vision, and cooperation.
