Module 4: Business and digitalisation strategy (html version)

Our project

Sustainable development for the inclusion of migrating and refugee populations can only be attained if women are involved, as mothers, as teachers, as entrepreneurs and/or when a gender sensitive policy environment is created for them to influence community and social policies at the higher level. Women are the primary victims of the intertwined causes of conflicts, underdevelopment and migration. To address these issues, in a sustainable and humanitarian way, migrants should be offered assistance in building a new life in the respective host countries by developing, testing and implement new concepts of train the trainer programs for online training offering migrant women the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills. That is the aim of the 241 project.

01 Introduction

In order to build sustainable and scalable businesses we need to integrate digital resources and use existing technologies. Nevertheless, it is a fact that some groups of people do not have access to these tools for different reasons.

Achieving digitalization helps create businesses, amplify entrepreneurial skills, create ideas, solutions, launch new products, receive feedback, etc. It is a tool to help local businesses and economies flourish. In that sense, it is necessary to integrate the digital media through education and public policies, and make it available to everyone.

In this module we will design the main strategies for building a sustainable and scalable business model integrating digitalization and strategic partnerships, always considering the analysis of the 3Ps (People, Purpose and Profit) as it is crucial to achieve a sustainable development.

People, Planet and Profit

Watch this TED Talk by Mayura Davda:

“Pursuit of a Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet and Profits”

Key concept

Intersectionality and Environmental Intersectionality

Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. This framework is useful as it reflects upon specific challenges that people form certain groups may be facing and that need to be addressed

Listen to Kimberlé Crenshaw, creator of the term

Intersectionality applied to Environmentalism and the Start of IE

Scalable Model Business 

Main models for scalable business ideas

1- Social business model canvas

As an alternative to the traditional business model canvas, this framework integrates new areas which analyse social aspects which are to be taken into account when designing a social enterprise business model.

Special new characteristics of this model:

  • People 
  • Activities
  • Beneficiaries
  • Social Value Proposition
  • Impact Measures
  • Surplus
  • Other

Business Model Canvas

Watch the Traditional Business Model Canvas explained

2- Lean startup

Methodology focused on experimentation in order to test hypotheses. 

The main objective is to jump as soon as possible to the market in order to build an interactive design of the service provided, adapting better the product to the customer’s needs. 

In this sense, big investments are not seeked when initiating the action, but rather improving it from the very initial stages.

Here there’s a simple explanation of this helpful methodology!

3- Minimum Viable Product

The MVP will start defining the minimum delivered action that will be offered into the market. What is very important is that we should establish the minimum characteristics, thus; benefits that this product/service will serve at the initial stage, understanding that there will be an evolution and improvement of it during time.

How can YOU lauch a product quicker?

How can YOU lauch a product quicker?

Practical exercise

Design your own MVP

1 – Identify your customers’ pain points. The only way to sell a product or service is to solve a problem for someone.

2 – Prioritise your features.

3 – Sketch your wireframes.

4 – Test your idea AGAIN.

5 – Build a team to help you design your MVP

Digitalization 

From the literacy to digital transformation

Introduction

Today Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are part of all areas of our life. Therefore, those who are not up to date with basic digital skills will tend to be relegated and thus have fewer job opportunities, while facing social and economic inclusion in the countries they reside.

Therefore, digital literacy has a challenge beyond using a computer. ​​

It comprises a set of basic skills which include:

  • The use and production of digital media
  • Information processing and retrieval
  • Participation in social networks for creation and sharing of knowledge
  • A wide range of professional computing skills

Digital literacy improves employability because it is a gate skill, demanded by many employers when they first evaluate a job application.

Digital literacy learning by doing

What should I be up to date to improve?

  1. Be up to date with technology
  2. Communicate on online environments
  3. Manage, create, contribute your ideas online
  4. Teamwork

3.1 Be up to date with technology

Let’s start to lose our fear of the digital world

Regardless of your age, we want to invite you to see technology as an ally for you.

Who is an expert today, started like you, so let’s start doing the trial and error in order for you to break your fears.

We invite you to enjoy the process and see it as a game.

Let’s start at the beginning, here we leave you a small digital marketing dictionary.  Read it and select those terms and tools that in the short term may be interesting to learn and make you curious.

Do you know what Moocs are?

     Don’t worry, we’ll explain it to you.

The moocs are free online courses and therefore search engines like Google will help you find them.

It is important that you analyze what type of courses you want to focus on, you must bear in mind that your time and energy are limited.

Assess which digital skills you should improve and go for it.

Here are some free resources so you can get started:

What are virtual libraries?

In the network we can find many libraries where we can find free resources on the subject we want.

Here we want to focus on what digital marketing is concerned

Ten Free Ebooks to Download here

Let’s learn more about webinars

A webinar is an interactive, visually stimulating, engaging, and data-rich experience. It can be viewed as a presentation or webinar that provides both webinar hosts and attendees, also called webinar participants, with information in an exciting, engaging, and convenient way. 

The word ‘webinar’ itself is a fairly flexible term and can also be understood as an online seminar, virtual event, video conference, online multimedia content, and more.

  • Exposure Ninja – https://exposureninja.com/training/webinars/
  • Digital Marketing Institute – https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars

Some tips on how to handle ourselves on the internet

  • Follow a routine
  • Connect with friends and family remotely
  • Application Family Safety
  • Do the pending tasks
  • Learn something new
  • Take care of your emotional state

Let’s learn by doing

Follow a routine

Creating personal and family routines is important for our mental health

In the G-suit calendar and the Microsoft Calendar you can create “To-Do” lists

Examples of to-Do lists: Routines when we get up, time to concentrate, meditate, physical activity, leisure, social, disconnect from work

Know about your loved ones and work

In order to connect with families, friends, work colleagues, etc, we must use more digital tools.   Here there are some tools you can use for video calls

Note: Not everything is for work, the safety of children in the internet is also important, here we leave you some parental control applications and tutorials.

Complete the pending tasks

As in the first recommendation about generating daily routines, also be clear about the pending things to do and that we do not forget.

Just as we make a list of things to do on paper, we can do the same in the “To-Do” application.

Learn something new

Do you have a hobby or are you curious to learn one? 

On the internet there is endless information where you could start.

Always wanted to keep a journal? Try these

  • Write a journal
  • Mindfulness journal
  • Bullet journal

Take care of your emotional state

Setting schedules and routines is important, BUT giving space so that you can enjoy your free time is crucial.

Disconnecting, resting, going for a walk, reading a book, listening to podcasts, meeting friends, etc, is part of your emotional and physical wellbeing.

Keep calm before a presentation

To avoid being nervous before a presentation, it is ideal to prepare for them.

There are available tools to improve our tone, argument, pitch expressions, among others.

This is the microsoft coach, use google slides and learn how to take advantage of it too

Communication and Collaboration Literacy

Communication and collaboration Literacy means having the ability to communicate on different media.

Check these tools for communication on online environments and teamwork:

  • Flock
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Monday.com
  • Asana
  • JIRA
  • Trello
  • Google Drive
  • Miro

Collaboration tools for productive teams

Watch and learn how to use them 

Digitization Vs Transformation


Digitization

It is to convert a product or service into digital, for example an invoice was previously sent physically, today it is sent by email


Digital Transformation

It helps to discover new potentials for the business, new markets, new services, streamlines processes, gains time to give space to creativity and develop strategies.  

  • It means:   Modernization in IT (information technology),  Digital optimization, Creation of new digital business models, Introduction of technology to all areas of the business 
  • It does not mean adding tools without generating value

Digital clients
Starting with micro services will help us make a gradual transformation. The key formula is to make a diagnosis and start from the reality of the company.  It is the same process only it is digitized.

Myths and Truths of Digital Transformation

Myths

  • It reduces staff
  •  It is the sole responsibility of the IT staff.
  •  It is optional.

We all live in the digital age. Our digital transformation depends on where we start from and what our objectives are.

Truths

  • It results in the improvement of the user’s experience.
  •  It helps both large and small businesses to speed up and simplify processes.
  • An investment should not be seen as expensive if it helps to make it more profitable and streamlines my business.

How to digitalize my business?

Digital Transformation for Entrepreneurs

  • Customer facilities for sale and after-sales (web page, apps, social media, etc.)
  • Product catalog portal
  • Enable payment button
  • Sending invoices electronically
  • After-Sales: continuous communication with customers Chatbots

Digital Transformation

Watch this interesting Webinar about the tendencies regarding digital transformation

Brand Strategy

2.1 What is brand strategy?

Brand strategy is a plan that encompasses specific, long-term goals that can be achieved with the evolution of a successful brand

Brand strategy roadmap

  • Vision, Purpose, Values
  • Promise
  • Innovation
  • Purchase moment
  • Experience
  • Strategies
  • Tactics

5 keys to a Brand Strategy

  1.  Purpose: your purpose must be more specific; It serves as a differentiator between you and your competitors.
  2. Consistency: The key to consistency is to avoid talking about things that don’t relate to or enhance your brand
  3.  Emotion: Find a way to connect with your customers on a deeper, more profound level.
  4.  Flexibility: effective identity programs require enough consistency to be identifiable, but enough variation to keep things fresh and human,” explains president of People design, Kevin Budelmann.
  5.  Employee Involvement: it is important for your employees to be well-versed in the the way they should be communicating with customers and representing the brand.

Some helpful and basic tools for Brand Strategy by MEDWOMEN

[check the templates on page 37 of presentation]

Brainstorming ideas

  • Values
  • Mission
  • Identity
  • Promise

Identifying my business purpose

  • Cultural tensions
  • The best of me
  • where these two meet “I think the world would be better if…”

Brand Identity Kits

What the people see is what will matter the most when it comes to achieving recognition from that potential client and earning their trust.

This is achieved through the visual elements, such as:

  • The logotype: It is the graphic representation that encompasses what we are, try to keep it simple
  • The typography: When choosing the typography of our brand, it is important to consider the type of business we have, who we want to reach and what image we want to reflect, for example: elegant, fun, modern, sober, sophisticated, loving, romantic.

Our communicational tone is key to determine it

  • The color palette: In addition to the previous points, the colors must relate to the essence, purpose, mission, vision of the brand, it must have a coherence.
  • Photographs, Illustrations, Videos

How to create your own Brand Kit in Canva

Social Media Management

Starting point

Creating your own minimum viable product for your digital strategy on Instagram

Canvas review: 

  • Simplify the value proposition
  • Focus on the end customer and review the different packages and services that will be offered
  • Review packs to evaluate valuable content on Instagram
  • Call to commercial action

Instagram Strategy

  • Template creation
  • Instagram company profile optimization
  • Current statistics analysis
  • Weekly review of statistics and actions taken KPIs

Key points

  • Optimized name
  • Description
  • CTA (Call To Action)
  • Links
  • Contact buttons
  • Covers for highlight stories
  • Custom hashtags

Social Media Management

3.4 Valuable content strategy

  • Creation of content work path focused on the audience.
  • Review statistics to see the best hours of publication and engagement.
  • Creation of call to action in posts
  • Optimizing stories for use in highlights

3.5 Sales funnel strategy

3.6 Landing Page Creation

3.7 Digital tools

04 The role of partnerships

Partnerships are key in order to test, validate, co-create, expand and reformulate ideas and services. This is why it is important to integrate them at the core of the activity since the beginning of the action. Next, we will explore its typologies and sum up with specific exercises to start working on it.

Type of partnerships

There are three main types of partnerships

  1. Selling and market accessibility: alliances at improving the access to a market segment and increasing sales.
  2. Product and manufacture: with more technical aspects, those are partnerships improving the quality of the production
  3. Technological and know how: alliances that improve the capacity and resources of the business impacting at its managerial levels.

Fourth Helix System

The fourth helix system is the model that identifies the benefits and uniqueness of multisectorial collaborations, in this regard, multi stakeholder alliances contribute with services better adapted to the society. 

This model integrates public, private, educational/academia and societal actors/ NGOs to the services that are being designed, making each partner unique contributions to it.

In particular, when starting a business in a new country of residence, those alliances will benefit with a strong know-how of the local level interests.

Business relational mapping

We invite you to build your relational business map making use of the “mindmaps” tool shared in unite 3. 

The business relational map is built in order to self track the relations that have made your services possible. Start by identifying the main key sales you have had and track the previous people, organisations and activities that have led you to it.

Ask yourself: 

  • How long have those relations last until this moment?
  • Which activities led to the start of those relations?
  • Which characteristics share in common those relations?
  • What can we extract from this vision?

Scoring SSI LinkedIn 

Do you have linkedIn? Do you know your personal brand selling capacity?

Check your Selling Index Score (https://www.linkedin.com/sales/login)

This score measures your positioning versus your network and the market segment that your is identified to belong to, it serves as an indicator about your digital (linkedIn) relations and the potential of making use of them.

Build an elevator pitch

The elevator pitch is most of the times the initial contact we share with someone, not having much time, we might have around 2 minutes to introduce ourselves and generate interest in what we do before losing the attention of the other. 

Being able to be connect with the other person is a key to success.

The Elevator Pitch

Watch this video to learn advices and make your own Elevator Pitch real and perfect

video no longer exists

Key Takeaways of the Elevator Pitch

  1. Keep it short and sweet: Your elevator speech is a sales pitch. Be sure you can deliver your message in 60 seconds or less. 
    Rule: LESS IS MORE. Avoid too much technicality.  
  2. Focus on the essentials: Say who you are, what you do, and what you want to achieve. Why YOU are worth investing in.
  3. Be concise and persuasive: Your time is limited. Focus on what you want to do, and how you or your product stands out, in other words, your unique selling proposition. Be upbeat and flexible.
  4. Practice, practice, practice: Deliver your speech to a friend or record it, so that you can be sure that your message is clear. 
    Make it so clear that anyone can understand it.

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