Digital Communication Lecture Note

Simply said, digital communication involves an organization’s online communication efforts. Most organizations today use a wide range of online channels—from their website to mobile chat to blogs—to connect with current and prospective customers, employees, and other stakeholders. They need digital marketing professionals who have a keen understanding of how to leverage this convergence of technology and messaging to their advantage. Digital communications professionals are responsible for everything from creating online brand assets to building an engaged social media audience.

“Today, the options for getting a message out are much broader and quicker than they were just a few decades ago,” explains Dr. Edward Powers, professor in Northeaster’s Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication and Bachelor of Science in Digital Communication and Media programs. “Digital communication professionals have to be mindful about how to put forward these new tools in the right way.”

Dr. Powers shares a salient example. The Danish branch of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) developed a campaign leveraging the short-lived nature of Snapchat posts to help protect endangered species. Snapchat users were accustomed to their selfies disappearing within seconds of posting. To convey their message, the organization alerted Snapchat users to how quickly endangered species could also disappear. They shared dramatic, close-up photos of animals on the verge of extinction with the message: “Don’t let this be my last selfie.”