Can you believe 2017 is almost over? Neither can we. But as it winds down, we’re reflecting on some of ClickZ‘s top articles from the past year. For the rest of the week, we’re going to share our most popular posts, the top-read from each month.
April: Taking risks with digital transformation: Andy Main, Deloitte Digital
What does digital transformation mean to you? For Andy Main, Head of Deloitte Digital and ClickZ‘s Featured Digital Leader for April, it means looking forward and imagining the future. “To do that, you need to answer two questions: What’s going on, and what to do about it. That’s how you imagine someone’s future,” he told Search Engine Watch Editor Rebecca Sentance.
Main went on to discuss the greatest challenge facing digital transformation-aspiring companies, innovations in AR and VR, and what he calls “the element of creative surprise.” That refers to the role of creativity in Deloitte’s evolving, risk-taking culture, which helps keep the consulting firm a cut above the rest, in Main’s opinion. “When the digital era got started, it was all about the customer side of the business. Deloitte was the first of the consulting firms to introduce a digital brand to the marketplace, just over five years ago now,” he said.
Read it here!
May: Five universal principles of social media engagement for business
By now, every marketer understands the importance and value of social media. But given the clutter on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and the emergence of paid social, many of them forget that organic social still provides value. With that in mind, longtime ClickZ contributor Bob Cargill broke down five principles of social media engagement everyone must have in common.
One of those principles is persistence and patience. Unless you’re a massive brand like Red Bull or a Kardashian-sized household name, you’re not necessarily guaranteed attention. It takes time. But once you’ve got some, Bob recommends forgetting “bankers hours” and showing your brand’s human side.
Read it here!
June: How six retailers are using chatbots to boost customer engagement (and why you should, too)
Artificial intelligence was one of the industry’s hottest topics this year and chatbots were the point of entry for many brands. In our most read article of the year, former ClickZ writer Chris Camps explored some of their best capabilities for retailers, such as product recommendations and customer service.
H&M and The North Face quiz consumers to make the most relevant recommendations, while Macy’s helps navigate the store. Perhaps even cooler is the TacoBot, a Taco Bell chatbot integrated into Slack that can take your order.
Read it here!