Today, most businesses wishing to take advantage of the social-digital revolution are in the “crawling-walking” phase of their transformation; they are focused on building numbers measured by likes, followers, and the amplification of their messages. Tomorrow, many companies will be in the “running-flying” stages of social digital; they will connect effortlessly with multiple stakeholders who make their businesses smarter and better positioned for the future. Tomorrow’s metrics will be new efficiencies, ideas, products, and services as well as better business intelligence.

Source: David Armano in Harvard Business Review

In yesterday’s article from the Harvard Business Review blog, Edelman’s David Armano asks How Social Digital Is Your Company?. “Social Digital” sounds a bit like catchphrasification of the obvious to me. But Armano has it right. Social and digital are separate but go hand in hand.

The thing is, though, one can’t understand what he calls the social-digital revolution without also understanding how the “infrastructure, the plumbing and wiring”, actually works and how marketing and communications can benefit from it. Too often, this part gets glossed over, because people love to talk about the “social” part of the equation. For businesses, this is as much a social revolution as it is a data-driven revolution.

Long-term, it breaks down the traditional marketing barriers and brings change to many jobs, departments and industry (like communications). “Social digital” done right transforms the way companies do business. Exciting times!