Not too long ago I was “the girl who did the web stuff”. I was bounced between IT and Marketing as they argued where this “fad” of online marketing (as it was called back then) would fit best. Fast forward 10 years. Now I focus on helping companies develop integrated digital marketing strategies to elevate traditional marketing efforts with a strong digital foothold, through discoverability and engagement.
Creating a digital strategy is an opportunity to bring focus and clarity to the disjointed effort with which many organizations approach to the digital landscape. Companies without a digital strategy tend to approach the web from a tactical level; decisions are made on the fly, or in a reactionary response based on what their completion is doing. Digital is often an afterthought and not part of the initial marketing planning efforts.
By implementing a digital strategy you can establish a firm direction in the development of your organization’s online footprint that will support and work cohesively with all your company’s marketing efforts.
A digital strategy is NOT a business strategy. A traditional business strategy focuses on a more long term road map providing direction for the organization (5-10 year plan) and includes forecasting future growth. A digital strategy has a much shorter focus, 12-24 months, and the budget is more fluid largely because the costs to play in the digital playground can change daily.
Below are a few questions to help flush out the details to establish a solid digital strategy:
“How do we want to grow our digital business?”
“Who is engaging with us now?” “How are they engaging with us?”
“Who is our completion?” “What are they currently doing in the digital world?” “Is this working for them?” “Do we need to be there too?”
“Do we have the resources to support what we want to do digitally?”
“What social media channels do our customers use to reach out to us?”
Business goals and objectives are supported by the marketing strategy and the marketing strategy is supported and enhanced by the digital strategy. The digital strategy is an important part of a strong integrated marketing strategy. If done correctly, it will help your company establish an online presence where your business can be easily discovered and you can engage directly with customers and prospects to bolster future growth.
Want to work with me to develop a more inclusive integrated digital strategy? Connect with me at Kanderson@localhost to start the conversation.
