Everything you wanted to know about digital strategy

(but never thought to ask) Second Wednesday – 14th April 2010

Your digital strategy is in endless beta

Digital consultant – strategies for the digital economy

I specialise in digital strategy in creative media, B2B, public sector & pharmaceutical

Tactical delivery in e-marketing, social media, online content

Strategic planning is... creating a vision for a project or business – what and why

Tactical planning is...working out the best way to deliver the strategy – how, who and when

Digital strategy – context: Web is a nascent industry (20 years young), propelled by experimentation and doing.

Web has become a commodity, a necessity rather than competitive advantage.

Strategy planning protects resources, stimulates innovation and creates measurable, achievable goals.

Strategy specialists are commonplace in USA are starting to be hired UK in larger organisations.

Full service agencies often offer planning/media buying and strategy as part of bid.

Most strategists specialise in campaign planning/buying for big brands.

Digital engagement:

Connecting with audiences, stakeholders, customers or leads online – this can be through creating social

spaces, content audiences can engage with, or using the web to research what customers want.

The strategy planning process:

POST: People, Objective, Strategy, Technology

Phase Outcome Deliverable Tools

1. Understand the business

– see where digital can

align and enhance

business/marketing plan

Get key stakeholders

inspired by

opportunities

Project Initiation

Document

Interviews

Business plan review

2. Research the market –

past activities,

competitors, market

trends

Understand market

trends in sector and

outcomes of

previous activities

Website review

Competitor review

Web analytics

Social analytics

Sentiment analysis

Survey/ interviews

Focus group

Crowd-sourcing

3. Develop a vision or new

or better way of delivery

in specific areas (can

involve radical

disruption) to address

business goals

Key team members

engaging in planning

and finding solutions

Digital strategy

document

1 year action plan

Lateral thinking:

Six Thinking Hats

Open space workshop

Brainstorm

4. Get governance and

buy-in

Ensure team are

skilled and

motivated to deliver

Training session

Follow-up review

Team workshop

Offering strategy as part of a web service:

Advantages: Adds value, high value service, differentiation, can later up-sell client to delivery services, acts

as entry point, work is varied,

Disadvantages: Majority of clients unwilling to pay for advice, less trusting of consultancy from service

suppliers, doesn’t always fit in with procurement models, need to educate market of value, little visible

goal, can often be hard to make client implement.

“Business types like to say “strategy” a lot as it sounds big, complicated and important. And it is important,

but there is no need for it to be complicated. Quite the opposite. At the heart of it all “strategy” is just about

having a plan for the thing you are working on. Or as Wikipedia puts it “a strategy is a plan of action

designed to achieve a particular goal”.

What – When – Where – How - Why

Strategy services you can offer:

1. Preparing a detailed analysis of existing site and recommendations 2. Writing a web brief 3. Developing a web content plan or marketing plan

Contact Me:

Email: susi@digitalconsultant.co.uk

Tel: 07981 222799

Twitter: @susioneill

Skype: susi.oneill

web/blog: www.digitalconsultant.co.uk