How to make digital part of your strategy

So, what is a digital strategy and why is it important and do you need to even spend any time on having yet another strategy in place?

By now you've heard about search engine marketing, social media, online advertising and managing mobile marketing and managing your reputation online. What is however very important is that you have a digital strategy and that this forms part of your overall business strategy.

Where to start?

Too often all things digital are referred to as IT and part of the “smoke and mirrors” division of the business. Those in marketing, sales and planning too easily leave all the internet matters to the IT department, thereby abdicating their responsibility when it comes to digital planning and implementation.

The best way to start is to get all the players on the same level with regards to what the company is planning to do in the digital sphere and then to ensure that there is one digital strategy in place.
One way of doing this is a digital strategy and educational workshop. At such a workshop the marketing-, sales- and PR divisions of the company should be present. The creative-, media- and web agencies would also benefit from being at such a workshop.

A workshop schedule that works include:

• A senior manager or executive should sharing the company vision with all the attendants at such a workshop. The business objectives should then be clearly spelled out. Once done, a team member should share the communications plan for the year (or remainder of the financial year). There is no sense in having an online/digital plan that will not tie in with both the overall business plans of the business as well as the marketing goals for the same period.
  
• Making sure that everyone around the table understands the overall plans and strategy of the business for the specified time period, will go a long way in ensuring that there is proper “synching” between offline and online (as well as below and above the lines!).
  
• A discussion of all online/digital tools out there and how they work.
  
• An open discussion of how these tools can be applied to the business: what fits in with the company culture, infrastructure and budget.

Once done, the comments and input of all present can be used as the basis for the company online/digital strategy.

What's in such a strategy?

So, now that everyone's heard about the joys of digital and what can be done, the strategy needs to be put together. This then needs to be formulated into a workable plan with actual tools that will be utilised and implemented, a budget attached and then clear timelines and measures for ROI.

The basis of the strategy should be the business strategy for the period and the corresponding marketing and communications strategy.

If the business strategy stipulates that market share be grown in the youth market and the marketing strategy in turn defines how this will be achieved, the digital strategy needs to be in “synch” with these goals.

In this case, it needs to be determined how the digital tools at your disposal can be utilised to:

• Gain insight into that market segment.
  
• Build the brand.
  
• Gain more awareness.
  
• Generate leads.
  
• Generate sales.
  
• Maintain relationships with the target market.
  
• Build a database.
  
• Help define and refine products and services.

Let's assume that in order to achieve all of the above that the company will use some or all of the following digital tools:

• Social networking.
  
• Online video.
  
• Online advertising.
  
• Affiliate marketing.
  
• Email marketing.
  
• Mobile marketing.
  
• Mobile competition.

Once this has been determined, the actual online resources need to be identified, an action plan decided on and a budget allocated.

In the case of video, a possible campaign on Zoopy may be the answer and when it comes to mobile, a Mxit competition may work best. All of these require careful assessment of the target markets they serve, the set-up and ongoing costs, the reporting and measurement tools in place and the expected returns in terms of the targets.

Once such detailed plans are in place for every product, service, campaign or ongoing awareness, it will make the identification of service providers and the implementation a much easier task.

It ain't cast in stone

One thing is for sure: nothing digitally is cast in stone. It is imperative to review all plans, campaigns and ideas on an ongoing basis. At minimum, detailed and interpretive monthly reports are required to determine whether everything planned for is still on course.

If something doesn't work, find out why and change it! No need to wait for 12 months to decide whether something is really going to work or not!

What's most important

The three most important elements in a digital strategy, in this author's opinion, are:
1. Make sure all the role players buy into the digital strategy.
2. Make sure everything digital ties in with other business and marketing plans.
3. Be prepared to experiment!