It is increasingly obvious these days that every organisation has a digital strategy. Yet in practice, this is not always the case. Many companies do carry out digital activities, but without a clear strategy that ties everything together. This often leads to fragmentation and missed opportunities. A real shame. A digital strategy is more than just a plan to have an online presence – it is the most important way for the outside world to find out how your company responds to the modern market and what your company stands for.
But what is the state of your organisation’s digital strategy? Is it well thought out and aligned with growth ambitions? Or does it lack a clear plan that ties all digital efforts together?
A big gap between how potential customers see your organisation and how existing customers know your organisation.
The lack of a digital strategy may go unnoticed in the short term, but sooner or later the consequences will be felt. Cries like ‘I thought you were doing something completely different’, ‘what exactly do you do’ or ‘if only we had found you earlier’ are a clear signal from the target audience indicating that your (lack of a) digital strategy is selling your company short.
The following problem areas mainly emerge:
- Inconsistency: Without clear direction, your company’s online presence can become fragmented. Different departments work alongside each other, with campaigns and initiatives not properly aligned.
- Wasted resources: Digital marketing without a clear strategy can lead to inefficient spending, as budgets are allocated to projects that do not have a clear measurable goal.
- Missed opportunities: Without a strategy, you miss the opportunity to make the most of data, spot trends early and stay ahead of competitors.
- Poor customer experience: Consistent communication and branding are essential for building trust. When this is lacking, it leads to a confusing customer experience.
Where do we want to be in 10 years?
The lack of a digital strategy is usually not intentional. Often, these situations arise due to the rapid growth of an organisation. Companies that grow rapidly often set up ad hoc digital initiatives to keep up, without a long-term vision behind them. Daily tasks and existing work take over the weekly agenda. As a result, it quickly slips in to thinking about where the company needs to grow.
Besides lack of time, not everyone in a company has the same interests or knowledge. Digital strategies require specific knowledge of channels, tools, and how they work together. This can sometimes lie outside a company’s existing area of expertise.
This together often leads to a short-term approach when it comes to the organisation’s online visibility. When sales decline or when there are many vacancies, the pressure to operate online increases. This often comes without a solid foundation, but due to a sudden movement from within the organisation. As a result, the effectiveness of a short campaign is low and confidence is then also negative when results are disappointing.
Why do you want to have a good digital strategy?
A solid digital strategy not only gives you direction, but also structure and measurable results. Here are a few reasons why you absolutely want this one:
- Consistency in communication: With a clear strategy, you ensure that you convey the same message everywhere, leading to recognition and trust among your target audience.
- Clarity and direction: A strategy provides a compass for all digital efforts and ensures that everyone has the same goals in mind.
- Better deployment of resources: You get more out of your budget because you deploy what works and focus on the channels that have the most impact.
- Maximising ROI: A targeted approach will make your digital efforts more efficient, resulting in a higher return on investment.
- Flexibility and scalability: A good strategy enables you to respond quickly to changes in the market, seize new opportunities and achieve sustainable growth.
- Stronger brand perception: Through consistent communication, you create recognition and trust among your target audience.
How will you realise a digital strategy?
There are plenty of tools, models and methodologies that can help you do this. A practical tool we like to use is the Why How-What model and specifically Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle variant.
Why (Why do we exist?)
The starting point is the ‘why’ of your organisation: the reason why you do what you do. This goes beyond just making a profit. Think about your deeper motivation and core values. For us, this is:
‘We believe in providing creative, pragmatic solutions for digital visibility so that companies can realise their full potential.’
It is important that this ‘why’ aligns with your company’s core values and inspires both your team and customers.
How (How do we do this?)
The ‘how’ is about the processes, values, and unique approach your company uses to realise your ‘why’. How does your company stand out in the market? For us, the ‘how’ is:
‘We work closely with our clients, listening to their specific needs to deliver customised digital marketing solutions as a trusted partner, focused on the long term.’
This section helps you clarify what makes your business different from others and how to put this into practice.
What (What we do?)
This is the most visible aspect of your business: the products or services you offer. The ‘what’ indicates concretely what you do to help your customers. For us, this is:
‘We offer services such as Google Ads campaigns, social media marketing, and website optimisation, to increase businesses’ online visibility.’
This is where you explain exactly what your services entail and how they contribute to fulfilling your ‘why’.
Target group approach
After going through the Golden Circle, the next step is to approach your target audience in an effective way. This starts with translating your ‘why’ into the language of your target audience so that they can identify with your core values. Here are a few steps to do this:
- Segmentation of the target audience
Divide your target audience into specific segments based on characteristics such as demographics, behaviour, or need. For us, these are (technical) SMEs. Each segment has its own unique needs and challenges. - Creating personas
Create detailed personas for each target audience segment. These personas should include not only demographic information, but also their pain points and goals. This way, you can better address their specific needs. - Aligning value proposition with target group
Use the ‘why’ from the Golden Circle model to tailor your value proposition to each target group. If you know why your company exists and how it provides value, you can make that value clear to different customer groups. Communicate in their language so that your message is understood. - Pick the right channels
Each target segment prefers certain communication channels. Analyse where your target audience is located (social media, e-mail, search engines) and adjust your strategy accordingly. Make sure you remain consistent in communicating your ‘why’ through all channels. - Personalise your message
After you have segmented your target audience, you can create personalised messages for each segment. Make sure your message matches their specific challenges and goals, and shows how your ‘why’ and services solve these problems.
How do you turn strategy into an executable plan?
Now that you know why and how to realise a strategy, it comes down to execution. Turning a digital strategy into an executable plan requires a structured approach. Here are the steps you can follow to do this effectively:
Step 1: Defining goals and KPIs
Before you start implementing a strategy, it is essential to set clear goals. This gives direction to all your efforts and allows you to measure success.
Define goals: What do you want to achieve? For example: more brand awareness, an increase in website traffic, higher conversion rates. Consider metrics such as organic website traffic, click-through rates (CTR), conversions, or engagement on social media.
Step 2: Segmentation and persona creation
You have already gathered this information in the targeting approach, when creating a persona you actually want to put a face to the approach.
Step 3: Choosing channels and resources
Decide which channels and resources you will use to get your message across effectively.
Choose the right channels: Analyse where your target audience is and which channels are the best fit. These could be social media, search engines, email marketing, or blogs.
Determine resources: What type of content do you need? Think blog articles, videos, e-books, ads or infographics. Make sure these resources are consistent with your ‘why’.
Step 4: Creating action plan and roadmap
Now that your goals, target audience and resources are clear, you can create a concrete action plan and roadmap.
Prioritise: Make a list of all the actions needed to implement the strategy. Prioritise what is most impactful and start with that.
Roadmap: Plan out actions over time. Create a roadmap with deadlines for launching campaigns, publishing content, and measuring results. This ensures that everyone knows what needs to happen when.
Step 5: Assign team and tasks
Proper execution requires everyone on the team to know what his/her role is.
Divide roles: Decide who is responsible for each aspect of implementation. These could be tasks such as content creation, SEO, ad management, or data analysis.
Clear communication: Make sure everyone on the team gets regular updates and knows how their work contributes to the bigger goal.
Step 6: Measuring and adjusting
Once you have implemented the strategy, it is important to continuously measure and evaluate whether you are on track with your goals.
Monitor KPIs: Track progress through your KPIs and see if your goals are being met.
Data analysis and feedback: Analyse the performance of your campaigns and learn what works and what doesn’t. Use these insights to adjust and optimise your strategy.
Optimise continuously: The plan is not a static document. Adjust it based on performance and changing market conditions.
Step 7: Evaluation and further development
After implementing your plan, it is important to evaluate the results and see how you can grow further.
Identify successes and learning moments: Look at what went well and where you can improve.
Iterate and improve: Use this evaluation to make your next campaign even better. Consider new experiments or extensions of successful parts of your strategy.
Ready to enhance your digital strategy?
At De Mannen van Delft, we help companies like yours not only realise their digital strategy, but also turn it into tangible results. From a comprehensive analysis to a clear plan of action, we are ready to guide you. Want to know how we can strengthen your digital strategy? Drop by at Koornmarkt 3 or check out our approach at www.demannenvandelft.nl. We would love to think along with you!
