I often get asked the question, “What is Digital Strategy?”   As strange as it may seem, the way I explain it is in reference to a delicious gourmet meal.  While it is easy to determine that cilantro, oregano, basil and dill are all wonderful ingredients, it is also true that not all of them work in every recipe.  Although Chilean Sea Bass and Grilled Lamb Chops may be two of your favorite dishes, you would not necessarily pair the same wine or side dishes with them both.  And just like every fine meal is unique, so is every brand.

When planning a meal, a great chef steps back and looks at the main course and then builds around it with only the most complimentary of ingredient combinations.  Similarly, while planning a Digital Strategy for your brand, you must step back and determine what combination of ingredients would work best for your particular goals.  Just because there is a big buzz around a new digital tactic at any given time, it does not necessarily mean it would work best in your recipe for success.  Alternately, the amount of the budget carved out for a given tactic may need to be smaller (a pinch) or bigger (3 cups) depending on the evolving goals of your brand.

When putting together a digital strategy, you should start by asking the questions that will marry your short term and long term goals as well as your offline marketing plan to your digital plan. Where do you want your brand to be in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years?  Who is your core customer and what is your expansion market target? Are the offline initiatives being complimented by the online campaigns or operating in a silo?

Once your goals and challenges are clearly defined, you then begin to put together the best combination of tactics to achieve the desired result. While email may have proven to have the best ROI in the past, how much is too much? If you are ranking organically for a number of key terms, can you divert the paid search budget away from them and to others that are not performing as well organically– or will having the double presence on these particular terms be more powerful?  At what times of year will it be best to raise the display or search budgets and when can a well executed social media campaign bring you to the next level?  The list goes on and on.  Like any fine meal, every ingredient should complement the others and work to create the best overall result. This starts out with a strategy.