Quick wins are always good, but at Distl, we’re far more interested in the bigger picture. Our team is committed to delivering ongoing value by focussing on what really matters to your business in the long term.
While short term results are important, we see them as a stepping stone toward achieving your main business objectives. For us, it’s all about consistently working toward your biggest, hairiest, most audacious goals. We want to make a difference to your business and its bottom line by the end of this year, next year and in ten years’ time.
To walk the walk (and not just talk the talk), we’ve created a digital strategy service offering that’s designed to take your business to the next level. It’s an opportunity for you to step back, hit refresh and determine the best way forward.
By arming your business with a digital strategy, you will gain clarity and focus around your future direction. It will allow you to define your objectives and determine the most effective ways to achieve your desired outcomes. In the end, you will be provided with a 5-year roadmap that will set your business on the path to success, no matter what that may look like to you.
Why Develop a Long-Term Digital Strategy?
As a business owner, you have to juggle many responsibilities. Your time is consumed with all sorts of activities, from managing day to day operations to solving problems as they arise.
When an issue comes to your attention, it’s only logical to seek out the corresponding solution. If your business isn’t ranking on the first page of Google, then SEO is the answer. If your lead generation efforts aren’t sufficient, then it might be worth exploring social media advertising.
In both instances, digital marketing will likely provide you with an interim fix, but this singular approach is not geared toward getting your business to where it needs to be in the long term. It’s being reactive, not proactive.
With a digital strategy in place, your business can be one step ahead. You won’t be scrambling to catch up or take action. Instead, you will only be dedicating your energy to worthwhile activities that are going to provide your business with valuable results.
Digital Strategy vs. OKRs
If you’re already a Distl client, you’re probably very familiar with our OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology. Each quarter we work closely with our clients to identify short term goals that will define the activities we undertake for that period of time.
For instance, an objective may be to improve website speed and UX (User Experience). Over the course of the quarter, our team will perform specific tasks that will support this overall objective, such as conducting a UX site review, condensing unnecessary website code, optimising imagery and more.
While an OKR plan ensures our team is focussed on the right activities each quarter, it does not look too far into the future, unlike a digital strategy which is designed to support your business over the next 5 years.
When structuring an OKR plan, our team will take your brand, your audience and your industry into consideration. We will examine your existing digital marketing performance and compare it to your competition. A digital strategy goes a step further. It enables us to take a deep dive into the world of your business and conduct comprehensive research and analysis.
When Does Your Business Need a Digital Strategy?
In an ideal world, your business would already have a digital strategy in place. Any time is a good time to press pause, take stock and realign your digital marketing presence.
Before starting a major marketing project, such as a rebrand or a website redevelopment, you should first establish a digital strategy. It will ensure your new brand is aligned with your digital marketing presence and that your website is built to support your future direction.
If you’re wondering whether your business is ready for a digital strategy, there are signs that could indicate whether the timing is right for you. Whenever your business is experiencing any significant form of change, a digital strategy could be exactly what you need to find the best approach for moving forward.
How Do We Create Your Digital Strategy?
When you engage Distl for any new service, we always start the process with an inception meeting. It could be to discuss your new brand, your website project or your digital marketing activities. Either way, we want to take the time to get to know you and your business to ensure we are heading in the right direction. Our digital strategy service is no different.
Strategy workshop
In an initial workshop, we will aim to achieve the following;
- Identify your long-term business goals.
- Understand your audience.
- Discuss your industry and your competition.
- Define your brand and what differentiates your offering.
During the workshop we will collect preliminary information that will set the foundations for our discovery phase.
Discovery Phase
Next we will collect a vast amount of data and information. Depending on your business and your industry, we may examine market research, published studies and other existing resources. Our objective is to further flesh out what we learned in the strategy workshop by reading widely and analysing various metrics.
We will use this time to;
- Research audience segments.
- Determine user behaviours and attitudes.
- Identify industry trends.
- Analyse competitors.
Insights & Propositions
Once the discovery phase is complete, we will distil all of our learnings down to a key set of insights. We will look beyond the research to identify unique trends and opportunities, rather than simply presenting you with our findings. From there, we will form propositions that will define what actions your business should take based on these insights.
Recommendations
Finally, we will provide you with recommendations based on the propositions we have made. We will advise digital marketing channels, how to measure and track results and provide ideas for content, campaigns and more. Each recommendation will be linked back to the insights we have provided, with a clear rationale and justification.
At the end of the strategy, you will have a solid plan on what needs to happen over the next 12 months, as well as a guide for the following 4 years. To ensure your strategy is both achievable and manageable, we will tailor your 12-month plan according to your resources and budget.
Want to Know More?
If you’re ready to take the next step, get in touch with us today. We would love to discuss your business and see how we could use a digital strategy to support you in the long term.
