These days businesses can’t afford to ignore how the average consumer turns to the internet whenever they need information about a product, service, or business. Both large and small businesses will benefit from a well-thought-out digital business strategy. What many business owners don’t understand is that a successful digital strategy requires more than a website. They need to approach it the same way they would handle a traditional marketing campaign.

Elements of a Good Digital Business Strategy

The key to success is sitting down and deciding exactly what the digital marketing strategy will accomplish. Factors to consider include:

• The business/products presence;

• The influence the digital strategy will have on the market;

• The emotions the marketing will trigger when the target market views the content;

• How will the digital marketing strategy get people talking about the product/business;

• The type of resonance the digital marketing campaign will generate.

Choose the Most Effective Channels

The digital channels selected for the marketing strategy play an important role in the success of the digital business strategy. The rule of thumb is to choose the maximum amount of channels a manager can handle. The more channels used, the higher the number of consumers reached. As time passes, the business can compare the results from each channel and decide if any are underperforming. If so, they should be discarded. Digital channels choices include:

1. Banner advertisements

2. Social media networks

3. Promotional videos

4. Article directories

5. Websites

6. Viral marketing

7. Blogs

Create a Timeline

Don’t launch an entire marketing program at once. Digital marketing should steadily trickle out to the virtual world. Using a calendar to create deadlines for specific marketing tasks helps business keep their marketing on track, measure the effectiveness of each marketing technique, and maximizes the number of consumers reached.

Keep it Consistent

Nothing destroys a digital business strategy faster than inconsistency. The message and tone projected by each piece of marketing material need to remain consistent. Using a small test market before making marketing material public on the internet is the best way to determine the response of the average consumer.

Consider Putting Someone in Charge of Digital Business Strategy

Business owners can’t expect to handle everything themselves. More often than not, it’s in the business owner’s best interest to appoint someone as Chief Digital Officer. This person’s duties will include the creation and execution of the digital strategy. They should report the result of their efforts to the owner at regular intervals.

It’s vitally important to regularly evaluate the current digital business strategy and pin down which aspects are and aren’t working.

Linking with Context

A. Digital Business Strategies: The Ultimate Guide < https://www.imd.org/imd-reflections/digital-programs-reflections/digital-business-strategies/ >.

B. Digital Business Strategy: Toward a Next Generation of Insights < https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282543175_Digital_Business_Strategy_Toward_a_Next_Generation_of_Insights/ >.

C. Understanding Digital Strategy < https://hbr.org/podcast/2018/08/understanding-digital-strategy/ >.

D. Key components of a digital strategy < https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/it/digital-strategy/key-components/ >.