26 September 2012 Will The Real Digital Strategists Please Stand Up?

Clients are increasingly getting better at digital. It’s taken some time, but we’re now at a point where most clients understand digital’s potential role, importance and place. And this is only going to get stronger (particularly as younger marketers step into decision-making roles).

As a result, many brands now have the basic digital hygiene factors covered. They’re in social media, creating content, leveraging video, thinking about SEO and search, using analytics and are across mobile.

And I think a lot of people who call themselves “Digital Strategists” are going to start sweating when they get asked what to do next. What happens after a brand ticks off the digital basics?

Because once they play the “Let’s use Pinterest” card, I think they’re going to start running out of answers.

Dare I say it’s time for Digital Strategist 2.0s.

Posted by Zac Martin
7 Comments
  • Clayton Wehner
    Posted at September 26, 2012 9:13pm, 26 September Reply

    Of course, some digital strategists are a cut above the rest though, as I have experienced.

    CW

  • David
    Posted at September 26, 2012 9:20pm, 26 September Reply

    So what does 2.0 bring clients, is it the ability to finally link online with offline in the same package? Matching offline messages with your digital strategy is more important than coming up with a new Pinterest campaign…

  • Matty Soccio
    Posted at September 27, 2012 10:22am, 27 September Reply

    Good topic – having an everyday capacity to offer the qualities/services you've outlined as making up a 'digital strategist' (SEO, SM, content creation etc) means a) having a clear understanding of what they are, what they can do and why they would work for that business, and b) continually updating that knowledge so you can offer your clients the best possible service.

    Sometimes I'm amazed at how little people still know about using SM for business purposes, but I guess we're immersed in it every day. What you think?

  • Lach Hall
    Posted at September 27, 2012 10:26am, 27 September Reply

    Yep, Digital Strategist 2.0 is a roll back to Communications Strategist – how do you get an idea/positioning out in general.

  • Matthew Perkins
    Posted at September 27, 2012 10:29am, 27 September Reply

    The thing often missed out is merging the digital and offline strategies together, why should there be a separate digital strategy when together a digital and traditional strategy work far better in an integrated approach than the sum of their parts.

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at September 27, 2012 4:23pm, 27 September Reply

    All good points. I think the next stage of digital strategy includes fun phrases like accountable and measurable ROI, knowing if the "I" in ROI is actually doing anything for sales, integration with traditional, ongoing optimisation and good creative story telling.

  • Michael Bian
    Posted at October 17, 2013 6:48pm, 17 October Reply

    it’s a little extreme but you get the point.

Post A Comment