A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT

Digital is fundamentally shifting competitive landscapes across every industry and consumer expectations have changed. “Business as usual” no longer means setting a direction for your organisation and forging ahead in a straight line. It means adapting to constant change, balancing and assessing risk against benefit, communicating, sharing and collaborating, expanding and contracting, learning, experimenting and listening.

A digital strategy is not an IT strategy. Where IT has historically focused on technology, digital affects virtually every aspect of a business and the ability to adapt to these changes depends on a cultural shift. New digital tools and software can help organisations to be more efficient, to reach new customers and to gain greater insight. But these benefits can only be realised if the people tasked with leveraging these tools do so with the right approach and support.

BEYOND TECHNOLOGY

Many organisations in our region approach digital in an ad-hoc manner, ‘bolting’ digital elements on to their existing business models. A Facebook page here, a post or 2 on Instagram and an email to a purchased list whenever a new product or service is launched. Not only is this ineffective, it overlooks the vast potential that digital can provide. ‘Bolt-on’ digital is no longer a viable option.

A successful digital strategy integrates more than technology and should reach far beyond your IT and marketing departments. It starts with people and provides a framework to develop skills and new approaches to business. The continually evolving nature of digital means that ongoing development is a far better approach than one-off, fixed cost projects. Of course, to keep budgets in line it’s important that everyone knows what needs to be accomplished. This can only be achieved through a clearly considered and communicated strategy.

A DIGITAL VOICE AT BOARD LEVEL

Digital isn’t a luxury. For your customers, shareholders, employees, partners and even outsourced support, digital is a necessity. Many organisations continue to underestimate the dramatic impact that the web and new technology is having on their businesses. Without a voice to provide digital insight and awareness at a board level, fundamental decisions are often made without all the facts. This can mean that your organisation:

• Misses opportunities and loses out to competition
• Hires for the wrong positions & introduces new risks into the business
• Spends money in the wrong places
• Fails to meet customer expectations

EXPERTISE ON DEMAND

Adapting to the digital world needs strong leadership. Recognising the need for senior level digital expertise is the first step. Finding someone is the next. Organisations around the world are employing Chief Digital Officers (CDO) – in fact, there’s even a website dedicated to the position here http://chief.digital.

Rather than investing in a full time CDO, we can provide access to digital expertise on demand. By working on a project and deliverables basis, we can fulfil many of the responsibilities of an executive officer. For instance, developing strategy, governance and in-house capabilities. Supporting recruitment and providing outside perspective. As an independent consultancy, we can also help identify potential outsourced relationships.

DIVERSIFICATION OVER SPECIALISATION

Traditional marketing roles have historically favoured specialisation. An Account Manager wouldn’t be expected to draft copy, that’s the Copywriter’s job. A Creative wouldn’t be asked to place adverting, that would be the Media Buyer’s responsibility. In our new digital reality however, we need polymaths. A polymath is defined neatly by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘a person of wide knowledge or learning’. Of course we still need specialist designers, developers, editors, strategists and so on but to excel in any one of these roles, each individual has to have a clear understanding of the others function.

Digital is equal parts technology, people, content, strategy, analytics and communication. Design a website without considering how it will be developed and it will, at best, fail to fulfil your users needs. At worst it may be completely impossible to produce. Create a social media campaign without considering an advertising budget or what platforms to use to reach your target audience and again, it will fail.

DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY

Digital skills and those who have developed them, are in high demand. They are also short in supply. This means that how digital professionals are recruited and retained requires thought. Where you may have previously written a job description with the aim of narrowing the field, it’s important to remember that only works if there are more candidates than there are positions to fill. Don’t write a job ‘description’, write a job ‘advertisement’ – you need to sell your organisation to the right candidate, not the other way around.

Every organisation is different. Where they’re based, how they’re structured, how they approach digital, how ingrained their brand values, frameworks and governance are and how buoyant their market is. These elements are just a small example. Of course, how a digital team should be structured, which skill sets should be employed in house versus outsourced, where they should integrate and how they should be supported varies depending on any number of factors. With more than 10 years experience, we can help you to build your team and get the most out of digital.

BEING DIGITAL

‘Being digital’, really taking advantage of the possibilities that the Digital Age provides, means more than following a static roadmap. How your organisation communicates, both internally and externally, how your processes are designed and how end users are considered can ensure the future of your company is a positive one.

Finding the right people to carry you through to that future is not an easy task. The world over, organisations are struggling to find staff with the right skill set to help them leverage the benefits of digital. Digital now goes far beyond technical competencies and requires a totally new approach to filling roles throughout an organisation. It’s very difficult, for example, for a traditional Marketing Manager to not only identify the key qualities of an exceptional Social Media Manager but to effectively judge their output.

DEVELOPING SKILLS

Looking at digital from a technology perspective alone misses how important it is for staff to develop the skills and confidence to think digital first. Effective integration of digital relies on your staff feeling confident and knowledgeable enough to adopt best practice and manage risk effectively. They can only do this with the right support and training.

Digital moves at a pace unseen in virtually any other industry. This means that to stay ahead of the curve requires on going, specialist insight and support. In a survey undertaken by Adobe, 76% of respondents felt that marketing had changed more in the past 2 years than the 50 before and only 48% felt highly proficient in digital. Through training and consultancy, we make sure your organisation keeps moving forwards and is well positioned to adapt to change positively.

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

Consumers have led a revolution, shifting the balance of power away from brands to users. There are some fantastic examples of businesses that have successfully leveraged this change. Whilst the luxury goods market grew by just 1-2% in September 2015, Burberry’s revenue increased by 11%. GDS, the UK’s Government Digital Services who have completed groundbreaking work, consolidating over 300 websites into just one. GE, Lego, Ford, Starbucks, the list is constantly growing as more organisations look to meet their customers requirements and beat the competition.

However, many traditional marketing and advertising agencies are yet to adapt to this new digital reality. Unable to develop the team, the skills and the structure necessary, smaller, more agile agencies have been eating into budgets which in the past would have unquestionably gone to more established firms.

DIGITAL IS BUSINESS CRITICAL

Marketing and business strategy have never been so intertwined. Organisations who are using digital marketing platforms effectively are looking well beyond individual campaigns. They are looking at the data, insights and impact across the entire business. They are using this information to direct business decisions, to quickly review and react to successes and failures. This is allowing them to be ever more targeted with their communications and cost effective with their budgets. Agencies unable to predict customers’ individual needs and take immediate action won’t be able to compete.

Digital has become business critical. This holds true for agencies just as much as it does for the organisations they work with. Grasping the technology and the services that a digital agency provides is key. But developing the right environment, motivation, training and support systems can mean the difference between failure and success.

PROPOSAL SUPPORT

Whether you run an independent operation, an established corporation or head up a government department, it’s likely that you will need to rely on a digital supplier, agency or consultant at some stage. It’s also likely that you will be looking to these third parties to provide knowledge and expertise to improve your business.

No matter how experienced, outside help still need the right guidance and insight to meet your requirements. The more relevant the information you can provide at the outset, the better the initial proposals will be. We’ve created hundreds ourselves and know what it is that suppliers are looking for when they respond.

AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE

When it comes time to identify and finally make your selection, bringing in an outside perspective can help. What platforms, software or solutions are right for your company? Who should implement the changes? Do they have the right team, skills, support structure and understanding of your needs? Do you have the right in-house team, with the right skills and experience to manage the project?

For many clients, we work first to identify their needs. We then define and prioritise these before helping to find the people best suited to solving their unique business challenges.