How to Formulate a Digital Strategy

What is a digital strategy? The use of digital and online channels to engage with people as a way to improve the success of the business. Nowadays, more consumers turn to the Internet to get information about products -- and even make purchases -- it is becoming vital that every business has a digital marketing strategy. Regardless of the size of the company or the industry it operates in, a business can benefit from a digital marketing plan. However, simply establishing a company’s website and expecting people to find it are no longer efficient in today's market.

First, you have to determine your target customers. Perform a market research if you don't currently have an idea of who your potential customers are. Narrow this down to one hypothetical individual that you believe represents your target customers. Focus your message and create it to speak directly to this hypothetical individual; this will help you target the segment of the market which is most likely to purchase your products.

Second, you may look into your competitors' digital marketing strategies. Pay attention to the digital channels that your competitors are using. Perform searches while pretending you are a potential customer to see what information you can get. If you already have a web presence, check if it has become easier to find information about your company or one of your competitors; if it is a competitor, pay attention to what they are doing differently that seems to be working.

Third, choose the digital channels that you want to include in your digital marketing strategy. Consider all forms of digital marketing. Remember that your options are almost limitless; for example, some of the options you could choose include websites, blogs, social media, banner advertising, video advertising and viral marketing. Determine which of these digital marketing channels will provide value to your company, and focus your efforts on the digital marketing which could provide the best return on your investment. What you need are summarized as followed if you want to create a digital strategy:

Staff. You’ll need dedicated digital staff. They should at least know how to use digital tools and understand the digital elements. They should be working on multiple social media, have e-commerce experience, and are able to name their favorite website.

Website. One of the digital assets that every brand should own is a website – it is a brand’s digital shopping window. If you are building a new site, or re-vamping an old one, make sure it is mobile optimized – as most of your future traffic is likely to come from mobile devices. This is particularly important in the mobile-first Asian market, where in some parts of the region, smartphone adoption has now overtaken computer adoption.

Social Media. Facebook may be the norm in many western markets, but across APAC this has perhaps the biggest question mark in the mix. If you are in Southeast Asia, you’ll need to be displayed on Facebook, especially for markets like Thailand and Indonesia. This is where your customers hang out in vast numbers and with an incredible frequency. Use it as a platform to deliver key messages and to drive traffic to your own website or digital assets.

Other social media like Twitter, should be avoided for campaigns, unless you have an expert team on board to manage it. For YouTube, this can be useful, and it has some unique functions, but could you use Facebook video instead? Line, which is very popular in Southeast Asia, is expensive, but can be of great help for specific campaigns. Instagram is picture-based platform, and as the saying goes: a picture paints a thousand words, Instagram is especially useful for fashion or luxury products. But the visuals need to be unique and thumb stopping.

Social Listening. Social listening is a rude practice of snooping in on people’s conversations. Under a digital marketing context, it is nice to have it, but not a must (unless it’s for crisis management).

Data. Digital tools increase the opportunity to collect data. This will open the door for future conversations. But make sure you get the contact permissions, and store the data securely.

Digital Spend. If you’re not spending at least 10 percent of your total marketing budget on digital field, there may be a problem. Ideally it should be somewhere around 15 percent to 20 percent.