If you ask 10 people what strategy means, you’ll probably get 10 completely different answers. And with just cause; it’s one of those nebulous terms that gets thrown around with abandon to the point where the meaning gets diluted. Even in my industry, there is still a lot of variance when it comes to what a web strategist actually does. I prefer to keep things simple and define it as helping my clients become more competitive online.
How we do it is less relevant than the actual outcome. So whether we help clients strengthen their online brand, develop an e-commerce approach or social media program, the bottom line is, if it doesn’t help them compete and reach their business objectives, it’s not strategic. If it doesn’t make your brand more relevant to your customers or if you can’t measure its success, chances are, it’s probably not strategic.
Whatever the process one uses, there are two key components to developing a strategy: Analysis + Synthesis. They’re the intertwined yin and yang of thinking that are required to create a successful strategy.
Analysis is required to uncover the real problems, to come up with options, apply the rigor and to devise a methodology to making decisions. In my field, this involves consumer insights, business requirements and stakeholder interviews. Too little of it and you run the risk of overlooking important factors, while too much and you get stuck spinning your wheels in “analysis paralysis.” Synthesis is new thinking that solves the problem. Random ideas that aren’t based in any kind of rationale aren’t likely to succeed, or more commonly, end up being solutions looking for problems.
But before any of all that, I advocate applying something my marketing professor advocates — common sense(!) At the end of the day, you can come up with a brilliant ivory tower strategy but if you’re plan doesn’t sound irresistibly compelling or it takes more than 30 seconds to explain, it’s probably too complicated or simply off the mark.
In a time where companies are under pressure, employees are getting stretched, and there are myriad distractions, focusing on the basic essentials to compete is a core competency everyone needs.
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