Going Digital: Where Do We Start?

A business plan is important for a successful launch in any industry and in digital, it’s the same thing.

Before anything however, it’s important to go back to basics and look at the goals behind any project. Why digital? What do you want digital to do for your company? How can digital help your audience? What are they looking for? What do they want? What can you give them that would be different from your competitors? How will you measure success?

Once you find the answer to these questions you’ll know where you have to start and you’ll be well on your way to launching a successful digital campaign – whether that’s a mobile site, a social media campaign, a blog, a newsletter, a new website launch or an iPad app. Here's your action list to get started.

Define Company Goals for Your Digital Initiative

A digital campaign can do a lot, but it will only work if the concept is focused and your goals are clear. What do you want your digital product to do? Do you want to sell more subscriptions? Do you want to build brand awareness? Do you want return traffic? Do you want a loyal audience? Do you want to increase traffic on your site?

Once you figure out the true goals behind going digital, and their hierarchy of importance to your company, the fun stuff begins – creating content for your audience that is compelling, interesting and useful!

Poll Your Audience

You might have been doing this already, but it doesn’t hurt to run some targeted campaigns around your future digital products and ideas before you launch anything. Perhaps it’s how-tos, tips, videos, photos, news or interviews – find out!

Review the User Experience

How are your users currently experiencing your company’s product(s) via digital devices? Is it a good experience or a bad one? How can you improve on that? Is a specific user experience important to them? For example, would a mobile version be better than a desktop version of your product?

Analyze the Competition

You first want to make sure you’re meeting the industry standard of what people expect from your product. Then, you want to set yourself apart from your competition. I like to ask the following four questions: What are all your competitors doing? What is your competition doing right? What are they doing wrong? What will make your product stand out from the competition?

Create Your Unique Selling Factor

Once you’ve analyzed your competition you will get a better idea of what’s out there and where you can set yourself apart with your digital product. I like to ask my teams these questions: What is the product going to be known for? What will people be talking about after the launch? What will they be writing letters to the editor about once they experience your new product? What is your Unique Selling Factor or Feature (USF)?

Just Get Started

A successful digital strategy combines both company goals and the needs of its audience. It reinforces your brand but also provides a service. When you know what you want, you can focus on what your audience needs. Now you just have to get started!