Let me preface this post by saying — Yes, I’m a Digital Strategist. Yes, that means my view on this is probably slightly skewed.

It’s a question that a lot of people ask (at least ask themselves) when they talk with an agency or a freelance strategist. I get it, budgets are tight and paying an outsider to think about what your brand/organization should do can be a hard bullet to bite. How do you quantify the value of this? How do you quantify the time it will take to ‘think’ before there’s actually something tangible? Do they really understand your needs? There are lots of questions that can make this a tough step to take.

My answer to the big question is — No, you don’t need a Digital Strategist, you need a good Digital Strategist. This is an important role that can provide valuable insight into and identify growth opportunities for your brand/organization’s digital ecosystem. What the hell is a digital eco-system you may ask? People who have worked with me in the past or who are currently working with me may have noticed (or I’m sure will notice after this post) that I use terms like digital experience, digital properties, and digital ecosystem when discussing the digital world. I rarely use terms like site or website or app. I do this for a couple of reasons (I could ramble on for days about this, but will try to keep it short):

1. There are very few websites or apps that are just websites or apps. Typically sites integrate with services, they push and pull content and information.  Think about it, when was the last time you visited a digital property that did not have an integration? From simple integrations like social media sharing to more complex integrations like CRM or other data services, today’s ‘websites’ are actually complex digital experiences for users that have a lot of moving parts behind the scenes.
2. It’s a mindset. Digital properties should all be part of a unified experience. Social media, email, websites, digital ads, videos, etc. all need to work together across platforms (computers, phones, tables, speakers, TVs, etc.) to tell a story and provide a conversation or interaction with audiences and customers. Let’s be real, everyone uses technology differently, so how can users expect users to use digital properties the same way other users do? This sounds like a big problem, but it’s really a big opportunity to have a personalized interaction with audiences. This only happens when there is a unified voice, a unified experience across for users.

You may have noticed I say a GOOD Digital Strategist can have a positive impact. So, what makes a digital strategist good?

1. A good Digital Strategist is able to recognize trends across technologies and industries and use those trends to avoid ‘trendy’ traps or try to solve problems for the sake of solving problems. Do we really need all of these new features or are they putting a band-aid on a bullet hole?
2. A good Digital Strategist is able to provide guidance based on the information they gather. Yes, the digital world offers endless opportunity, but to take advantage of that endless opportunity can be tricky with limited resources. I always talk with my clients about sustainability and practicality. There is a great blog post on Hero Digital that discusses a trajectory for CX maturity.  They outline how to be where most organizations/brands want to be they need to start smaller and refine and refine and refine some more. The digital space is constantly moving, so it’s important to stay nimble and have a growth trajectory that is both practical and sustainable.
3. A good Digital Strategist is able to pull information from their past and provide a path forward. Let’s be honest, there are very few digital problems that people have not tried to solve already. I know, we’re all unique and have unique problems – but do we really?
4. A good Digital Strategist knows what to ask different audiences/stakeholders to get the information they need in an efficient way.

A good Digital Strategist understands the digital world. They understand the digital world because they live in it. They love it. They’re intrigued and excited by it. They recognize its benefits and opportunities and understands its shortcomings. They understand where it’s at and where it could go because they know where it’s been.