How to actually write a digital strategy

 

A digital strategy is simply a roadmap or a plan of action to achieve an overall business aim. A digital strategy will likely look at how technology and systems can help meet business objectives, such as improving performance, efficiency and processes.

 

 

Why it’s important to have a digital strategy

 

Having a strategy gives direction and helps move you towards an aim. Having a strategy – whether it’s digital, digital marketing, social media, for example – helps to provide clarity on what’s needed to achieve overall business aims and sets out the steps you need to take in order to reach those objectives.

 

 

How to write a digital strategy

 

 

Decide on the format

 

No one wants to spend time and energy writing up a strategy that just gets filed away and gathers metaphorical dust. How you present your strategy is important. Think about which format is best for getting colleagues to both read it and use it.

 

It could be a simple Word document with some visuals or it could be in a slide format. Or perhaps a mixture of both, with the slide format encompassing the topline important information and the document going into more detail.

 

 

Assign roles

 

Writing a strategy is a big task. Lighten the load by assigning roles within your team. For example, one person is tasked with gathering any insights or data you may need, one person is tasked with the design elements, and another with actually writing up the strategy. Having multiple team members involved also creates accountability and ownership.

 

If you wish to add a project management element, set up a free Trello board where you can add the strategy as a project and add cards for the various elements needed, such as ‘writing copy’, ‘design’ and ‘proofreading’. You can then assign the cards to the appropriate team members with deadline dates and reminders to help keep the project on track.

 

 

Create a strategy folder

 

Ensure there is an easily accessible folder, either online or in a shared drive, where team members can save their work and add any necessary resources. It helps to have everything in one place so that people can access what they need, as well as see any progress.

 

And if you’re using Trello for project management, you can add the links to the documents or resources in your folder in your Trello card for quick access.

 

 

Edit with fresh eyes

 

Once the strategy is in a place where it’s in a written final draft state, leave it for a day or two before editing it. It’s important to step away from it for an appropriate amount of time so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.

 

If you’re on a very tight deadline and can’t afford to leave it for a couple of days, make sure you leave it for at least an hour or two before editing.

 

If possible, find someone else who wasn’t involved in writing the document to edit it. This is helpful as they will be able to spot things that perhaps made sense to you as the writer but needs clarification for the reader.

 

 

Enlist a non-team member to proofread

 

Take it from someone who writes for a living… it’s difficult to spot your own mistakes! Ask someone else to proofread the strategy for you – perhaps someone in the communications team as this is their skillset. Be sure to ask them to use tracked changes so you can see what they have edited and amended.

 

If you don’t have anyone you can ask to proofread, these tips should be helpful:

• Proofread for one error at a time, such as spelling and then grammar
• Don’t rely on Spellcheck – ’their’ is correctly spelled but it should have been ‘there’
• Try to cut out distractions, such as clutter and noise
• Work out if you proofread better on a screen or with your copy printed out

 

Finish with design

 

Few people wish to read a lengthy document that doesn’t have any visual or design elements, so add some to help make your strategy more engaging. For example, have different colours for different sections or add in brand photos if appropriate.

 

Look to see if any complex information could be better explained visually. If you’re asking your in-house design team to help, don’t forget to give them a brief, as well as enough time to meet the deadline.

 

 

Present or share the strategy

 

Now that your strategy is complete, it’s time to share it with the appropriate stakeholders. There are a number of ways that you can do this, such as posting an update on the intranet which gives some context to the strategy and signposts where colleagues can read it.

 

You may wish to do a ‘lunch and learn’ session where you present your strategy and colleagues can ask questions. If your organisation holds ‘town halls’ or ‘all staff’ meetings, request a slot to present your strategy.