Turning a digital strategy into an action plan is something that should be done in phases to reflect the relative position of the Internet in the overall strategy of means. Using a customer journey and associating different brand goals to it is a way of organising all the content and actions and prioritising them before getting into the detail of the digital action plan. Defining how to steer the project will then be done retroactively.
A digital strategy is not just the sum total of all the actions your company carries out on the Internet. It involves natively integrating the Internet prior to thinking about strategy even on a company-wide level, and identifying areas of presence and action within each function/job alongside other drivers and means. One way of approaching this is to evaluate the potential impact of the Internet on the business model of the company and leadership methods used by senior management, in order to define the right levels of goals, leadership and organisation relating to various cases. Only then can it be translated into action plans.
The Internet is a virtual space in which we find our way around in the same way as we do in the real physical space: using points of reference and paths that come from experience enabling us to build up a mental image of the space. Content is the tar of the web, the material that is used to build its roads: a strategy of content and a strategy of means are closely linked. Internet users continually pass judgement on the content they find until they reach their goal. Their criteria are often based on the quality of the source as much as on the quality of the content itself.
Today, almost everyone is on the Internet. Writing down the many uses in a list that gets longer each year is no longer of any use to brands looking to analyse the web. Instead, they need to step back and look at the main starting motivations of Internet users (searching for information, building relationships, consumption and production) to see where these cross over with the brand’s objectives and thus find the right place for the Internet compared to other media and channels. The Internet is basically a medium of utility, experience and relationships, far less than it is one of image and emotion. It is of far greater benefit for those who participate in it regularly instead of focusing on occasional, tactical use.
By considering the Internet as a virtual SPACE instead of a media or channel, the different places that make up the web, how they work and the way Internet users use them becomes clearer for companies and brands that have ventured into the web. The same geographical logic can be transposed to define the pillars of a digital strategy: places of presence, traffic, routes, places where audiences gather, accessibility… along with a sense of place and how to behave there.
Companies have a growing need to effectively coordinate their different activities on the web and on the mobile, yet they struggle to come up with a digital strategy. Confusion exists between digital expertise and strategic expertise. The development of a strategy first requires the creation of common points of reference for discussing the different actions: a coherent, global vision of the Internet would connect the various professions and stakeholders and would thus provide greater perspective across all channels.
Ce livre développe une vision globale d’Internet, qui permet de mettre en cohérence les différentes actions digitales entre elles et en perspective des autres médias et moyens d’action. Il propose ensuite une méthodologie concrète et par étape pour l’élaboration d’une stratégie digitale à partir de la stratégie de marque ou d’entreprise.
Les médias digitaux évoluent en permanence, avec des tendances longues et d’autres plus éphémères. Rester en phase avec son époque tout en faisant le bon choix des tendances à embrasser pour sa marque et ses clients est le juste équilibre à tenir en communication. Pour être proactives en ce sens, la veille et l’expérimentation sont des moyens que toutes les marques peuvent intégrer de manière permanente à leurs plans annuels.
Les deux principaux problèmes liés au pilotage stratégique des actions digitales sont liés : un excès de données disponibles et la difficulté de les agréger entre elles et avec d’autres médias. C’est le point de vue de départ qui fausse la donne : en partant de l’opérationnel et de ce qu’on peut mesurer, les additions et comparaisons rendent myope et se font au mauvais niveau. Il faut partir des objectifs stratégiques et des critères de succès et d’échec pour définir les bons indicateurs, en ne confondant pas indicateurs d’objectifs et indicateurs tactiques de « chemin ». Le bon rythme de pilotage en découlera rétroactivement
Traduire une stratégie digitale en plan d’actions doit se faire par étapes pour refléter la position relative d’Internet dans l’ensemble de la stratégie des moyens. Utiliser une trame de parcours client en lui associant les différents objectifs de la marque est une méthode qui permet d’organiser tous les contenus et actions et de les hiérarchiser, avant de creuser plus spécifiquement le plan d’actions digital.