Your Digital Strategy: Must-Haves and Keys to Success

Are you at risk of “getting Uber’d?” With smart devices accepted as the new standard, and more and more start-ups reinventing tried and true industries (like Uber and taxis), ignoring the disruptive qualities of digital is no longer an option. Whether your organization has grown from digital roots or is a traditional brick-and-mortar developing a targeted digital innovation, the need to include digital in your business thinking is crucial for future success. What follows is a set of five “must-haves” that your organization should include in its thinking when developing a digital strategy, as well as three keys for long-term success.

1. u0007u0007Define the problem. honestly.

Before heading down the digital-solutions path, qualify the real problem in front of you. Often harder than it looks, begin by conducting an analysis of your competitive landscape, market externalities, and consumer behaviors, and reflecting on your company’s own conduct and performance. This process will inevitably reveal some painful realities, but the benefit is that it allows for treatment to be localized rather than misdirected. So, once identified, create a set of problem statements with clear, focused and measurable language, and seek comfort in the uncomfortable—for the path toward solution begins here.