When dealing with potential clients I always use this question as the acid test to discover whether I’m dealing with a business that is serious about getting results online or is just looking for a presence; “How much of your budget as a percentage are you prepared to invest in the preparation of a digital marketing strategy”.

Even a commitment as little as 10% tells me that we have someone that is at least aware that proper planning is important. If I get a ‘zero’ then I spend five more minutes explaining the key reasons they should reconsider and if it’s still a ‘zero’ then it’s goodbye.

For those that buy into the digital strategy phase this isn’t the end of the problems. Adam Singer of the Future Buzz eloquently reminds us of 12 of the most common issues that can derail our good intentions in his brilliantly written recent article.

For me as a digital strategist addressing as many of these problems as possible at the outset is the clear aim and as my clients can attest my documents cover off most of them. The trick however as we all know is not getting it on paper but actually getting the implementation right when the project kicks off.

Read and enjoy…