digital strategy planning worksheet: how to build a strategic architecture

© The Digital Delusion – www.thedigitaldelusion.com

Strategy Planning Exercise Creating A Strategic Architecture

Written by:

Doyle Buehler


An Online Strategic Introduction Your business is not just about the “business”. The primary goal of your business is to get people interested in what you do: to generate revenue and a bottom line ROI. You want people to be able to approach you online and offline, to ask questions; to nurture them into potential customers that convert into sales at some point in time. However, more importantly, you want people to be able to find you, and to quickly recognize “you” for who you are, not for someone else, or some other service. You need to build relevance and awareness. Your brand is about creating and developing an authentic community that is transparent and complementary to your client’s daily lives and interactions; that are interactive and engaging with your products of your business capabilities. People want to invest and interact with your own personal authenticity. It is about leadership in your industry; through action and through thought-leadership of your skills and knowledge base, and of course your product lines. It is about connecting intrinsically with your clients to allow them to overcome their fears, and push them towards further manifestations of finding a safe and secure opportunity for them. It is about creating the framework that allows your clients to clearly see and understand more through your knowledge, assistance and process. Your clients enter your site, looking for a level of care and attention that is second to none. They won’t be satisfied unless they know that they are dealing wit the best. And, they are willing to pay the best, if they know that they can trust you to take care of their needs. It is about trusting you with the ability to enjoy their own business. This is your digital domain, which needs to be mastered.


What You Don’t Know That Will Change Your Business Forever We know that the online world is really quite ugly and unforgiving. These are some of the problems that most businesses experience online:

1. There is too much online apathy with customers. Customers are spending more time, money and resources with competitors.

2. They have little to no influence online. People are simply not listening or seeing how great and remarkable some businesses actually are.

3. There are never enough leads and committed people. Businesses are

unable to develop enough business and contacts to build or sustain their business.

4. No defined or clear strategy for working online exists. Bouncing around

from idea to idea happens regularly. Putting out fires is their marketing plan. There is uncertainty of what exactly to do next.

5. Too much “noise” and clutter online. Too many distractions for an ideal

customer to find a specific business and engage with it.

6. Difficulty in finding the “right” customer for a specific market; the customer who is truly intrigued by what is offered.

7. Confusion with all of the different tools, activities, types of social media

channels. Too many things to consider to make any one thing work well. Falling behind in what is available for marketing.

While most businesses make a successful move online, there are a number of core mistakes most businesses make when working online:

1. Not knowing what social channels to use and when. Not understanding how to use social media and the online market space.

2. Forgetting to follow a specific process for moving online, or developing an online presence and influence.

3. Thinking that their audience online actually cares about who they are or

what they do, and will quickly engage and respond to what they have to say.

4. Not having a proper step-by-step plan to telling people about themselves


and their company online.

5. Not knowing what tools are easily available to make the process substantially easier.

6. Thinking that everyone already knows about their company and that their

information is relevant.

7. Being reactive and unable to provide a clear focus, strategy and direction to building their online influence.

This strategy plan is an introduction to our framework program designed specifically to lift your business past that self-perceived barrier that is limiting your activities and sales online. Overcoming these objections and obstacles will build your own empire online with your business.


Day By Day - Building an Online Breakthrough For Your Business The Online Empire Project Methodology requires a new look at how you accomplish things online, and how you integrate these activities into your current business. Our methodology is not about starting from scratch, but rather putting the pieces that you already have, into a manageable and executable program that works for your business. The answers and details come from how your current business operates and implements. We simply provide the structure and framework to make your business function online, better.


Strategy Planning Worksheet Questions

1. What are “we” about?

[Take a look at the ‘essence” of you and your business. What does it look like? Don’t just stop at a single level – continue to ask “why”, to gain the depth of understanding. Don’t make any assumptions, or confirm/deny your assumptions as you go.

2. What do we do best?

[Why do client’s come to you]

3. What makes it work?

[What makes you ‘special’ in your offering? What are you combining to create differentiation? How do you assemble your structure to help your customer?]

4. How do we measure success?


5. What is your customer going to love you for?

[How would they describe you when they are talking about you to other people?]

6. Who is our customer?

7. Who is our “perfect” customer?

[What customers would you like more of]

8. What motivates our customer?


9. What value will we offer to our customers?

a. Today

[Horizon 1] [This is the 3% of your target market segment]

b. Tomorrow

[Horizon 2] [This is the 37% of people who will purchase from you later]

c. Next year

[Horizon 3] [This is the 30% remaining who will see your value in the long-term, with a longer term buying process]


10. What do we want to be known for?

11. What do you hate about your business and industry?

12. What Online goals or measures of success do you feel are important to your business?

13. What resources and assets do you currently have available (visuals, videos, promos, designs, websites, social channels, etc.)?

14. If someone asked you to speak at an “entrepreneur event”, such as TED, what would you speak about? What would you say about your business?


15. If there is one person in the world who is doing their business “right”, in your mind, who would it be? Why?

16. What/Who are your main competency competitors?

[Look at both direct competitors, as well as lateral and complementary businesses? Where does your audience spend their time, if it is not with you?]

17. Where do you find inspiration? What sites inspire you? Online, offline?

18. How do customers “normally find you?

[What about in the future?]


OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST/NOTES Still having challenges? Want more information? Doyle Buehler Mobile: 0413 106 880 Twitter: @doylebuehler Email: [email protected] Web: www.thedigitaldelusion.com/2 Get a Free PDF of the Book on Digital Strategy – The Digital Delusion: How To Overcome The Misguidance & Misinformation www.thedigitaldelusion.com/2

digital strategy planning worksheet: how to build a strategic architecture

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