Firstly very nice blog. I found it linked off the Melbourne Business School alumni portal. Hopefully with time more alumni blogs will surface.

I like your post about defining “web strategist”. However I think it does miss 2 key areas…

#1: WEB STRATEGIST IN ONLINE BUSINESSES

Many businesses are online businesses, in that the product they offer is an online product. Examples include Salesforce.com, Google search, Gmail, Yellow Pages, Facebook, etc. The “web strategist” role might actually be fulfilled by a “product manager”. So the functional side of the role is the same, but the outcome is maintaining a product. A slight break from this convention is companies who sell an online product or service. For example, Salesforce.com might have “product managers” to develop its web-based CRM tools it sells, while “web strategists” might help develop the Salesforce.com website which promotes the CRM tools it sells.

#2: WEB STRATEGIST IN ADVERTISING

Many companies (regardless of size) include advertising in their marketing strategies. The advertising value chain includes things like creative, production, media planning/buying, and measurement. The objectives of advertising vary, from direct response (e.g. visit store today, click on this web banner ad now, etc) through to branding. The objectives are usually spelled-out in a brief created between a client and their lead agency.

In this arena, the “web strategist” engages a client somewhere between marketing and advertising strategies. More acurately, a “web strategist” will be engaged strategically at a campaign level, and will be one of several channel strategists for an integrated marketing campaign using both traditional and digital forms of media (e.g. print, TV, radio, direct mail, outdoor signage/billboards, websites, SEM, eDM, etc.). Several businesses will run several large campaigns a year spending millions of dollars per campaign across all the different channels (e.g. Telstra, Coles and Woolworths spend well over AUD$100m a year on all advertising according to Ibisworld reports).

In an integrated marketing campaign, a “web strategist” will work in a multi-vendor environment, often with several suppliers. The “web strategist” could be from a full-service agency, specialist digital agency, or working with the client (I have personally served in all 3 capacities before). But fundamentally, the web strategist is engaged at a campaign level. The web strategist is ultimately responsible for helping the client maximise the benefit of digital channels, namely web, email, and mobile (hence why I prefer “digital strategist” over “web strategist” as the world digital emcompasses a few different channels). The digital strategy needs to align with the rest of the campaign strategy, including how digital channels work with non-digital channels.

To be a good web/digital strategist, you need to know about the “tactical” side of the channels you work with, like websites, direct email marketing, social media, mobile marketing, etc. But to be a GREAT web/digital strategist, you need to engage on the strategic side, understanding fundamental marketing strategy such as segmentation, positioning, channel use, media consumption patterns, etc. Then when you engage with the client and other channel strategists, you can talk their lingo, and help clients understand the strategic benefits of web/digital channels, and help reveal the tactical implementation side which is essential, especially as many digital channels are still emerging as tools for marketers (e.g. social media, mobile marketing).

And unlike many website strategies where you have many short and long-term planning done, campaigns are usually short-lived (often only 3-6 months lifespan including planning and design). So much of the work you do might end up being thrown away at the end of the campaign. That is where, as a GREAT web strategist, you need to work with clients to think outside of short-lived direct response campaigns, or branding campaigns requiring lots of expensive media buying. Rather get clients to think about repeat website traffic, signing up to EDM lists, viral marketing, social marketing, and all the other benefits new digital media/mediums offer that traditional can’t.

I think the advertising/campaign role a web strategist can have is an important one to acknowledge.

How do these 2 fit in to your matrix?

Well, I would suggest revising the left side… I don’t think an organisation is merely “strategic” or “not strategic” when it comes do digital channels like the web. Rather I think you could split “strategic” up into different dimensions, such as “Marketing Strategy”, “Communications Stratey”, and “Business Strategy”. For example:

“Marketing Strategy” is a organisation who needs to employ marketing tactics to grow it’s business. Best practice includes segmentation, positioning, value proposition(s), frequency and reach of “the offer”. The web/digital strategy sits underneath the marketing strategy.

“Communications Strategy” is an organisation with different audiences to reach. Usually these are much more targetted, like “Customers”, “Employees”, “Investors”, “Media/Press”, etc. Best practics includes properly identifying all audiences, and defining a communications strategy for each audience (best-practice for HR sits here as well). The web/digital strategy sits underneath the communications strategy.

“Business Strategy” is an organisation whose business relies heavily on the web. This includes all your news companies like Newscorp and Timewarner, media companies like Disney, and businesses who rely on e-commerce for direct sales, just to name a few. A online “business strategy” means that the web is deep into an organisation, and as such has most of the organisations resources (inc. labour and capital) committed to digital channels. Google, Youtube, e-Bay and Amazon are all good examples of online “business strategy” organisations.

These 3 dimensions are a bit more definitive in explaining the types of strategies an organisation might have, and where a web strategist might fit and the role they would have. The word “strategy” is a tricky word, often over-used and mis-used. The word “strategy” means a plan to achieve a desired goal… Your definition of strategy above is more like the definition for “competitive advantage”, which is more an outcome of strategy. You create a strategy, execute it, and if its a good strategy you could gain competitive advantage.

It’s also important to understand the different types of strategy in an organisation, and to remember that strategy includes the “do nothing” option… For example, you mentioned Linfox doesn’t use their website strategically. I beg to differ — they do use it strategically, in that they have strategically not done much with it. I have done some work for Linfox, and one thing that’s interesting about their business is they don’t have a marketing department. A vast majority of their business is with large companies, where relationships are important. Their clients include the likes of Coles, Woolsworths, and BHP, all of whom don’t “shop” for logistic services on the web. So Linfox doesn’t have a need for a “marketing strategy” (at least in Australia). But they do have a “communications strategy” which infox has recently started to implement on their website. Linfox are not necessarily targetting new customers with their web strategy, but as for other audience groups, they do plan to improve the use of the web as a effective tool for their communications strategy.

As for career paths for web strategists, I tend to recommend following one of three paths:

1. Learn about marketing & communications strategy, then work in the marketing or communications department of a decent size company using digital channels like the web. Learn how the marketing or communications strategy is created and implemented using different channels. Ideally work for someone who advertises a lot. Marketing and advertising spend is rapidly shifting towards digital, so you should be able to “ride a wave” in an organisation as they make the switch.

2. Learn about marketing & communications, then work for a digital or full-service agency. Like a traditional consulting firm, start off as a business analyst, and work your way up to a consultant. Your “web strategist” role will take shape depending on the type clients the agency has.

3. Learn about marketing & business strategy, and work for a digital business. Often the “web strategist” is a “product manager”. You’ve got your pure digital businesses, like online verticals/classifieds (e.g. Carsales.com.au, Realestate.com.au, Seek.com.au), and online media companies (e.g. Google, Yahoo, NineMSN). You’ve also got your “transformational” business who are having to change their business to support digital (e.g. Sensis [who owns Yellow Pages and Trading Post], and traditional news companies like Fairfax and Newscorp). Unfortunately Australia is plagued with monopolies and duopolies in the digital arena, so unless you work for a market changer like Google, or in a new developing market like mobile, expect to work for someone who is very resistant to change (sorry no Nash equilibriums these days :)

Hope this has helped!

Regards,
Craig Buszko
MBA 2004 (Melbourne Business School)
Director, The Buszko Group

So, when I talk about companies using their websites strategically I mean that they have defined goals and objectives (generally based on a vision) for their website. And the more these goals and objectives incorporate their competitors, the more ‘strategic’ that plan is.