The document outlines the necessity and development of a digital strategy for organizations, emphasizing its importance in improving customer experiences and gaining competitive advantages. It details various challenges faced by companies in leveraging digital tools and highlights the need for a centralized digital center of excellence. A phased approach to creating a digital strategy is recommended, focusing on research, analysis, and the establishment of clear priorities and governance.

1. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
F O R R E S T E R | D O M I N I O N R E S O U R C E S | C A P T E C H C O N S U L T I N G
M A R C H 1 3 , 2 1 0 4 – M C L E A N , V A
T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y

2. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
10 REASONS YOU MAY NEED A DIGITAL STRATEGY
1. You are directionless
2. You don’t know your online marketshare
3. Existing and startup competitors will gain marketshare
4. You don’t have a powerful online value proposition
5. You don’t know your online customers well enough
6. You are not integrated (In fact, you may be “disintegrated”)
7. Digital does not have enough people/budget given its importance
8. You’re wasting time and money through duplication
9. You’re not agile enough to catch up or stay ahead
10. You are not optimizing
10
REASONS
YOU
NEED
A
DIGITAL
MARKETING
STRATEGY,
DAVE
CHAFFEY,
JANUARY
23,
2014

3. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT COMMUNICATION

4. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
BUT IT IS ALSO A STORY ABOUT CHANGE

5. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
AND THE PEOPLE MAKING IT HAPPEN…

6. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
A BIT OF HISTORY…
Back in 2012,
Corporate
Communications
discussed needing
a strategic plan
around digital
communications.
A large Sitecore
implementation
plan provided an
opportunity to
add a Digital
Strategy to the
scope.
They knew they
were on the right
track because there
was a strategy for
social media…
but there was no
plan for the scope
of their full digital
presence (email,
text, maps, location
services, etc.), or
where they were
going in terms of
strategic outcomes.
Tuesday,
September 10, 2013:
Lynn Chaffin, Paige
Nunn, and CapTech
spun up the Digital
Strategy Team
workshop in One
James River Plaza…

7. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
When asked what success would look like, our client responded, “If we can get 30% of the digital strategy in the first year done”.
DAY ONE:

8. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Strategic, Transformational, and Operational

9. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
AGE OF MANUFACTURING
Mass manufacturing
makes industrial
powerhouses successful.
AGE OF DISTRIBUTION
Global connections and
transportation systems
make distribution key.
AGE OF INFORMATION
Connected PCs and
supply chains mean
those who control
information flow
dominate.
AGE OF THE CUSTOMER
Empowered buyers
demand a new level of
customer obsession.
SOURCE: October 10, 2013, “Competitive Strategy in the Age of the Customer”: Forrester
SOURCES OF DOMINANCE: FORRESTER’S AGE OF THE CUSTOMER

10. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
JUMBLE OF POINT SOLUTIONS IS THE NORM
Disparate vendors, disparate capabilities,
different interfaces, all acquired over a
long period of time.
TECH BUDGETS ARE FRAGMENTED
IT, marketing, and lines of business
all “share” a budget for Digital
Experience (DX) tools, but a center
of gravity is missing.
SILOS STILL PREDOMINATE
Coherent cross-channel digital
experiences? Shared customer
data and unified processes in
support of the customer?
Not really happening yet.
SOURCE: Forrester Research: Feb. 6, 2014 Introducing Digital Customer Experience Platforms: Integrated Tools To Deliver Great Multichannel Experiences
PAIN POINTS: COMPANIES STRUGGLE TO LEVERAGE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE TOOLS

11. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
MULTI-CHANNEL
is simply having multiple
channels through which
you buy, market, sell,
and fulfill.
CROSS-CHANNEL has
the ability to see all of a
customer’s information
across all channels
enables more
personalized offers
based on their brand
relationship.
OMNICHANNEL
weaves all the
touchpoints of the
products and services
of the brand into a
seamless fabric
of all phases of the
customer’s brand
experience.
GOAL

12. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THINKING DIFFERENTLY: MINDSET IS SHIFTING IN ENTERPRISES
HISTORICAL DIGITAL EXPERIENCES IN ENTERPRISES
DIGITAL EXPERIENCE TRANSITION IN 2014
SOURCE: Forrester Research: Feb. 6, 2014 Introducing Digital Customer Experience Platforms: Integrated Tools To Deliver Great Multichannel Experiences
Digital experience initiatives are in silos.
Technology decisions and management
lived in traditional IT.
Software budgets lived mostly with IT teams.
Digital experience portfolios consisted of
mainly disparate applications.
CEO’s generally ignored the “digital” part
in “customer experience”.
Digital experience initiatives more likely to
involve cross-team collaboration.
Technology decisions and usage live in
business technology teams.
Technology budgets increasingly live in the
business (i.e., marketing).
Digital Experience (DX) portfolios shifting
towards foundational “platforms”.
CEOs and C-Level execs are making digital
experience a strategic mandate.

13. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Governance
& Business
Process
Digital
Capability
Maturity &
Best
Practices
Training,
Development
& Advocacy
Analytics,
Research &
Convergence
Strategy
YOU’LL
NEED A
DIGITAL
CENTER OF
EXCELLENCE
OK. WHY DO I NEED A DIGITAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE?

14. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Consistent, efficient, accurate operational
execution and delivery, technology use, and
data analysis in a verifiable manner.
Strategy for identifying KPIs to measure
success in data-driven initiatives; principles
of Lean Analytics and Agile Marketing as
applicable to data convergence.
Optimal use of technology, cross-functional
development, knowledge acceleration, and
socializing collaboration success.
Deployment of new digital capabilities and
iterative, evolving improvement in data
quality and timely campaign execution.
GOVERNANCE & BUSINESS PROCESS
ANALYTICS & CONVERGENCE STRATEGY TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT & ADVOCACY
CAPABILITY MATURITY & BEST PRACTICES

15. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
TESTING &
TARGETING
CONTENT
MANAGEMENT
OTHER
BUSINESS
SYSTEMS
COMMERCE
CRM
MARKETING
AUTOMATION,
EMAIL, ETC.
SITES
MOBILE
COMMERCE
COMMUNITY
SOCIAL MEDIA
SEARCH
EMAIL
APPS
MEASUREMENT,
MONITORING &
OPTIMIZATION
THE GOOD NEWS:
Technology is making it
easier for companies to
deliver delightful
experiences.
THE BAD NEWS:
It can feel like an
impossible task for a
CMO/CDO/CXO to
connect systems and
provide a true unified
and personal experience
across channels…
Especially if
legacy systems are
involved.

16. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE is a team or an entity that provides leadership, evangelization,
best practices, research, support and/or training for a focus area.
Establish a Center of Excellence
A Federation of Independents
Shared Strategy, Infrastructure,
and Execution

17. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
With an effective digital operating model
and robust execution capabilities in place,
digital strategies can be delivered at scale
and speed, with streamlined processes and
well-defined governance.
WHY CREATE A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE?

18. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THE JOURNEY BEGINS

19. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
On September 10, 2013 CapTech
began a 7 week engagement at
Dominion Resources in Richmond VA
to create a Digital Communications
Strategy.
The team took over
a conference room
and this would
become the
Digital Strategy
“war room”.
Without this level
of collaboration
the work simply
could not have
been done.

20. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THE BURNING PLATFORM

21. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Critical need for social / customer data integration
Natural evolution from Social Media to Social Business
High expectations for the customer experience
Cloud computing is accelerating disruption
Explosion of big data through a growing number of channels
Isolated enterprise initiatives that create unintended consequences
Broad consumer adoption of social and mobile technologies
Regulatory, privacy, and compliance issues
Multiple major technology innovations occurring at an unprecedented rate
Mobility and Location presents both opportunities and challenges
NAVIGATING COMPLEXITY

22. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Why are digital communications important and
why do we need a digital strategy?
Q

23. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Today, digital is a participatory layer of
all media that allows users to self-select
their own experiences, and affords
companies the ability to bridge media,
gain feedback, iterate their message
and collect relationships.
A
SOURCE: DIGITAL STRATEGY 101: BUD CADDELL

24. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
How do we leverage digital technology
to create true competitive advantage and
make us more relevant in the market?
Q

25. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
A digital strategy allows you to understand the who,
what, when, and where of listening and responding
to consumers, bridging brand experiences, iterating
offerings, and collecting and activating consumer
relationships in order to accomplish an actionable
and measurable objective.
A
SOURCE: DIGITAL STRATEGY 101: BUD CADDELL

26. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THE DIGITAL STRATEGY

27. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY
1. Research & Analysis
2. Challenges and Opportunities
3. Strategic Priorities
4. Guiding Principles
5. Outcomes
6. Determining Initiatives
7. Roadmap
8. Action Plan
9. Governance

28. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
GATHER (set up camp and gather ingredients)
• Assemble core team and war room
• Set project schedule and expectations
• Refine scope of effort and approach
• Reviewed “D” customer research
• Interview digital/customer experience executives/owners
• Document current state digital channels and capabilities
• Conducted peer/competitor review
• DELIVERABLES: Working documents from above items
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE THREE

29. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
ANALYZE (Making sausages – not pretty, but necessary)
• Build out value proposition (Get the attention of the business)
• Review customer expectations, technology trends
• Identify internal sponsors, allies, blockers
• Identify challenge areas, barriers to success
• Define guiding principles (north star)
• Identify strategic focus areas
• Define strategic outcomes and success statements
• Brainstorm initiatives to close gaps and deliver outcomes
• DELIVERABLES: Business case, infographic, outline of
strategic elements
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE THREE

30. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE ONE
PLAN (Put it all together and serve it up)
• Define factors critical to overall success of strategy
• Document parking lot items (critical but out of scope)
• Define digital operating model (governance)
• Finalize strategy
• Develop roadmap
• Prioritize, and map out initiatives to support roadmap
• Conduct final presentations with executive sponsors
• DELIVERABLES: Final strategy, initiatives roadmap,
executive presentation
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE TWO
OUR DIGITAL STRATEGY JOURNEY: PHASE THREE

31. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
2014 2015
Usability Testing (Web & Mobile)
Search Engine Optimization - Installed (Web) Search Engine Optimization - Strategy (Web)
Refine Information Architecture (Web)
Personalization Installed (Rules-Based)
Social Media Campaigns
Outbound Company Email
Video Strategy
Accessibility Strategy
Executive Blogs
Digital Contests
Customer Feedback Capability Installed
Digital Executive Steering Committee
Digital Core Committee – Cross Company
Governance Plan
Digital Team Organizational Review
Customer Advocacy
Digital Training (Sitecore) Digital Training (All Digital Tools)
Digital Measurement Scorecard
Web Analytics Evaluation
Responsive Design (Web & Mobile)
Text – Outage Alerts
Expand Mobile Strategy
Enhanced Demand Side M
Digital Promotion
Sitecore Targeted Con
Contact StrategyCreative Style Guide
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
BRAND CLARITY
COMMUNITY AWARENESS
EXECUTIVE SPONSORSHIP

32. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Customer
Expectations
Brand
Confusion
Budgetary
Considerations
Technology
Considerations
Shareholder
Considerations
Information
Security
Considerations
Corporate
Culture
Considerations
Organizational
Fragmentation
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: Surprisingly, only two are about technology

33. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
IDENTIFY
CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
EXECUTE ON
DIGITAL
INITIATIVES
ESTABLISH
ORGANIZATIONAL
PRIORITIES
DETERMINE DESIRED
FUTURE STATE
BUSINESS CASE
IDENTIFY
DIGITAL
INITIATIVES
WE ARE HERE

34. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Alignment
Aligned senior
management team
with a digital strategy
vision to serve as
“True North” for
customer
communication
efforts.
High-level strategy &
preliminary roadmap
for building
organizational
capabilities.
Organizational
alignment and
processes that
support the desired
delivery of
communication
efforts.
An organization
capable of effectively
executing against the
digital strategy.
A GUIDING FRAMEWORK FOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION-MOTIV
Capability Capacity
Organizational
Transformation
WE ARE CURRENTLY HERE

35. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
DIGITAL
EXPERIENCE
FRAMEWORK
DESCRIPTION
ENVISION
MAP
ALIGN
OUTCOMES
Align the organization and
senior leaders around a
mission and vision with the
customer at the center.
Envision and describe the ideal
experience focusing on the
most important customers
and touch points.
Map the priorities and
programs necessary to
achieve this change
including short-term
and long-term actions.
• Business case for
experience initiatives
• Customer priorities
and journey map
• Shared understanding of
challenges and opportunities
• Prototype(s) of the
new experience
• Feasibility research
and audience testing
• Mock-ups and examples
that visualize this change
• Assessment and readiness
for change
• Phased plans to field and
test initiatives
PREPARING FOR DIGITAL EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION: WHAT DOES THE WORK LOOK LIKE?

36. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
MEASURE
Give insights into
omnichannel
experience.
SOURCE: Forrester Report: February 12, 2013, “Choose Digital Experience Tools to Engage With Customers In A Cross-Channel World”.
ENGAGE
Contextually
transform
content across
channels.
MANAGE
Enable people
to create and
manage digital
experiences.
A/B
TESTING
MULTIVARIATE
TESTING
WEB
ANALYTICS
SOCIAL
ANALYTICS
DASHBOARDS
PRESENTATION
MANAGEMENT
CONTENT
TARGETING
SOCIAL
AD
SERVING
TRANSACTIONS
ID/
AUTHENTICATION
CONTENT /
DATA SERVICES
REPOSITORIES
BPM
&
WORKFLOW
AUTHORING
TOOLS
MULTILINGUAL
CAMPAIGN
MANAGEMENT
PARTS OF A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE ECOSYSTEM: GOING TOWARDS OMNICHANNEL IN 2014

37. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
RECOMMENDATIONS

38. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
10 REASONS YOU MAY NEED A DIGITAL STRATEGY
1. You are directionless
2. You don’t know your online marketshare
3. Existing and startup competitors will gain marketshare
4. You don’t have a powerful online value proposition
5. You don’t know your online customers well enough
6. You are not integrated (In fact, you may be “disintegrated”)
7. Digital does not have enough people/budget given its importance
8. You’re wasting time and money through duplication
9. You’re not agile enough to catch up or stay ahead
10. You are not optimizing
10
REASONS
YOU
NEED
A
DIGITAL
MARKETING
STRATEGY,
DAVE
CHAFFEY,
JANUARY
23,
2014

39. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
C-SUITE SPONSORSHIP
SOURCE: Forrester Report: February 12, 2013, “Choose Digital Experience Tools to Engage With Customers In A Cross-Channel World”.
LEVERAGE
FOUNDATIONAL TOOLS
THINK 3 – 5 YEARS OUT
BUILD BRIDGES AND TEAR
DOWN LEGACY SILOS
RECOMMENDATIONS:
This is digital business transformation. It needs executive
sponsorship and governance.
Look for opportunities to leverage WCM, eCommerce, and
portal capital projects to add or expand a digital strategy.
You need a multi-year strategy that describes how you are going
to mobilize people, processes, and technology to deliver
customer-centric experiences that support your business.
Use a Digital Strategy as an opportunity to rally your organization
around the potential for digital customer experience to be a
long-term growth driver.

40. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
Digital Solutions
Business Intelligence & Analytics
Cloud Computing
Data Integration
Data Strategy and Architecture
Enterprise Architecture
IT Strategy and Delivery
Mobile Technologies
Organizational Change Management
Process Engineering
User Experience
Web Content and Collaboration
V
h?p://captechconsulLng.com/services/digital-­‐soluLons

41. T H E M A K I N G O F A D I G I T A L S T R A T E G Y
THANK YOU
Bill Rattner
Director, Digital Strategy
804.885.0878
brattner@captechconsulting.com
Twitter: @BillRattner
Chet Wade
Vice President –
Corporate Communications
Lynn Chaffin
Director of Digital Communications
& Communications Planning
lynn.chaffin@dom.com