Everyday more and more businesses are going digital. Digital can come in many forms such as mobile apps, websites, and online sales/customer service. The problem is, as Mary Beth Kemp explains in her article “CMOs Must Connect the Dots of the Online Brand“, that simply creating a mobile app or a website is not enough. In fact, if a business does not employ an effective strategy for going digital, they might actually do more harm than good for the company and the brand.
One of the best concepts in the article is Kemp’s description of how to align your digital initiatives with your digital ambitions. Kemp describes a step-by step process whereby a CMO first uses digital content to complement a brand, then enrich it, and finally to extend it. These three steps can be applied to any of the four stages of consumer involvement, which are: discover, explore, buy, and engage.
Kemp also provides a ‘connect the dots’ framework that allows CMOs to visualize how they will connect all of their digital ambitions as the four stages of consumer involvement unfold. To me this seems like an essential tool for any CMO who hopes to add value to their brand through the addition of digital content rather than tarnish their image with a poorly designed website, for instance.