I just saw another ad for a digital strategist, and I had to make this post. Digital does not require strategy. Strategy should be set at a much higher level – at the marketing governance tier – digital is a response to strategy, not a strategy unto itself.
If the digital tacticians follow their marketing governance strategy, then those digital tacticians are probably on the right track; and if they don’t, they will certainly end up on the wrong track: Simple!
Digital can only be tactical because digital is (in most cases) simply a medium of communication.
If digital actions occur independently, autonomously, or heterogeneously, it is most likely to deliver a sub-optimal ROI or be significantly wrong.
“Will we choose Facebook or LinkedIn?” “Should we pursue Instagram or TikTok?” “Should we increase YouTube or Twitter X?” “When should we promote?”
The most strategic question is, “Do we have enough marketing information to build the best combination of tasks to achieve the strategic goals set at the marketing governance level?” (which calls for an overall marketing strategy).
People who advertise for “Digital Strategy” will likely need more training in strategic governance than they know.
