Internet Strategy

Brands, large companies and middle-sized companies are becoming more aware of the fact that being actively present online is important. Being present online means communicating about internal values and external propositions in a transparent manner. These values play a more important role than ever before.

We currently live in a digital economy. We provide Facebook, Google etc., through the Social Identities that we create, unlimited access to our data and our behaviour. They capitalise on this data for billions of dollars. The making of a connection through every platform you can imagine, including a brand’s own domain, is the Holy Grail. It is the ‘Single Sign On’ button that offers access to the data of a profile, the references and the purchases or actions of a fan or client through existing platforms such as Facebook, Google etc.

Locked up in this connection lies valuable information in the form of data that you, as a brand, company or organisation, should use. Connecting with a fan or client by collecting data from existing internet identities is a valuable addition to the financial balance of a company or organization.

Business intelligence analysis, or data analysis, should gain a more prominent role within the organisation of a company or brand. The art is then to connect hard and measurable facts with each other, to determine the strategy. They should be analysed per month, per year or a longer period, depending on the size of the data sets and the ambition of the organisation. Data shall be the driving force, or offer the onset to set priorities concerning the budget and the cross-platform and cross-device working and thinking.

As a brand, company or organisation, you need to realise that you are a part of the Internet ecosystem, often named ‘Umfeld’. The user (client, fan or visitor) decides at which time, where and with which device he/she will come into contact with your brand, company or organisation via the internet.

It is wise to, during the development of an Internet strategy (Social Media is also an important part in the Internet strategy), take the current strategy of the company or organisation as the main form of guidance. You can then translate this plan into concrete goals in a Plan of Action (PoA) for an Internet strategy. Furthermore, you can translate this plan into the steps that need to be made to reach the set objectives.

Not only assumptions, but also facts through figures, are important for a solid Internet strategy. This means, amongst others, that you have to take the time within your company to first reach a level of insight, before unlocking information from within a company or organisation to be successful on the Internet.

A solid Internet strategy consists out of an overall insight into the online landscape: frontend, backend, technology, processes and human resources are the most important aspects that need to be taken into account.

If the Internet strategy is not seriously integrated in the company’s strategy, you will, as so many, drown in the endless possibilities of the Internet and the technology that offers a gateway to the Internet. It is probably superfluous to mention that the golden mountains of the Internet will then turn into a black hole.

Is your organisation playing with the idea to use the Internet and all the other social channels better? Therefore, when the decision has been made by those involved, it is of the essence that a good plan of action (PoA) is made, in which the following questions are answered:

  • What does the Umfeld or Playing field look like?
  • What are the general goals?
  • Short-term goals (1 year)?
  • Long-term goals (2-4 years)?
  • What are the priorities within these goals?
  • Which points can be improved on the basis of the results?
  • What are the requirements and restrictions?
  • What are the success factors?
  • What are the KPI’s (key performance indicators)?

The advice is to form a group within the organisation who will set up the PoA, so that a basis will be created from within the organisation, which can be used during the implementation process and as a solid defence for the necessary budget.

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