Digital vs Online – the strategy question?
Published 28th October
When referring to an organisation’s strategy the terms digital and online are often somewhat interchangeable. There is a significant difference between the two.
An online strategy is the approach a business is using to deliver its communication or product to the consumer in an online environment. It is about marketing and the transfer of largely existing materials and thinking to a different channel. To reach and engage a consumer through a different device, medium, time or place. Deliver value to an advertiser through context, content and visibility. Online strategy is a way of deploying assets online. In isolation this is short-term and unlikely to be sustainable.
A digital strategy is, or should be, far more encompassing. It is the approach that an organisation is using towards becoming a digital company or using digital. The term digital in this case implies a deeper interaction with consumers and customers. How the business is evolving to take advantages of the efficiencies that digital technology brings with it. It relates to organisation, processes, products and marketing – digital encompasses online. Digital strategy is a transformation process.
It is perfectly feasible for an organisation to have an online strategy opposed to a digital strategy; the challenge comes when the business believes the two are one in the same.
