As I mentioned in my previous post, I have always been interested in strategic frameworks. Sketching them, using them, cursing them…well-designed frameworks properly used can be very powerful tools. So, I am embracing my unhealthy interest in frameworks (there are worse vices) and starting what I see as a sort of ‘open-source’ digital strategy toolbox. Since sharing this admittedly vague idea, I have received quite a bit of interest from folks asking for more scoop (Hi Michel Tjoeng!) The following is a bit more detail on what I have in mind. As the initiative is designed to be participatory by nature, I would love to hear any feedback that you may have to make it more interesting and valuable to you.
The Goal: Better Decisions
The primary goal of this initiative is to help people make better decisions relating to different areas of digital strategy. Above all else, this is the purpose of the initiative. That said, I do have a selfish secondary goal: to meet, collaborate with, and learn from other like-minded folks who share my interest in this area. I want to make better decisions, too.
The Output: Useful Tools
The aim of this program is to produce a collection of digital strategy frameworks. Each framework will be focused on a specific aspect or decision relating to digital strategy that is important and frequently considered (potential topics below). The intended audience includes individuals and groups planning digital programs—a mix of strategists, facilitators, marketers, product owners, and startups. Each framework will be a planning tool (a visual structure) with process directions (a written set of instructions). The structure and level of detail for each framework will try to strike that tricky balance: “make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler”. The overall guiding principle: to be useful.
The Approach: Organized Chaos
Admittedly, this is the part of the project that is fuzziest and where I expect things evolve the most: how we work together. To start, the goal is to complete an individual framework every month. Throughout each month, we will go through 4 gates:
- Introduce & Focus Topic
- Share Thoughts & Findings
- Post Draft for Feedback & Test-Drive
- Publish Final Version for Use
Your input and feedback is invited/required throughout.
The Topics: FA(DS)Qs
Below is an initial high-level list of potential areas to explore: Frequently Asked Digital Strategy Questions. It is absolutely not exhaustive, in no way mutually exclusive, and in no particular order (how is that for a caveat?). It is a start:
- Channels & Touchpoints: What mediums and platforms should we use, in what role?
- Devices & Platforms: How will what we provide differ across devices and platforms?
- Value & Engagement: What proposition can we provide that will attract, over time?
- Principles & Positioning: How will we deliver an experience that is authentic and differentiated?
- Customers & Communities: Whom are we targeting and how can we best engage?
- Experiences & Moments: How will we provide the right user experience, capitalize on key moments?
- Content & Conversation: What are we going to create, share, talk about?
- Prioritization & Phasing: What is most important, and what comes first? Next?
- Value & Monetization: How do we generate positive ongoing revenue and value?
- Measurement & Optimization: How are we going to measure and improve performance over time?
The Platform: Kickframe.com
To start, my plan is to house the content and input in a separate section on Kickframe.com. I will publish the material as posts, and feedback will be captured in the comments. If we have enough participants and contributions I will move it over to a richer collaboration platform. To keep up-to-date, you can sign-up for updates on the blog, follow @kickframe, and/or sign-up for the Kickframe monthly newsletter. Again, very open to suggestions here to make things easier and more interesting for you.
Next Steps: Over To You
I’d love to know your thoughts on what you think of the initiative and the plan, specifically:
- Does the process seem clear and logical?
- Would you like to more or less involved? How?
- Are these topics relevant? Anything to add/remove/edit?
- Is there a better platform that we should be using coming out of the game to collaborate, communicate, and share?
All feedback most welcome!
We’ll kick off May 1st