What are the most common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid when developing a digital strategy?

I have dealt with many clients over the decades who get so caught up in day to day pressures from their customers or the marketplace that they soon lose sight of what their "vision, mission, and values" are. When any business is double-minded or constantly shifting based on external pressures they don't agree with or prepared for, they will find themselves going back and forth between various failing projects because they are not prepared to see them through, don't have enough financial resources to answer the call, or simply become mindless order takers in whatever industry they are in. Clarity of purpose and borderlines on what you are willing or able to do are key to meeting whatever objectives you have.

All good points but may I suggest – There are three areas that are critical to developing a digital strategy that were not mentioned. The first, in addition to defining your objective you actually need to define what problem you're solving for and what is the desired outcome. Secondly, deep scenario planning to predict/anticipate the unpredictable. Third, the mapping of the entire process map and value chain (from idea to post-deployment V2) must be developed. It is within this mapping will you would discover whether the technology, integration, the business, clients, stakeholders and possibly investors have the ability and business and political readiness to embrace the change.

You always must define your target and define success before you start. You will hit what you aim at and if your aim is actually scatter, it will run down your resources and energy. What is your "why"? Who are you trying to reach? What are their "watering holes"? What type of content do they respond to?

When it comes to strategy development, alignment is critical. Clarifying how the proposed strategy will support your greater mission and priorities in your business will move you closer to your end goal. If there is clarity in this area, you can avoid expending energetic and financial resources without a return on your investment. Your digital strategy should be designed to support your growth intentionally.

Be mindful of over doing it. Use the minimal set of tools required to complete the jobs. Some digital tools are complex and create a lot of overhead. For example, in site based measurement tools, as yourself, are we really going to use all 100 of the events we’re recording on our webpage? Streamline your selection of tools and application of them.

Research is great, but to do anything truly great usually means pushing beyond what has been done and documented before. Unfortunately, many companies know little about how to truly research, especially in this digital age. The most important research is usually based on knowing and networking relationally with those who truly know. It's not just about reading reports, documents, or proposals and think you are informed. Studying the past does not always lead to success for the future. You need to talk and have relationships with brilliant futuristic thinkers to really know anything on any major subject.

In my experience, conducting not only research but also research design is extremely helpful in developing a solid digital strategy. Far too often, we approach research from a skewed point of view. However, exploring all angles of a chosen topic or focus is the best outcome. The key is approaching the information-gathering process with immense curiosity, allowing you to explore as many different viewpoints and experiences as possible to correctly establish the criteria and requirements necessary to generate a similar result. This helps you evaluate the feasibility and brainstorm new ways to utilize this information that are results driven.

I have seen this confusion most commonly in the largest (Fortune 500) clients I have worked with. When there are too many Indians with no "chiefs", there is mayhem. When there are too many chiefs and no indians, there is no one to lead and everyone goes their own individual direction with no unity or integration within the team or company. Working teams in orgs need balance between leaders and followers. Everyone needs to know which they are.

Being data-driven is essential to success. Nearly every platform collects data and does basic analytics. Run small experiments and do A/B testing before a full launch. Stay aware of trends and adjust accordingly. Also, know, a priori, which data matter most to you as there is also the danger of data overwhelm with tracking too many metrics on a mammoth dashboard. More data is not always better nor are all data meaningful or reliable. Know your priorities. Stay focused.

In my experience, digital strategy needs to line up with the real world needs of the company's product or service. To go digital just because others are is not a good reason. I have seen businesses destroyed because they rushed into digital frontiers and investments they had no understanding of. This causes many to needlessly burn through their funding or lose sight of their core business and purpose. Digital doesn't work for everything, and some get destroyed by going digital before they are ready or adequately funded to do so. "Conservative" is not a bad word in the digital space.

Technology cannot replace organizations and real relationships. It should REFLECT the essence of the org and it's relationships. The biggest challenge for example on ERP implementations is to develop the system to replicate and IMPROVE the interdisciplinary cohesion of the large teams involved. Unfortunately, these projects often complicate or reduce the fluidity of processes between the people managing or operating the business. If you build something digital that is too complicated or not user friendly, it will implode and/or disillusion the real people with real relationships within your organization who truly make things zing. Digital is not ALWAYS the solution.

Other pitfalls to consider: Unrealistic Expectations: Setting unrealistic expectations for your digital strategy can lead to disappointment & frustration. Understand that digital transformation takes time, & results may not be immediate. Set achievable & measurable milestones to keep motivated while staying grounded in reality. Thinking of UX as a one-time activity User experience or UX is not a checkbox in the design process. Instead, it is an iterative & recurring process. Lack of expertise When an organization aims digital transformation, the lack of expertise could threaten its journey. Considering how complex digital transformation strategies are, the right skill & knowledge set are required to implement the necessary changes.