Well over a year ago I was looking at digital trends and it struck me how many of the very same trends I had been musing about the year previously still applied one year later. Whilst fundamental and revolutionary change kept cropping up in our conversations so did the application of simple, well-understood and unifying themes. It really felt like digital was growing up.

That represents an interesting time for an industry that, whilst wholeheartedly supporting a ‘test and learn’ approach, also evangelises each individual step forward only to then find fault in it and then shoot it down in flames. Well you know what I mean. No wonder our CFOs and Finance Directors are skeptical!

At the same time we are starting to develop models around maturity that describe what is happening in our organisations and marketing departments from a development and process point of view. Here is one by MarketingSherpa around Strategic Social Media Marketing (Note to self – sponsored by facebook!). It provides a useful roadmap that charts the progression from trialing a new tool, technology or channel through the development of specific guidelines to a more strategic phase where appropriate governance and management processes are put in place. It points out the critical role that the development of a fit for purpose measurement framework plays. One that supports the calculation of channel-specific ROI in the kind of terms that the CFO or Financial Director understands.

That is exactly where a lot of the organisations and businesses I am working with are. They absolutely understand that the customer journey is becoming increasingly complex and they are already implementing measurement models that move beyond just visibility and conversion. They are developing a set of appropriate metrics based on customer engagement in the pursuit of a better understanding around what is actually happening across that sometimes grey area between brand awareness and a sale.

What is clear however, is that this story is far from complete. In almost every case the link between what are essentially digital outputs and those business outcomes which really matter is far less clear than it could be. Let’s be honest. Whilst the CMO or Marketing Director is starting to become comfortable with investing more heavily in customer engagement programmes I’m still not convinced the guys holding the purse strings are. We need to build stronger business cases around what we are trying to achieve – based on the facts backed up with a supporting narrative.

Enter attribution. The next big thing for us to evangelise? Makes for an interesting read right now. Try Marketing Attribution : Valuing the Customer Journey for starters if you are an econsultancy member. Key take-outs for me include the following;

1. For those organisations that are engaged in attribution they are still in the early stages but increasingly organisations are adopting attribution based on the accountability that it offers.
2. Challenging the status quo is always going to be difficult. Building approaches and developing the tools that mean you can focus on the facts help drive change and deal with politics.
3. Some of the changes in channel investment exemplified were reassuringly surprising and challenged some of my own preconceived ideas. The surprising impact of digital display on search ROI and brand lift is a good example.

Where the two specific measurement projects I am working on now are concerned the case for understanding attribution is clear. What is less clear is the practical implementation of it. That’s the area I am researching now.

Thoughts and feedback most definitely welcome!

Maybe attribution will finally put that phrase to rest that still rings true today; I know half of my marketing budget is wasted but I just don’t know which half. Or maybe it is just another marketing holy grail that is a little too far from our reach?

Tags: attribution, measurement, organisational change

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Over Christmas, during a 24 hour pyjamathon, I flicked back through some old issues of Wired Magazine.  An article by Kevin Kelly in the June 09 issue jumped out at me.  I must have missed it the first time; the title of the article was The New Socialism. He talks about how we’re getting more and more connected through things like virtual co-ops, sharing scripts, open source APIs, Wikis as well as social networking and how this is creating a cultural revolution and a new type of socialism.  This short quote sums up the shift that Kelly describes;

“Instead of faceless politburo* we have faceless meritocracies where the only thing that matters is getting things done”

It got me thinking about the quiet army of people we know, who in the last two years, have made the brave leap out of established corporate jobs into the brave new world of digitally connected wiki working. One person we know works from his poorly insulated garage, one from a very compact, very well organised desk space in the corner of his living room and another from a small room above a shop.   Jon has recently converted his attic into an airy and stylish office space, complete with sea view, and last year my third bedroom had a utilitarian make over so when we’re not working in a traditional office we too have somewhere else to pursue our passion.

Alongside our more conventional partners what our growing network of individuals has in common is that they are self motivated to work autonomously and flexibly whilst also relying on each other’s specific skills and know-how to provide the best in communications planning, web development and digital marketing to their clients.

Here’s another wordier quote from the article;

“Digital Socialism is without state. Old school socialism was an era of enforced border, centralised communication and top heavy industrial processes.  The new socialism runs over borderless internet. It is designed to heighten individual autonomy and thwart centralisation. It is decentralisation to the extreme”

With the help of things like Skype calls, instant chat, Google Docs, Dropbox and the project management tools we have developed between us we all feel better connected, better supported and consequently more responsible to each other.   It’s an exciting time to be running your own business. We feel lean and nimble and more than ever we’re enjoying getting things done.

*I checked a thesaurus for the true meaning of politburo – supreme policy-making authority

Tags: digital marketing, digital socialism, organisational change, partners, wiki working

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You know what it’s like.  You go to a conference and you return to work upbeat and enthused about what is possible, all the really interesting things you’ve been talking about and how this is going to make a real difference in your organisation.  There comes the interesting bit  – your organisation – and how to actually make things happen in a ‘real organisation’ with all that entails.  Including the stuff that seems to stand in your way.

Earlier in the year I presented the closing session at the annual IDM/DMA West Digital Marketing Conference. Following the key note ‘The Digital Landscape 2009’ we heard from a range of expert practitioners across search, email, mobile and display.  My session, based on a case study covering our work with Visit Wales dealt with some of the more  practical lessons learnt – the ones we learnt while making digital happen in a real organisation.  Here are some of the big ones.

1. When you are kicking off something new keep a low profile. Ironically big budgets can sometimes work against you. Test and learn. Build your case and present the facts.
2. Doing digital well is still fundamentally about people and being smart rather than technology or media spend. Your team, internal and external, are always going to be your biggest asset.
3. Ensure everyone is working to their strengths. Focus on what you do best and work with others who are doing the same. Yourself, your team, your agencies and suppliers.
4. New models require new ways of working. Managing digital is as much about managing change as it is about managing digital. You need to plan for that change.
5. Ideas rule. But don’t be seduced by ideas. You agency knows how to help you develop your business, but remember – you know your business best. Be challenged but trust your instincts.
6. If you head up digital be prepared to spend some serious time influencing those above you.  Your challenge is to fill that gap between what your team know and what those above know.
7. Keep it simple – never underestimate the power of the fag packet diagram or the lift shaft summary.   But let those above see all the numbers – they will ask silly, difficult and important questions.
8. The list of things to do will never stop getting longer. The way you prioritise that list is critical to your success. Beware the opportunity cost.
9. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. We are all still learning.
10. I’ll let you know …

You can check out the slides I used to illustrate the stuff I mentioned above;

Tags: case study, digital marketing, organisational change, project management

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