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Digital Strategy

Digital strategy is the name of the game for many startups looking to break into the new world of marketing. The term marketing itself does not clearly enough identify the type of work being offered by a company or individual, as the eras of marketing have shown tremendous diversity. Marketing could mean standing on the sidewalk with a sign, it could mean billboards, it could mean paid TV or radio commercials, and it could mean paid internet banners, pop-ups, or email blasts. Now, it's more likely that marketing means cost-effective Facebook promoted posts, social activations such as a Twitter hashtag, or gamification[1] to engage the consumer. Big ad agencies are moving their strategies in this direction, but companies might not want to invest big bucks in an agency that is accustomed to the old ways and trying to adapt. GE's Executive Director of Global Brand Marketing, Linda Hoff, said at the 2014 Innovation @ Northside Festival[2] that smaller agencies that focus on doing what they do really well are more effective than big agencies trying to do a lot of things just okay[3].

That's where digital strategists find their way into the mix, creating small companies that focus all their efforts on the opportunities presented by new media. A company or brand might hire a team of digital strategists to monitor, analyze and strategize regarding their social channels' engagement performance. Having people to track the types of posts that are more successful than other types of posts, or the blogs that find greater success by being linked through Twitter versus Pinterest or vice versa, allows a company to truly capitalize on the benefits of new media. A lifestyle post might receive better traction on Pinterest, whereas a new product announcement might find the most success through retweets on Twitter. A contest might work best on Facebook, where consumers can comment to win, perhaps. These are the ideas a digital strategist will bring to the table, tailored based on the research they've done regarding each company they've been hired by.

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