We often get asked, "Why do we need a digital strategy?"

Usually the question comes from someone working in smaller, highly budget-conscious organizations, or companies in traditional industries that may not be as focused on the Internet for marketing or customer communication.

But don't let the use of the word, "strategy" throw you: this isn't just for large or "techie" companies. Every organization today needs a coherent plan for how the Internet can help achieve business goals. And that's all a digital strategy is — a carefully thought out plan that let's an organization assess their potentially misplaced assumptions or gaps in knowledge, and ultimately ensure that the tools, platforms and tactics they use are the best to get the desired results.

An effective digital strategy must be tailored to your needs, including budget. It needs to be based in some form of research — competitive analysis, keyword analysis, online audience identification — but may also include audits of social and other digital channels (like email), and persona development. Training can also play a role, so whomever executes the plan is properly prepared.

For each digital platform, your organization should have a clear plan of attack in place from set-up, testing and implementation to measuring and everyday management. Of course, you can only manage something if you measure it, so a critical piece is of a solid strategy is to identify the correct metrics that will help you properly measure success.

What it comes down to is this: You can use the Internet for almost anything today. But should you? And if you do, is it working? Choosing to not do something is still a choice. Only by having a well-defined digital strategy in place will you know if the decisions you take are right.