Why Your 2025 Digital Strategy Needs Sharpening
In a previous blog post we made the statement that as a generation, we aren’t just ‘digital-savvy’ anymore… we are digital first. EVERYTHING is done on-line. So if you don’t have a digital strategy…. You’re throwing mud at the wall and hoping something sticks.
At some point, let’s assume you had a digital strategy. Maybe it was created when you first launched your online platform—a task checked off the planning-stages to-do list with a sense of accomplishment. But have you revisited it since? Or have you treated it like any other completed task, now firmly in the ‘DONE’ column…. something that doesn’t require attention anymore?
The Slow Digital Decay
Relying on a digital strategy that’s well past its prime—leads to what I like to call “the slow digital decay.” It’s like believing that the house you built decades ago will stand strong forever without maintenance or updates. The truth is it’s now a run-down shack, and likewise no strategy is future-proof. Over time, what once felt fresh, innovative, efficient and effective will surely deteriorate leaving you with an approach that is no longer fit for purpose, nor does it resonate with your end-users or deliver any meaningful or tangible results. Meanwhile, your competitors are potentially (probably) actively refining and innovating, leaving you further behind and with money left on the table.
You just can’t afford to stand still while everyone else is sprinting ahead. Even IF you had a strategy in place when you first built your website, app or other online platform (and many don’t), if it’s over 12 months old, it’s potentially outdated now. Technology keeps moving. Let’s consider the following analogy to help your understanding. City maps evolve as new roads, shortcuts, and landmarks appear. If you’re still navigating with a paper map produced in the 1980s, you’re most definitely missing out on more efficient routes, new landmarks and experiences. Now let’s consider one of the most major technology shifts over the past two years with rise of LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok. The landscape has changed RAPIDLY, and now AI is integrated into almost everything and is changing the way people use the internet. Have you stopped to reflect on whether your digital strategy has kept pace with these kinds of rapid changes? Or even better, has your digital agency sat down with you to discuss? The pace of change is a reminder that strategies left unchecked risk stagnation, leaving businesses to fall behind as competitors surge ahead.
7 Tips for a Great Digital Strategy
I’ve been reading Stephen Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, as part of my commitment in 2025 towards intentional learning, and it struck me how often we at Koben Digital apply similar principles to the development and execution of an effective digital strategy. Let’s adapt his principles to the context of planning your strategy for 2025. I should point out, these are not steps so consider them collectively as tips on how to build out a great strategy.
1. Be Proactive
Instead of waiting for the (digital)-rug to be pulled out from under your feet, be the organisation who’s known to take initiative… or even take the lead. A proactive approach means keeping an eye on emerging technologies, adjusting your approach when algorithms change, and staying ready and agile enough to pivot if your audience’s preferences or needs shift. This means being proactive, keeping your digital strategy up to date as a living document, considering the new opportunities and technology available and how you could potentially leverage them within your business.
2. Begin With the End in Mind
Covey urges us to envision the destination before we map out the journey. For your digital strategy, this means defining your core objectives and desired outcomes before diving into tactics. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Drive more conversions? Provide better customer service online? Improve fundraising campaigns? Knowing your “end game” helps focus your resources and strategies where they matter most.
3. Put First Things First
Once you’ve pinpointed your goals, prioritise them. It’s easy to get caught up chasing the latest social media trend or believing that a flashy new platform will solve your online problems. But if those don’t align with your main business objectives, they can be (expensive) distractions. Priorities will inevitably shift but having a clearly defined list will allow you to focus your efforts strategically on what drives meaningful growth first.
4. Think Win-Win
We all aim to make gains, but how about creating synergy with partners who can elevate your brand and help you fulfill your mission and vision? Whether it’s collaborating with influencers in your niche who can elevate your brand or partnering with a digital agency that can offer fresh insight and is in alignment with your goals, a win-win mentality opens doors to collective success—amplifying your reach without emptying your budget without meaningful outcomes. It is almost impossible to do everything on your own effectively, especially when you are not an expert, so consider bringing in those who are experts to allow you to focus on your genius and move even faster.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
When building or revising a digital strategy, start by deeply understanding your audience/ideal customer, industry trends, and current digital performance. Don’t rush into assumptions about what will work. Gather the data first through things like customer surveys or workshops, analytics, and analysis of customer feedback. Understanding this factual evidence will enable you to make informed decisions and to form a tailored plan that is more focussed on meeting the needs of your audience/ideal customer effectively.
6. Synergize
Creating a winning digital strategy often requires collaboration from people who live and breathe digital strategy. Working with a proactive digital agency like Koben or engaging stakeholders across your organisation fosters synergy—where the combined effort produces results greater than the sum of individual parts. For example, consider how not involving all affected stakeholders could lead to missed opportunities. Imagine not consulting your customer support team during the development of your strategy. You might overlook the fact that they are under a heavy load, fielding repetitive inquiries that could be alleviated by AI-powered customer support tools. By engaging these stakeholders, you uncover pain points that, when addressed, not only improve efficiency but also enhance the overall customer experience.
7. Sharpen the Saw
Covey uses a metaphor in his book that you can't expect to cut down a tree effectively with a dull blade. Regularly stepping back to sharpen the saw is the only way to maintain or improve effectiveness. Your digital strategy (the saw) is no different, requiring regular renewal (sharpening) and improvement. Keeping your digital tools, platforms, and strategies up to date ensures you remain competitive. Allocating time for continuous learning, monitoring performance, and adopting innovative technologies helps avoid the slow (or sometimes fast) decay of relevance and performance. Engaging with an agency with a proactive approach provides a way to sharpen your digital presence regularly, ensuring it evolves as the market does.
Why an Agency Guide is Essential
Here’s where a proactive agency like Koben comes in. Think of us as digital travel guides, steering you through the sometimes complex digital terrain so you can leverage your online opportunities and future proof your digital platforms. Regularly engaging with experts who live and breathe digital strategy not only ensures you’re not left behind, but that you gain the most ROI possible on your digital marketing dollars.
Expert Navigation
We’ve run hundreds of strategy sessions, so know the shortcuts, understand the roadblocks, and can reroute you when market conditions or industry trends shift or we see an opportunity you may have missed. We are INTENTIONALLY proactive in bringing digital strategies and opportunities to our clients.
Ongoing Insights
‘Digital’ doesn’t stand still, not even for a minute, and neither should your strategy. We are constantly researching, staying on top of the latest tools, trends and best practices so we can continuously refine your digital approach and free you up to do what you do best, grow your brand, business or NFP.
Efficiency and ROI
With a clear roadmap and laser-sharp strategy, you won’t waste time, money, or resources slinging that mud at the wall to see what may or may not stick. By planning ahead and keeping your strategy dynamic, your digital platforms become efficient assets that deliver real, measurable results and growth.
Koben's insightful advice, high technical proficiency, and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in creating our web platform. Their proactive solutions and ability to anticipate future needs reflect a level of foresight that will pay off as our business goes global. The team's expertise not only shone through in the execution of tasks but also in the strategic recommendations that they provided along the way. This guidance proved invaluable in transforming our vision into a reality.
Keep Your Strategy Current
Your website, app and online socials aren’t just an ‘online presence’ anymore—they’re often the first and sometimes the only way potential customers interact with your brand. Many customers will never set foot in a bricks-and-mortar store or even pick up the phone. Your digital platforms are the frontline of engagement, support, and customer experience. ‘Digital first’. As one of the most fundamental marketing and engagement tools in your business, it’s essential they stay sharp, up-to-date, and effective.
Going back to the map analogy, consider the difference between trying to navigate Sydney with a decades-old paper map versus tapping into real-time GPS updates. Which one do you trust to get you to your destination faster? The same goes for digital strategy. With the right guidance, your 2025 strategy won’t just be a plan—it’ll be a powerful tool that guides and propels your business forward, scaling and flexing as your business grows.
Ready to Update Your Map?
If you’ve ever felt like your digital efforts are more like wandering aimlessly through a foreign digital landscape, it’s time to re-evaluate. At Koben, we embody Covey’s principle of “sharpening the saw” by ensuring your strategy evolves with your business, stays sharp and relevant, and delivers results. By guiding you through a continuous proactive and collaborative process, we help develop and execute your digital strategy to deliver growth and success.
If you’re looking for a digital agency that is intentional in being proactive and responsive, let’s work together to make 2025 the year you become intentional in sharpening your digital strategy.
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