What is a digital strategist?

As more and more of modern life transitions online, it can be difficult for businesses to know how to keep up with the pace of change. Staying competitive now requires much more than a blog and a Facebook page.

A growing niche in the marketing world has developed, though, to guide business owners in this new digital world.

Gordon Buchanan is the client services manager for WRAL Digital Solutions, a marketing company owned by Raleigh-based Capitol Broadcasting Company. He said the role of a digital strategist within a modern marketing team is to act as the glue that connects sales people and the fulfillment teams.

"In order to be effective, the digital strategist has to understand both the traditional world of sales and marketing, and also the emerging world of search engine optimization, data analytics and digital advertising," Buchanan said.

The day-to-day life of a digital strategist

This vital role requires a very multi-dimensional person. As the name suggests, the digital strategist must have a mind capable both of logical reasoning, in order to work with numbers and technology, but also must be creative enough to brainstorm strategic solutions to achieve the client's goals.

"This is a very specialized skillset," Buchanan emphasized. "Speaking with clients and sales people takes great communication instincts and poise. The digital strategist has to be able to fill in the gaps of the sales person's knowledge when the client has a question. This must be done in a way that reassures the potential client and maintains their confidence in the process."

After the client is satisfied and agrees to a digital marketing plan, the strategist still has a major role in the process. They then communicate that plan to the technical personnel that will carry out tasks like web design, graphic design, copywriting and data analytics.

The digital strategist passes the responsibility of completing the work to the project manager and their fulfillment team but still has to monitor the success of this plan. By analyzing numbers related to online clicks, viewthroughs, conversions, geo-targeting and much more, digital strategists determine whether they are on track or if adjustments need to be made to achieve the client's objectives.

Digital strategy as a career

This role in a marketing team seems to be here for the foreseeable future. Because they are flexible and always adapting, this position seems uniquely capable of remaining relevant by adjusting to the rapidly-changing marketing environment.

"Traditional skills like sales will likely always be needed in the business world, but so will adaptive strategists who can plug these skills into modern contexts," Buchanan said. "The digital strategist will continue to make themselves needed by occupying that space between traditional sales and marketing skills, and the modern, digital methods of keeping the client competitive."