How much is a digital strategy?

I am often asked this question or a variation of it when we at Headstand Media are talking to prospects or clients about our digital strategy services. It’s always been a question I’ve struggled to answer well as it produces a tension inside of me that is hard to get out into words that would make sense to the client.

The Question

Thanks go to Tom Martin for writing this great blog post - How Much Should A Digital Marketing Strategy Cost? - and articulating a thought-provoking and assumption-challenging response to this question.

Tom writes that when he is confronted with this question, he asks a simple question back:

“How long does it take to think a thought?”

This question puts the questioner in the position of having to think about the assumptions in their question.

The Problem

We live in a world where more and more elements of it are being measured, analyzed and bottom-lined. Yet, the creative and artistic process cannot be valued in these kinds of equations.

Tom is right in asserting:

“Great Marketing Is Built On Great Thought”

Or as I would rephrase it in our business context:

Great digital strategy is built on great thinking.

In the last section of his blog post, Tom asks,

“What Kind Of Thought Would You Like Today?”

When it all boils down, clients don’t want half-baked, small, limited, uninformed, average thinking from their digital strategy partner. They want creative, grand, custom, unique and exciting ideas that will add value to their business or organization.

“The innovative marketing idea that drives a 20% increase in sales is just as valuable to the client if thought of in five minutes or five days.” – Tom Martin

So true.

The Answer

It seems to me that a digital strategy should cost the customer an amount that is fair based upon its worth to their business, organization or brand. This view is my underlying philosophy when communicating about this topic with clients and prospects.

So, thanks again to Tom Martin for this great blog post! I now have some better thoughts and language with which to engage with our customers and prospects around the value of our digital strategy services.