Digital transformations or digital skill building often starts with a workshop or training. Most businesses I’ve worked with reach out with that exact request. The challenge is that training isn’t the outcome. It may check a box, but the actual desired outcome is improved skills and the ability to implement those skills consistently.
To consistently evaluate this, we use a digital skills matrix with our clients. This is a proven approach to demonstrate the desired skills, current skills, and the skills gap. This is the foundation of building a strategic upskill program. It helps to define and improve the digital skills maturity of an organization.
Building a digital capability plan strategically involves four steps.
1. Determine the skills needed for short- and long-term success for the organization.
Start by determining the skills the organization needs in the short and long term. This should be based on the organization’s plan for growth as well as current and future digital spending. Each business and industry will prioritize different channels and skills.
Determine the skills your organization needs to succeed and which roles specifically need which levels. For example, an executive needs a strategic understanding of SEO, while a marketing specialist may need an in-depth understanding to manage the agency. A digital capability expert partner can support these efforts by identifying the skills most needed in similar organizations.
Skills needs can be created for different roles or levels in the organization. It is important to remember that executives and multifunctional partners should also be included in the skills planning.
2. Evaluate the skills of your employees.
Determine where your organization is in terms of skills now. There are three ways to establish the current capabilities.
First, use a tool that can objectively measure your teams’ knowledge in digital marketing. The advantage of this approach is that it is unbiased and based on tested knowledge. The challenge is that it can be difficult to include all relevant capabilities in a short test.
Second, teams can self-report based on a matrix of the competencies needed for different skill ratings. For example, an individual can rate themselves as beginner, intermediate, or advanced on SEO with the support of a specific description that defines what knowledge is required at each level.
Third, evaluating marketing outputs can demonstrate if the organization consistently applies skills. For example, a team may rate themselves as advanced in content optimization, but if their content lacks best practices, there is an identified gap.
Organizations can most benefit from a multipronged approach that looks at all these approaches to get the complete picture.
3. Develop the skills matrix with gaps.
Once the analysis is complete, a visualized skills gap can be created. This demonstrates the core digital skills areas, their prioritization, and the gap. This helps to define the job to be done and identify a clear path to build a capability plan around.
4. Create a prioritized digital capability plan to close the gaps over time.
The next step is to build the capability plan to develop the organization and close the skills gap. Capability plans are typically multi-year and involve not only knowledge but implementing the knowledge.
Better digital marketing outcomes and executions that align with best practices are the ultimate goal — not simply capability development. The plan should include multiple touchpoints and various types of training and communications to grow the skills of the organization. It isn’t a one-time workshop or a single effort.
Growing the digital skills of your organization isn’t a one-time effort. A single workshop or touchpoint rarely drives the results needed for organizational growth. Building digital skills is like building muscles — it requires consistent effort and flexing to grow and stay strong. A capability plan can be your strategic pathway to accelerate growth and strategically grow your organization’s capabilities.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.