Envano-ism #1: The Straudiment

By David Sauter, CEO

Published: May 17, 2013

Our unconventional thinking and consistent drive to push the boundaries to better our clients business has resulted in a few unique inventions over the years. Some of them have sound business implications, while others simply lend to our creativity and make work fun. Here’s an example of one of many portmanteaus that have manifested into important Envano-isms.

Straudiment is defined as the following: “a written document that highlights and addresses a current situation positioned against opportunity for future growth, building an actionable strategy through accurate assessment” – a combination of audit, assessment, and strategy.

In the initial audit, we look at what a client can do differently from what they are currently doing in the digital space, particularly regarding website, mobile, social, and search initiatives. Identifying and diagnosing strengths and weaknesses is imperative to complete the remainder of the straudiment. Evaluate efforts to date.

In the second stage of the straudiment, the assessment highlights the overall situation, making note of a client’s primary competitors, posing the questions “What is going on in the industry? What are competitors doing? And how does this affect the client?” First understanding yourself, or the client, lends to painting the picture of how the business fits in the industry, pinpointing opportunities and threats.

The insights gained through the audit and assessment phases influence strategy development, the final element of a straudiment. Develop and propose strategy for change and implementation, including objectives and goals, strategic and tactical plans, timelines, stakeholders, and often, investment.

The business value of investing in a digital straudiment lies in the outside perspective. Too often, organizations operate from the inside out, and not in a good way. This outside in perspective brings light to internal and external roadblocks, opportunities, and low hanging fruit. In the Win Without Pitching Manifesto, Blair Enns offers the following insight regarding outside in creative thinking.

“One of the advantages the outside expert brings is perspective. And one of the hallmarks of creativity is the ability to see problems differently, and thus find solutions others cannot see. To bring our perspective and problem-solving skills to bear we must be allowed time and freedom to diagnose the client’s challenges in our own manner.”

For today’s business leaders, assessing and understanding the current landscape against company initiatives is a key component of developing an effective strategy and determining direction, particularly in digital. Success in business today demands agility. Business problems must be defined and dealt with swiftly. Think of a straudiment as you might a car — most people do not drive 10,000 miles without maintenance or at least a diagnostic check up. The same is true for digital strategy and touch points. A website, among other channels, always requires maintenance and updates. A straudiment acts as that diagnostic check up, providing a tangible snapshot of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the digital space.

What do you think — can your business benefit from a straudiment? Let’s chat!

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[…] in” perspective – contact Envano to discuss how our visibility or content straudiments will help solidify a strategy that drives the growth needed for your company to dominate the […]

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[…] accurately diagnosing the problem.” Knowing this, we always begin with an audit (or “straudiment” as we’ve coined it) and never agree to begin working on a creative solution to a […]