If I've learnt anything this year it's the fact that what best sells your message are pretty pictures or the designs of your website. Not a surprising statement really but a valuable lesson nonetheless. Whilst development of a digital strategy, an accompanying investment model and customer research are absolutely required the people who'll best remember these gathered learnings are you and your direct team. And to labour the point you should produce these artifacts to round out your knowledge and to justify your investments or activities but nothing sells a story like a pretty picture.
Moving forward I'd employ a strong web designer almost in parrell to starting the strategy to help flesh out the vision and to solicit both feedback and sell the strategy. Again an obvious statement but your modern professional has lost patience with PowerPoint presentations and wants to be engaged via other means. Infact I can distinctly remember the audience's response to both the strategy and the visual designs. With the strategy sold by PowerPoint the engagement was fairly passive but with the web designs people would move forward and the questions flowed. Absolute engagement with the web designs.
The one caution I'd add is to not sell a message exclusively on pretty pictures. If you can't explain how it's aligned to the business strategy, how it will turn a dollar and why customers want it your credibility will be quickly lost. So yes pretty pictures are the best way to win the hearts and minds but to ensure it's a sustainable long term marriage all the standard outputs are required.
