We have all sat in on a meeting or two where someone has said that ‘doing digital’ will solve any number of problems. Sure, digital can give your business increased exposure, a competitive edge and new insights on your customers. But digital has many faces, and saying that you will ‘do digital’ is about as vague as claiming you will ‘do business.’ Determining the strategy, platform and channels you must utilise will flesh out your digital diversity, allowing you to fine tune and perform at a higher level. Next time you have the same meeting, present these 5 essential inclusions that will afford you the cut through that your business is looking for.
Digital Diversity: 5 Essential Inclusions You Need to Implement
1. SEO
Those three letters pack one hell of a punch. SEO (search engine marketing) is a strategy that starts but never really ends. How you rank on Google is determined by a great number of things, all of which you can control if you find an agency like Digital Next, to get your business on the proverbial and literal (Google) map. This can be achieved through link building, which increases the number and quality of backlinks allowing you to tear past your competitors on the climb to the top spot. You can also gain a few quick wins by optimising your onsite content with keyword rich descriptions and information. If you want to increase your rank and page authority, find an agency that can deliver just that.
2. Responsive website
Website aesthetic is one thing, but how it performs and looks in the backend can be a completely different conversation. A responsive web design will ensure that you are serving desktop or mobile optimised content, at a speed that will keep them on the page and not bouncing. Who you are as a business and what you provide will inform your web design, and yet so many websites do not have the compatible plugins to perform basic functions.
3. Social media
Social media is not a hobby, it’s a channel. A powerful one at that. It’s also where you will find all your customers and several more prospects. Your native and paid social strategy can be highly targeted, and can bring in a nice return for a relatively small investment compared to other more aggressive channels. If you are new to social, you will want to seed your pages before you start spending money and always test your campaigns on a smaller sum before you go all in.
4. Consistent branding
You may think this sits in the brand bucket, not the digital one. You would be right and wrong. Consistent branding will govern what your tone is and will allow you to be smarter with how you interact with audiences online. Your eDM’s, ad copy, regathering and even 404 pages should be in your brand colours and unique brand tone. Don’t waste any touch point, and start being known for exactly what you want to be known for on every platform they engage with.
5. PPC and Ads
Whether you are in the goods or services industry, you can benefit from Google Shopping and Google Ads. Serve up your unique products on the platform your direct audience is searching on, and capture the sale. Google is constantly upgrading and adding to the functionality of its platforms, to a point where customers can actually be presented with your products as well as the stockists, product volume available and directions to get there. All in one keystroke.
If you are considering digital for your business, it’s not a case of ‘if’, it’s a case of ‘which’. Discuss your unique business needs with a digital agency, and see what recommendations can be tailored to deliver on brand exposure and conversion you need.
The inclusion choices that compete with each other
Nobody tells you that digital diversity work is full of trade-offs. Every guide lists what to include: captions, alt text, plain language, multiple languages, screen reader support. What they don’t tell you is that these things pull against each other, and against your budget, your timeline, and sometimes your brand. You can’t max out everything at once. You have to choose, and most businesses choose badly because nobody’s laid out what they’re giving up.
Here are the trade-offs that matter:
- AA versus AAA compliance. WCAG AAA sounds like the gold standard, so people assume it’s the target. In practice, AAA often demands changes that hurt usability for everyone else (like contrast ratios so high they look garish, or restrictions on justified text). Most legal and ethical obligations are met at AA. Chasing AAA across an entire site burns budget for marginal gains. Decide AAA case by case, on specific pages, not as a blanket policy.
- Breadth of languages versus quality of maintenance. Offering content in ten languages looks impressive until nine of them are three versions out of date because nobody budgeted for ongoing translation. Three languages kept current and accurate serve users better than ten that are stale. Pick languages based on actual audience data, not aspiration.
- Automated accessibility testing versus manual testing. Automated scanners are fast and cheap but only catch a fraction of real issues, roughly a third by most estimates. Manual testing with actual assistive technology catches far more but costs more and takes longer. Relying purely on automated tools gives false confidence. Use automation for the first pass and manual testing for anything customer-facing and high-traffic.
- Simplicity versus richness. Plain language and simple layouts are easier to make accessible. Interactive features, video, complex data visualisations are harder and more expensive to do . Businesses often quietly strip out richness to dodge the accessibility work, which thins out the experience for ever
The short version: A strong digital strategy needs diversity across five core areas: content formats, platforms, audience segments, team perspectives, and data sources. Businesses that build this variety into their planning reach wider audiences and adapt faster when one channel underperforms. Skipping any of these five elements creates blind spots that competitors can exploit.
Frequently asked questions
What does digital diversity mean in a marketing strategy?
Digital diversity means spreading your efforts across multiple content types, platforms, and audience groups instead of relying on a single channel. This reduces risk and helps you connect with different customer segments in the way they prefer to engage.
Why is having only one platform risky for a business?
Relying on one platform leaves you exposed to algorithm changes, policy shifts, or outages that you cannot control. If that channel loses reach or shuts down, your entire strategy collapses with it, so spreading presence across several channels protects your visibility.
How many content formats should a digital strategy include?
Most effective strategies mix at least three or four formats, such as written content, video, audio, and visual graphics. This lets you meet audiences who prefer different ways of consuming information and repurpose one idea into several pieces of content.
Can a small business realistically apply all five inclusions?
Yes, small businesses can start small by adding one new format or platform at a time rather than doing everything at once. The goal is steady expansion of reach and perspective, not perfection from day one.
Published and maintained by the Lilach Bullock team, covering marketing, AI and business growth.
