Digital strategy and consulting means a channel mix review, growth priorities and a sequenced plan for where to put budget next – affiliate, influencer, paid social, or a mix. It suits brands who want direction before they commit spend, and it is a supporting service we offer alongside our channel management work, not a standalone consulting practice.
01What is digital strategy and consulting?
It is the step before spending, not a replacement for it. A lot of brands come to us already running paid social, dabbling in affiliate and fielding influencer pitches, with no view of how the three should work together or which one deserves the next dollar. Digital strategy answers that question directly: it reviews the channel mix you have, sets growth priorities in order, and hands you a sequenced plan for what to fund first.
This is deliberately a supporting service, not a big standalone consulting practice. We are an affiliate and partner marketing agency first – strategy work exists because brands regularly need a plan before they commit to any one channel, and because the answer often turns out to be affiliate, influencer, or paid social run properly rather than a new tactic nobody has tried yet.
02What's included?
Three things, kept concrete rather than theoretical: a review of the channels you are already in, a ranked list of where growth is realistically available, and a plan that sequences the work instead of listing options.
The review
- Channel mix review – what's working, what's flat, what's a distraction
- Growth priorities – ranked by where the next dollar goes furthest
- Partner strategy – which relationships (affiliate, influencer, retail) are worth building
The plan
- A sequenced plan – what to fund first, second and third, and why
- A clear next step – handed to us for execution, or to whoever runs it internally
- Honest scope – we say when a channel isn't worth the investment yet
The output is a document you can act on, not a workshop you sit through once and forget. If the plan points at a channel we manage – affiliate most often – the handover into that engagement is direct, because the same people did the thinking.
03How does it work?
We start with what you already have running, not a blank page. That means pulling the current channel mix, understanding what budget is committed where, and being honest about what is actually returning versus what is just present out of habit.
From there, growth priorities get ranked against your margin, category and existing traction – not against a generic checklist of channels every brand is told to try. The plan that comes out the other end sequences the work: what starts now, what waits, and what depends on something else being fixed first, like tracking or conversion rate. If the plan points at affiliate, our guide to starting an affiliate program covers the same sequencing logic in more depth for that specific channel.
I would rather a brand start smaller and do it properly than launch everywhere with no plan.
04Who is this right for – and who should not use it?
It suits brands about to spend on a new channel who want the order right first, and brands already spread thin across several channels who need someone honest about what to cut. It does not suit brands who already know exactly where the next dollar is going – for them, strategy is a step they have already done.
A good fit if…
- You are about to spend on affiliate, influencer or paid social and want the order right
- You are already running two or three channels with no clear view of which is working
- You want a plan you can hand to an internal team or to us
Not right for you if…
- You already have a clear, working plan and just need execution
- You are looking for a one-off deck rather than a plan you will act on
- There is no budget to act on the priorities once they are set
05What does it cost?
We price strategy work on the same three models we use across every service – retainer, performance component, or hybrid – because scope genuinely changes the number more than the service label does. A short channel review and plan is a smaller scope than an ongoing advisory arrangement, and the model should reflect that rather than a flat rate for everyone.
We publish how the models work, what pushes scope up or down, and the honest agency-versus-in-house comparison on the pricing page – read that first, then ask us for a proposal scoped to what you actually need reviewed.