Digital Strategy

The National Trust for Historic Preservation came to Viget with a simple, yet ambitious, question: what should the organization's digital marketing look like over the next three to five years in order to build a sustainable base of supporters? The complexity of this question promised an equally complex answer, the result of which is a blueprint for the Trust's digital future.

Our work with the Trust began with a three-month strategy engagement that sought to establish a vision and path forward.

Our thinking began to coalesce around a central theme: taking the organization from simply the guardian of historic places to a visionary that leads the modern preservation movement.

To begin addressing the myriad components that make up the Trust's digital presence, we held a series of workshops aimed at exploring specific areas, ranging from audience needs to digital product design to technology. These workshops were the start of an ongoing rhythm that guided our work. After beginning with strong collaboration to explore a topic, we shifted into more individualized effort to ideate and organize, and then returned together to share and plan. This pacing persisted through the engagement and allowed us to cover a wide range of topics and considerations.

The strategy is a high-level road map that will guide the organization through a number of initiatives, all geared toward achieving key metrics each fiscal year. In terms of planning next steps and how to begin to realize aspects of the overall strategy, Year 1 was given the greatest fidelity. Specific projects were scoped and milestones described that would focus the organization’s attention. Year 2 and 3-5 were also paired with suggested goals and activities, but with recognition that things can (and likely could) change.