My last blog of 2011 was about turning over the captain’s chair to my staff while I took a 3 week vacation. A real vacation at that, not glued to my e-mail or solving problems from afar. I let them sail the ship and I relaxed. It was a welcome change.

If you have an experienced team, the captain is only needed when you hit rough water. Steering the ship through a crisis is a learned skill set, sharpened by experience. Whether we have fallen into a leadership position, got forced into taking the helm or arrived at it by design, the short strokes are that every ship needs a captain and every project needs a champion. Why? Because there are always storms to navigate and only one person can make that decision. No two people are likely to approach the same set of circumstances in the same manner. As my older brother likes to say, “There are lots of right answers”.

When I started my business 24 years ago, my older brother’s advice was… don’t do it. He had been in business for a decade already and knew the perils I would face. I believe it was something I was meant to do and as I may have stated before, being overly optimistic and somewhat naive are fundamental qualities of being in business for yourself.

I’ve seen a lot of businesses fail. Solid companies with hard working owners – most spent too much money on the wrong things at the wrong time. Many fell behind with tax remittances. Some coasted when they should have forged ahead. Some forged ahead only to have a dramatic shift in technology or market conditions do them in. I feel very fortunate that my business is solid as we march into 2012.

For anyone thinking of starting their own business or are in business already and questioning their direction, here are 5 tips that people have shared with me and I know to be true:

1. Don’t bog yourself down with things you’re not good at. Hire the right people to fill the gaps.
2. Banks never give you money when you need it. Always increase your credit line when you don’t need it so that it’s there when you need it most.
3. Prepare yourself to work longer hours, take fewer vacations and have more stress than you will ever have working for someone else.
4. Prepare for the worst and expect the best is appropriate advice and trusting your instincts is critical to successful decision making.
5. Last but not least, the right decision is always the hardest until you make it… after you make it, you will wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.

Lee’s quote for the day

“You’ll know when you’re going in the right direction by the number of hills you climb, obstacles you overcome and forks in the road that require decisions to be made.” 

“What is Google Analytics?” “Why should I use Google Analytics?” “How can I make money from Google Analytics?” “Why would I PAY to use Google Analytics?”

Well… I’ll answer the last question first, Google Analytics is FREE!

Now to the first question; Google Analytics is a system that tracks and displays critical information of your websites performance. In short, it shows you who is using and viewing your website. It shows you where your visitors are coming from, how long they stay on your site, which page is most popular, and so much more.

Next question… If you have a website, then it makes sense to utilize Google Analytics to allow you to understand how well your website is working for you. You will see that if your homepage has a high bounce rate then your website is not engaging potential clients. Your marketing and advertising strategy may be driving the wrong type of customer to your site, or it may be time for a refreshed design or a clearer more impactful message. (Bounce Rate is an averaged percentage between the number of visitors who leave your site immediately and the number who stay and click through to multiple pages.)

“How can I make money from Google Analytics?” It’s not that you can make money from signing up but it will help you earn money. Most people reading this blog will be in B2B rather than B2C so ecommerce and tracking ROI from direct sales through your website is not relevant. However, there are ways to ensure your web presence is earning dollars. You can set goals; for non-ecommerce sites, goals would be what you want your website to accomplish whether it’s filling out a form, downloading a file, or emailing you. Values can be placed on certain goals if you need $ numbers to work with. Our IT guru Jerry wrote a previous blog article explaining Google Analytics in greater detail. http://www.trypm.com/blog/2011/05/27/google-analytics-interpreting-key-metrics-for-a-transportation-related-website/

10 Benefits of Google Analytics

1- Allows you to see how many people are visiting your website

2- Allows you to see how many returning vs. new visitors you are getting

3- Allows you to see where your visitors are coming from

4- Allows you to see how long visitors are on your site and how many pages they view

5- Allows you to see what the most popular page on your site is

6- Allows you to see how your visitors found your site

7- Allows you to see what the most common search terms are

8- Allows you to see a comparison to previous performance

9- Allows you to see which sites you are getting the most referrals from

10- Allows you to see how you stack up against other similar websites if you choose to submit yours

The other option is to market yourself through Google AdWords which I will explain in my next blog post. AdWords will take a bit of an investment but it, in combination with Google Analytics, will allow you to target your message more appropriately and spend your marketing dollars more effectively.

From my experience, many of our larger B2B customers view their site as a customer portal for relevant data and are not overly concerned with anything beyond that functionality. During this past recession, our company has shifted a lot of our resources to web development and understanding how to make it an effective marketing tool for our customers. Without getting too technical, my top 10 suggestions for a more marketing orientated B2B website are as follows:

1.  Give your web some personality.
   Many companies put website development in the hands of their IT department. Although they certainly play a big role, there should be a second set of eyes directing your look and message to the marketplace.
2. Take a message first approach.
   Don’t keep what you do best a secret. Make sure your value proposition is front and center. Narrow your focus and increase overall results by speaking specifically to your 80% strength and customer target.
3. Use an effective combination of Flash and HTML text in your web layout. Too much of one or the other can leave the viewer either frustrated with download time or bored from lack of effective design and text heavy layouts. A “picture is worth a thousand words” applies to websites too.
4. Optimize your site.
   Having a site without SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is like having a hot dog without the bun. Proper SEO can dramatically change your presence on the web through increased rankings.
5. Keep your news or blog category current.
   Having original news and/or blog content will increase rankings and customer interest, while copying others verbatim and having out of date entries can work against you. The more you update your site, the more reasons search engines such as Google will have a reason to visit.
6. Attention to detail is important.
   Use quality photos and well written and proofed text. Make sure your logo and tagline are reproduced consistently and correctly throughout your site and please avoid extended “under construction” postings.
7. Make your site customer centric.
   Make it easy to navigate. Tell your message quickly and concisely. Have applicable customer log-in portals front and center. For new visitors, the majority are looking for contact info so make it easy to find.
8. Benchmark your activity before and after.
   Use Google Analytics to better understand traffic demographics. Review regularly and make changes to your site based on the data received. Set targets to better capture your viewers’ attention and increase frequency and lengths of visits in the future.
9. Use a combination of push and pull strategies to increase your web presence.
   Don’t wait for business to land in your lap. Push out your information. Promote your website to customers and prospects.
10. Use one capable marketing provider. Your results will be more cohesive, cost effective and less demanding on your time. Taking a “too many cooks” approach (within your company and by using multiple vendors) could result in poor overall delivery and lack of consistency with your branding efforts.

 Lee’s quote for the day,
“To catch the big fish, your marketing needs to have the right hook, line and thinkers.”