News | Business Tips
News | Tactics
Want better business results? Maybe you’re not being tough enough
Do you have an online marketing mantra for 2013?
By Stephen Lynch
I remember being thrilled with my first promotion to a managerial position. I was promoted from sales rep to sales manager, and had just been relocated by my company to the city where the head office was located.
Mention online marketing and most businesses with a website mentally tick that strategy off as complete. But is your website really working for you? Is it adding value to your bottom line? A website is your online brand builder, it’s a 24-hour, seven-day a week sales tool that should be adding to the strategic growth of your business, says OnPage1 Media director, Scott Wilson. “So many businesses have fantastic looking websites, but there is no strategy behind them. They just don’t maximise the online potential.” With the new business year looming, Wilson encourages all businesses to take an objective look at their online marketing strategy. “Most people see the internet as a way to grow their business, but they simply don’t know how to use the online environment as a tool to make this happen.”
One of the best pieces of management advice I received, strangely enough, was from the owner of a car dealership as he was handing over the keys of my shiny new company car. As his chain of car dealerships was one of the largest in region, I figured he must know a thing or two about how to be a good boss, so I made a point to listen closely.
decisions. Making decisions is what you are paid to do. You need to confidently set the strategic direction. Be tough enough to drive business execution. Be tough enough to pull the plug on projects that are not living up to their original promise.
Set clear expectations
He said, “I have learned two key things about being a good manager I would like to share with you. One; have a drink with your team, but never get drunk in front of them. Two; be friendly with your team, but don’t try to be their best friend. If your team doesn’t respect you, or if you get too friendly, you will never be a successful manager.”
Structure is not a dirty word. People crave structure. Your employees need to clearly understand how their roles and goals relate to the overall company strategy, and how their performance will be evaluated every week, every month.
These days we see lots of articles about how important it is to “empower” employees by leaving them alone, and how you don’t want to “micromanage” them. I wonder if things have gone too far? The biggest problem business leaders report to me is that they struggle with business execution - they struggle to get their people to get things done – fast!
Yes we all want to be liked, and no one wants to be jerk. However, weak managers are not respected. Weak managers are too casual and friendly. They let small problems build up into big problems, when they should have been dealt with immediately. Managing is not something you do when things go wrong. Your number one job is to keep projects moving forward and support your people so they can achieve their goals. Getting things done is your number one job every day.
I read an interview with the author of “It’s Okay to Be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need.” The author claims that “undermanagement” is now the problem. Managers have forgotten how to manage. Here’s our take on some of the key points…
It’s okay to be the boss Let your team see that you have a firm handle on the business and can make good
Toughen up
Take responsibility As a manager you only succeed when your team succeeds. You praise the team when the team succeeds. You alone take responsibility when the team fails. Yes, being a manager is a tough job. Are you tough enough?
Online success must start with a strong and focused strategy. “I see many businesses, especially those in growth phases, with strong strategies across almost every area of the business, but online marketing is often put aside. For many it is in the too hard basket, because they just do not know where to start. “Businesses are trying all sorts of different tactics, but because none of them are tied into a specific strategy, any success is minimal and fragmented.” OnPage1 Media work with companies to develop a strategy to harness the potential of the online environment. To be successful, Wilson suggests there are three areas businesses need to focus on:
Connect
To be effective online, you need to have relevant, rich and engaging content – not just on your website, but across all online platforms you use. This means keeping information up to date, adding to it and finding online and offline communications channels that can feed back into your online portals. Again everything needs to be linked to your strategic plan. “We work with our clients to get their stories, columns and news published offline in a relevant way. We can then use this online to help build their brands. Done correctly it is effective and yields excellent results.”
Convert To convert – you must have a clear call to action. “Does someone visiting your website know what you want them to do next? “This is where you can make the biggest wins. The skill in converting an online searcher into a buyer, is to match their conversation with your solution,” he adds. “When people go online, you need to try and imagine what is going on in their head. They have a problem and are looking for a solution – what will they type into Google?” If you can get good at matching these conversations with your website’s content, then you are half way to getting this searcher to become a client. “This is so simple, but very powerful when done correctly. The key is to understand what it is they are really looking for and then deliver this through your content and strategy – again connect, communicate, and convert.”
What’s happening behind the scenes?
First the online strategy must connect to the businesses overall growth strategy. The last and one of the most important aspects to successful online marketing is to Secondly, there has to be legitimate look at and understand the maths behind the online connections with the people you scenes. “By understanding the metrics and want to reach. You must know what your the analytics, and then strategically using the ideal customer/client looks like and what tools available the results can be enormous.” their pain points are. “You need to look at the marketplace, your competitors, your current results and you need to benchmark everything. All this contributes to a gap analysis which identifies your potential and the tools and tactics needed to help you reach your goals.”
Communicate Give people what they are looking for – keep it simple and straight to the point. Well-written copy is a powerful tool. “Every business I have worked with has great information and stories about their services, products or areas of expertise – but it’s not often they share any of this in a meaningful way,” Wilson says.
The internet constantly changes and to ensure your business is thriving online – you need to be strategic, understand what it is you are trying to achieve and how to best do that. “This is where true internet marketing professionals come into their own – they are fully versed in and adapting constantly to the ever evolving internet. “We work with companies who are in a growth phase and serious about taking their business to the next level. Our online marketing strategy session helps establish a robust and strategic online plan – one that is focused on results and based on the science of what really works online.” www.onpage1.co.nz
12 | February/March 2013 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz
WT#81 Pages 1-28.indd 12
21/01/13 2:53 PM