The benefits of “Old School” Business Analysis. Internet Marketing for CEOs.

This week I spoke on a panel about internet marketing at the NBJ Summit in Southern California. This is a high level conference for CEOs in the Nutrition industry, which is a great niche that seems to defy the recession. All week, I learned of businesses that are bucking the trends and growing rapidly. Consumers want to take control of their health and are increasingly looking beyond traditional pharmaceuticals to supplements and vitamins instead.

My colleagues on the panel included an executive from Facebook and experts in marketing and advertising, and during the discussions it became clear that most CEOs are very interested in the strategic value of online media and marketing, but are far less interested in the specific tools like SEO, Adwords or viral videos. They want to know the benefits to their business, not the  techniques and tactics that fascinate most internet marketers.

Indeed, one of my primary outcomes is to help CEOs and Business owners understand how they can best use online business strategies, to enhance their overall corporate strategies and achieve their goals.  For some CEOs E Commerce is the answer, for others building an interactive community of users and for others developing an online brand.

The key is to understand the business and not get carried away with the technology or the latest big idea. Good business analysis is critical and like a doctor, you need to develop a proper diagnosis before moving forward with the treatment.

And it is also improtant to use terms and concepts that CEOs are familiar with, and not get immersed in jargon. CEOs do not want to know about internet marketing, they want to know about increased sales, greater customer loyalty and higher brand recognition. They do not want to know about opt-in boxes they want to know about increasing their number of prospects.

So remember to differentiate strategy from tactics, and business from technology. Always put yourself in the shoes of the CEO and think about their greatest concerns, and how you can help them solve their most urgent problems. CEOs do not have the time to learn all about the techniques. They do have time to learn about how you can help them better achieve their outcomes.