I work for a small local daily newspaper. We also offer website development for other small businesses in the area. This aspect of our company is handled by another branch at a different office. For now, I am the online advertising sales co-ordinator.

The problem I have is I am way more interested in the website development and marketing aspect of our company. But no one will listen. The person in this position of power (the HiPPO, if you will) has very little experience with Analytics at all! He just started reading about it a few months ago! When I first started this job, I mentioned SEO for our website customers and was told by him that SEO is “snake oil”!!

Prior to this company, I was heavily involved with the development and analytics of my previous company. That was almost two years ago!

So I have a lot more knowledge and experience with this then the present HiPPO!

As I go out and talk to people about our online advertising, I often get into converstations about how people are using their website and if they are gaining the necessary info from it that they should. Often they have no idea of what I am talking about. So in turn, people have offered to hire me on the side to help them.

This would be frowned upon since we have someone else that’s supposed to be doing that but honestly, I think I could help them.

What a better way to show I can bring more results than to HiJack a friendly website and show the other higher-ups that we need to be paying more attention to this for our customers.

Thank you for your insight. I am very glad I have found your blog and will be a faithful reader from now on.

My intent was not to imply, overtly or covertly, that this could happen overnight. There are some things that can dramatically drive change, like testing or surveys.

In the former you need one good test to have a huge impact and for the latter you just need couple interesting insights and the management will yield (after all they can argue about web analytics data but not VOC!).

Other things will take time, like the hijack a site and prove your worth. That will clearly need patience and hard work, lots of it.

The concern you mention below is I think more emblematic of a web analytics only approach. “Here’s the click data, please pay attention to it, no, then ok I will try again” etc. :) Then you and I have to go back and try and try again and again.

Thanks again so much.

-Avinash.

This post makes it seem like this happens overnight. Gather and serve the data and doors will open. I guess that depends.

I recommend that one should consider the time this will likely take in a large company to accomplish.

Even after the data is gathered, you still have to get buy in from a committee of other organizations that may be impacted.

For some. this has to be something your willing to carry on your back for the duration of time needed to push it through. Oh, and by the way, be prepared to continue doing all of the other things that your responsible for in addition to proving your case.

If your really believe in it, this shouldn’t matter. You’ll find out once you start the journey if you Really believe in it.

Kyle

One item that really helped me for your first point (Implement a Experimentation & Testing Program), is that I showed my management many systems that were not too impressive (the ones you mentioned above). The feedback then was worse and I was getting really discouraged. However, when I discovered one solution that allowed great testing, experimentation and fantastic results, the feedback from management became so positive that they bought into it. So yes some solutions are free but they can really work against you. Go for the solutions that have impressive results. Our system is XiTi (www.xiti.com) if anyone is interested. We have been using it for 2 years and the service (amongst other things) is superb!

Thank you again for your great help in this market.

As a boss, I started seeing the same things with employees. If they really believed in something and would go out of their way to convince me (do some research, present some evidence, etc.), I’d be on board. If they just came in every day with something different to harp about, they weren’t going to get my buy-in.

I implimented analytics to our current site, even though its going to be completely made over within 2 months -just to be able to (gulp-hopefully) show the value of the recommendations i made to the new site.

Keep up the good work!!! (Btw -added this to delish and tweeted it too!)

Not for now, ’cause I am preparing a strategy.

Thank you for guiding me.

Can I make a request for a future post?

Tips for choosing a web analytics consultant.

Your summary observation at the end was great and I would love to hear more. I am sure it will be unique.

Thanks for the great article. I have been sitting in my office hanging my head against the wall in rage! :) Well not quite, but I’ve been sitting here thinking how can I convince them, how can I show them what I know and how I can make them more money.

Your post came at the perfect time. I’m putting together some competitive analysis data and am planning to show it to them and get some action.

We have a big Hippo or 2 here because its a family run business in many respects so there is the trust factor also.

I’ll definitely be blogging about this myself.