It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and we’re not talking about the holiday season. Instead, we’re talking about the return of a sport that has millions of fans cheering across the country—football. While you may think that marketers and football players are far from alike, that’s not exactly true. There’s actually a ton to learn from the sport of football. Not a football fan? Relax, because you don’t have to be a mega football fan to understand these marketing tips. Check out these tips and tricks to help you score a marketing touchdown.
- Watch the game tape.
Football teams are notorious for watching game tapes of both their past performances and their upcoming opponent’s past performances. While you likely don’t have a game tape to watch back, you do have intel on what marketing worked in the past and what didn’t. Consult that data when you’re making your marketing decisions to be the best prepared going into your next campaign.
- There will be times when things don’t go your way.
We can’t be winners all the time. In the game of football, one team has to come out on top and one will try again next week. In marketing, there will be times when things don’t go your way. Remember that a failure is only a true failure if you don’t learn from it.
- Not every drive is going to be a touchdown.
Good things take time. In football, it wouldn’t be a very good game if each time the team got the ball, they scored a touchdown. Remember that good things take time, much like your marketing efforts. Take time to develop a marketing campaign that will work for your business instead of rushing it in hopes to score big.
- Teamwork makes the dream work.
Football relies heavily on an entire team. You have offensive players, defensive players, the kickoff team and more. While you may be tempted to try to do everything yourself with your marketing campaigns, you’ll go much further and faster with the help of your team. Don’t be afraid to delegate with your marketing efforts!
- You have to switch it up sometimes.
What worked last time may not work again if you continue to do the same things over and over again. In football, running the same plays would be an easy way to be stopped by the opposing team. In marketing, doing the same thing time and time again becomes stale for your recipients. Mix it up with a fancy new direct mail piece or a fun banner that greets your customers when they walk in your storefront.
- Leverage your biggest supporters.
Football has fans and so does your brand. The people in the front row at the games are normally also the ones who are telling their friends about their team, sporting the team colors and logos and yelling the loudest. Find your biggest supporters and ask them to help spread the word for your business. Give them branded swag that they’ll wear to help gather more supporters. Ask them to leave you a review. Start a referral program and ask your biggest fans to help spread the word!
- Sometimes you have to throw a Hail Mary.
Go big or go home. Sometimes it pays off to throw a long pass, high up in the air, with the hopes that your teammate will catch the ball down field and score. Likewise in marketing, sometimes it pays off to go for a big idea that’s out of the box. Branch out with something you haven’t tried before, like a vehicle wrap, a brand new event or anything new you can think of. Who knows? It could be the next best marketing campaign you’ve ever produced.
While marketing and football are vastly different, there’s a ton of common ground to be found. Next time you’re watching the big game, remember to take note.