Here in Colorado, fall has given way to the colder temperatures. The brightly colored leaves have faded away, and the smell of pumpkin and spice linger in the air. An early morning combination of a Pumpkin Spice Latte and working on this week’s NFL picks, got me thinking about matchups, strategy, predictions, and even a dose of luck, and how I could best guide you into making winning choices with your marketing.
Past Performance. In football picks looking at past performance of each of the teams helps put into perspective how the current matchup might be played. In marketing, insights can be gained from previously executed campaigns and taking into consideration what worked, what didn’t, and what to change. The key here is to track and measure these events.
Strategy. Marketing strategy is akin to football’s game plan. Execution is rarely easy. It comes from practice, practice, practice and credit often goes to those who put a good plan in place. In marketing, budget, timing, target audience, and the right objectives will set up the best chances for a win. With these pieces in place, you’ll be ready for the snap.
Collaboration. Getting the football into the end zone is an act of teamwork. Much like your own marketing efforts, choices have to be supported by all practice decision makers. If it’s a win, celebrate together the well-executed series of steps required to be effective. If it’s not a win, work together to build a revised strategy with refined imagery and messaging and test it again. There’s no way to know how effective a campaign will be until you try it and measure the difference.
Sticking to the Basics. In football, running, defending the ball, and being effective in your position are key to a winning game—like a series of perfectly rehearsed steps. In marketing, you have to reach the audience; not just getting in front of them, but connecting and impacting them with your message, and persuading them to take action. You accomplish this by being where they are and listening.
Running the Play. Players must thoroughly practice a series of game plays before they are truly ready to play the game. But all of that practice can still lead to mistakes if the players’ heads are anywhere but in the game. Similarly, good marketing isn’t rushed. Quality over quantity in today’s cluttered advertising space is key. All of the work put into your marketing strategy leading up to the launch of your campaign will prevent you from flying by the seat of your pants and add accountability to your efforts. As long as the execution is well done and the message is clear, you will learn from the effort and come out ahead.
Measurement. It’s the start of the fourth quarter and you’re in the lead. How do you stay ahead? Being a Broncos fan, I’ve become really accustomed to the team showing up in the fourth quarter and pulling out a win with precision. Your competitors are intelligent people. They can put two and two together and figure out how to do what you do. The key is to be ready to answer the challenge with an arsenal of information. Like football, marketing is full of stats. Impressions, clicks, investment, return…your marketing result is so much more than the final score. Track your efforts, measure effectiveness, and use this information to make educated marketing choices.
Marketing, so much like football, can get very complicated. You can get lost in the endless stats, predictions, and simulations, but you ultimately have to make a choice and commit to the outcome. Marketing should be informative, entertaining, and useful. Will there be upsets? Absolutely. But you didn’t sacrifice all of your efforts for nothing. You learned. You created brand impressions, and so much about marketing is awareness, keeping your head in the game, and enjoying the process.
Want to read on the go? Download the PDF from RBMA by clicking HERE.
