If your company’s marketing team is struggling to find the end zone, then it’s time to take some play-by-play tips from the National Football League. That’s right, despite all the negative press lately, the NFL is still a marketing powerhouse when it comes to promoting team-themed products.
In order to help boost your marketing department’s success rate, here are a few pointers you can take from the NFL playbook:
Spending Money to Make Money
Your marketing department has probably heard the phrase “you have to spend money to make money,” but the NFL is really putting the phrase to good use. The National Football League spends nearly 2 billion dollars annually on advertising and marketing and gets almost 10 billion in revenue each season.
Although your company probably doesn’t have this kind of money to spend, the point still remains: you have to spend it to make it. By maintaining a reasonable marketing budget, your company can receive a healthy return on its marketing endeavors. This of course requires an effective marketing approach that rivals the NFL’s.
Football Season Advertising
The NFL has impeccable timing when it comes to advertising campaigns, which is something your company can learn from. It’s no coincidence that football commercials start gearing up in late August. The NFL begins their heavy advertising at the beginning of the season, then lets the football games take care of the rest.
Your business may not break down into seasons, but you can still learn a thing or two from the NFL’s advertisement timing. Whether you run a CPA business or you’re in retail, timing is important. Reaching out to customers at the optimal time will fuel results.
So, figure out your primetime, whether it’s bi-annually or bi-monthly, and unleash your advertising campaigns accordingly.
Merchandising and Branding
Merchandising is the key to marketing success and the NFL does it best. As the following article shows, from team jerseys to “custom floor mats for the NFL fanatic”, the National Football League has made itself a household name. Your company’s marketing department can use the NFL as a merchandising example by adopting its branding practices.
Sure, your company isn’t going to sell jerseys and hats with the company logo plastered all over them. However, by creating a solid brand with a straightforward logo and clear message, your company can become just as recognizable as your favorite NFL team.
You can even throw in a few logo branded pens and refrigerator magnets while you’re at it.
Targeting the Right Audience
The NFL would never unleash a Steelers marketing campaign to Ravens fans. In other words, targeting the right audience is the pathway to marketing success. By understanding your target audience and utilizing local SEO, your company’s customer outreach and marketing efforts will yield a 10 billion dollar return on its 2 billion dollar investment – or thereabouts.
Reaching the right audience means you’ll have to analyze your current customers’ wants and needs and apply those elements to your future marketing approach. Who is your audience? What’s the best way to reach them? Are there niche audiences within you consumer base? Asking your marketing team these questions will help your company hone the right marketing strategy.
When it comes to making an advertising touchdown, use the pointers above and take an NFL approach to marketing.
