Ah summer…sunshine, green grass, fresh air, and of course BASEBALL! It’s America’s national pastime!
As marketers, you might be struggling to hit a home run in the slower summer months. Sales can lag in this quarter, as folks pack up their bags and the office and hit the road for summer vacations. Once you’re past the start-of-year, over tax season, and haven’t hit the holiday and end-of-year rush yet, you might be feeling the long lazy days of summer hitting your bottom line.
So what can we learn from the “boys of summer” to keep things fresh, and make sure you’re hitting home runs with your customers and not striking out. Keep batting a thousand and keep your customer experience out of the park.
1. Keep Content Current
Focus on current events, stay up on industry trends, keep tabs on your customers and know what’s going on. One game can rarely make or break a team in baseball (unless it’s the World Series), but cumulatively a series of losses add up. Stay up on what’s going on and don’t let a miss cause you a big loss.
Organize your customer data and track leads, sales, and points of contact regularly. Reach out to customers consistently with targeted communication. This might mean keeping your social media content fresh, regularly posting to your blog, and engaging with customers online. Respond to customer feedback, and keep your content relevant and up-to-date.
On the same note, if you’re hitting a slump when it comes to marketing ideas, focus on what’s going on in the world around you. With current events (Olympics, election, sports and trends) you can easily pick and choose content that touches on the pulse of what’s happening in the world.
While you should avoid sport-industry-level controversy, of course, mentioning current events helps customers realize you are timely and in the know (and can boost your SEO and trending topics).
2. Know Your Stats
They say baseball is a thinking man’s (or woman)’s game. It’s a game of statistics. Incremental returns and cumulative scores add up into a series of wins or losses. Your analytics are your own personal statistics. Many of us avoid our analytics because they can be intimidating, or even – well, let’s face it – boring. Learn to understand the story and you can find your stats to be just as riveting as any MLB All Star.
Your analytics reflect your customers’ experience. They can tell you what’s generating responses and what’s being ignored. Data paints for you the ways your customers are interacting with your content and reveals what searches lead them to you.
Watch for trends. Watch for marketing efforts that get clicks, shares and engagement, and keep going with similar content. Ask for customer feedback and keep your eye on satisfaction and customer happiness. Customer satisfaction matters in all industries, including baseball.
3. Save Your Closers for the Final Inning
When you’re in the bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded, your entire team looks to the closing pitcher to make or break the game. In your business, when you’re at a make or break point, whom do you look to?
What member of your team is the closer? Not just in sales, but the team leaders who can rally and do what it takes to keep you on top of the game? Those people are your leaders. They are the employees who should be treated like gold.
Typically, your all-star team members are the ones on board with the company’s vision. They understand the big picture, and are in it for the best outcome for all, not just themselves. Find the employees you can rely on and who are loyal and honest. Keep those hardworking visionaries happy. Put them in the bullpen and bring them out when you need them to throw some strikes. Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.
4. Know Your Competitor
When a visiting team comes to your stadium, you know their stats. You’ve studied the talent on their team, and pick your best players who can go head-to-head for the win. Know your competition just as well as you’d know the opposing team. Don’t keep your eyes focused on the dugout, worry about the game at hand, but know what your opposition brings to the table and plan accordingly.
Study industry news on your competitor’s successes and failures. Keep a handle on what they’re doing well, and what areas you excel at. Play on your strengths and learn from theirs. If your competition has great customer service, then it might be time to focus on building your customer experience. If your competition has great social media presence, then maybe it’s time to bolster your own.
At the same time, if you are known for your ability to deliver on a deadline, or your attentiveness to the individual customer, don’t scrimp on your strengths to compete with another company. Play up the things you do well, and work on the areas that need attention.
5. Rely on Your Fans
When it comes down to it, the things that make a baseball team truly great are the fans. Sticking it out through inning after inning, flying out of state for spring training, jotting down the stats in their notebooks as they sit in the stands with their baseball mitts. True fans are vital to the success of Major League baseball; just as much a part of the game as beer, hotdogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack.
Your customers should be your biggest fans. Loyal, repeat customers are your most valuable commodities. It takes years to build up a customer and seconds to lose one. Paying attention to the needs of your clients, being attentive and quick to address their concerns, and working hard to stay “on the ball” will keep you ahead of the game.
When summer is over and the season has ended, applying these lessons from America’s favorite sport can help you hit home runs in your industry all year long.
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