After months of preparation, football season finally kicks off this week. The games we watch over the next 5 months will inevitably include strategic plays, high-stakes decisions, and feedback from fans.
Sound at all like your marketing efforts?
What if I told you that the same principles that guide your favorite football team to victory can also be applied to your marketing strategy?
Pro football teams spend all off-season creating carefully crafted playbooks that, if executed correctly, will ensure their team wins every game. The playbook is the cornerstone of a team’s strategy and should provide a plan for every conceivable situation. Players then study and commit it to memory so they are always prepared, knowing that executing the plays correctly could mean the difference between a win and a loss.
Just like these teams wouldn’t step onto the field without a plan in place, your marketing team shouldn’t approach a campaign without its own strategic guide. Your marketing playbook should serve as a comprehensive guide for your team so they feel prepared for anything. Preparation is the key to getting everyone on your team to feel confident, making them more likely to win together.
Building Your Marketing Playbook
Know the distance to the goal
First and foremost, you must define your overall objectives. What is the main goal you are setting out to achieve? Once you have identified that, determine some key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your distance to the goal and track your successes (and improvement areas) along the way.
Break down the big-picture game plan into smaller plays
Now you know your objective, but what’s the plan? The core of any strategy is how you are going to achieve your goals. Your marketing playbook should provide a blueprint for success which includes both your overall game plan and the steps you need to take to implement it. Break down your strategy into tactics, or smaller activities, to put you on the right path to success. You can even put your most important schemes towards the top of the playbook to ensure they aren’t missed.
Develop alternate schemes
As much as you want to believe that all your plans can be executed flawlessly, obstacles are bound to present themselves and you need to prepare accordingly. Collaborate with your team to craft some creative solutions you can use as backup plans in the event that you need to adjust on the fly. Being able to pivot and adapt to changing circumstances without losing sight of the overall objectives will ensure you still succeed, even when changing tactics.
Identify coverage responsibilities
Determine what roles are needed for your strategy to succeed, then assign someone to fill each spot on the roster and make sure everyone knows their responsibility. This will get everyone on the same page right away, which is especially important for the rookies. Make sure they understand all the core schemes within the overall strategy so that they can be able to help the pros execute quickly. Having everything committed to memory ahead of time also avoids any wasted time focusing on the wrong things or hesitating and acting too late.
Study the competition
You want to be successful against your competition, so a key part of building your playbook involves spending time studying them. What are they doing well that you’re not? How can you improve in this area and incorporate it into your strategy? Spending time on social listening can be a great way to extract this type of information from social media in particular.
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Ensure protection
Identify any possible areas of weakness and develop a risk mitigation plan. Adopting a rapid response marketing strategy can help, as in the case of “damage control” when unexpected emergencies transpire. Establishing these clear protocols and contingency plans can prepare your team so they know how to handle pressure by responding appropriately and quickly get back to focusing on their work on the field.
Review film
Though it can sometimes be uncomfortable, reviewing your campaign is a crucial part of learning and improving for the future. It’s important to look back at all your efforts and critically assess both wins and losses in an effort to strive for continuous improvement. In fact, you can often learn even more from your shortcomings than you can from your successes. Discuss lessons learned with your team, then adjust your playbook accordingly. A SWOT analysis can be a helpful tool for identifying areas where you may have a competitive advantage, areas that need improvement, and more.
Final Whistle
As you enjoy this football season, remember that a great playbook is the key to victory—both on the field and in your marketing efforts. By creating and sticking to a well-crafted marketing playbook, you give your team the best chance to execute winning strategies, drive results, and ultimately score big in the marketplace. Put in the time now working on your game plan so that you can show up ready to compete.
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About the Author: Carolyn Beatty
Carolyn Beatty is the Client Services Manager at Gate 39 Media. She provides ongoing support for and fosters ongoing relationships with clients by combining open communication, transparency, empathy, and geniality in all interactions.
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