It’s officially fall. The air is turning crisp, everything is pumpkin-spiced, and America’s modern gladiators battle every week on the gridiron in the majestic sport of football. As we watch fans dress themselves, their houses, and their dogs in team colors, one starts to wonder: How can my brand create a fan base this passionate?
First quarter — play to your strengths
If you have a top-tier quarterback and a solid receiving corps, you’ll lead with passing. If you have a star running back, you may lean into the run game. The same applies to building brand advocacy. Understand what your brand does exceptionally well and lean into those areas. Do you have a superior product? Or the best customer service? Or a fun and engaging brand? Be real with yourself; no brand is the best at everything. Identify your areas of peak performance and focus on those.
There’s no one right way to play the game but there is a wrong way: copying another brand’s style if it doesn’t fit your ethos, culture, products, or services.
Second quarter — create valuable content
In football, this process is easy (in theory). Make cool plays, score points, win games, share highlights. Fans love engaging with and discussing those highlights. Brand marketing is not too different. Brands have a wide-open field full of channels through which they can deliver compelling content: blogs, videos, podcasts, social media, etc. When embarking on content planning, consider your audience first and foremost. Give them what they want and you can keep extending your winning streak.
Target your audience’s head to help them learn the things they need to know about your brand. Aim for their heart to compel them to share your content. Content that educates gets consumed. Content that enchants gets shared.
Third quarter — stick to the game plan
Losing yards at some point is inevitable. Those who are unprepared or not rooted in a solid strategy are apt to resort to rash, knee-jerk reactions for a quick fix. But doing so can risk the very brand identity you’ve worked so hard to establish. As you’ve built your brand reputation, your fans come to expect behavior that is consistent and in line with your values.
You’ve put in the work scouting the competition, evaluating your strengths, and executing as a team. Don’t jump to a Hail Mary at the first sign of trouble; that could just put you further behind. That said, don’t be afraid to throw in a few trick plays when things are going well to surprise and delight your fans.
Fourth quarter — listen to your fans
Your fans want you to succeed. They invest their time, attention, and reputation in supporting your brand and are often the first to cheer you on and advocate for you to others who may not be convinced. But they’ll also let you know if you’re falling short of expectations. You can maintain your brand identity and stick to your plan without wearing blinders and earplugs. Take the feedback you receive and evaluate consistent themes that arise. Is your new campaign provoking unintended reactions? Is a service offering falling short of communicated expectations? Your fans will tell you if you listen to them. Discuss these things as a team and address them efficiently.
You may have the best products and services on the field with the best marketing team coaching from the sidelines. But you still need fans who want to come cheer you on to find and maintain success.
Post-game — Build community off the field
If you’ve ever been to a football game, you may have experienced one of the best parts: the tailgate. So many people gather every Sunday (or Saturday or Friday) in a parking lot or living room to cheer on their team together. The excitement generated when fans share the experience is exponentially larger than when that experience occurs in a vacuum. Brands should find opportunities to create and nurture these communities to give fans the ability to feed off each other’s passion. Then watch that fan base grow and grow!
A winning partnership
Constructing an effective brand-building playbook can be a daunting task. But just like every team this fall has an arsenal of coaches to share the workload, Two Rivers Marketing can work alongside your team to build a championship brand with an impassioned fan base. When you’re ready to hit the field, reach out to us for help with creating a winning game plan.
By Hillary Ferry
By Two Rivers Marketing