This time of year, when you hear about rankings, they aren’t the ones relating to search engine listings. In March, rankings are about brackets and pump-fakes and second chance points … and some really good live television if you are a basketball fan. Yes, March Madness is nearly upon us, and there are more similarities between this premier NCAA basketball championship and competing in business than you might anticipate.
The Big Dance
For those not familiar, The Big Dance (also known as March Madness and the NCAAs) is a high-power college basketball tournament that has achieved an iconic status. Fans in the throes of winter misery find it a welcome distraction from snowstorms, work and other responsibilities. Underdogs, alma maters and teams chosen for curious reasons populate brackets predicting which teams win each of the series of games — spawning playful rivalries in workplaces, neighborhoods and friend groups.
While I’ll try to keep my enthusiasm to a palatable level, I happen to be one of those basketball fans who’s eternally coaching from the couch and drowning out the commentators. I get even more vocal at this time of year.
Prefer to read about content marketing and website optimization rather than basketball? Fortunately in my zeal I’ve been able to draw an extraordinary number of parallels between the topics. Read on.
Winning strategies
Business leaders can learn a lesson or two from elite college athletes hungry for the win. Full-court press on the court involves aggressive defensive positioning. For your business, that translates to a website that’s search engine optimized, with the keyword phrases prospects are searching for, meaningful metatags and authoritative inbound, outbound and in-site links.
With teams primed for the task and chomping at the competitive bit, the March Madness offer a generous dose of flash and sizzle. But those fast break and alley-oop style points are just part of the game strategy, which begins with a strong foundation of tried and true plays and a lot of sweat. Similarly, you must set the stage for business success with a solid marketing strategy, including original, client-focused content and processes to keep up the pace.
A strong bench and a powerful sixth man help a team to advance in The Big Dance. With resources like downloadable how-to guides, infographics and instructional videos, and guest bloggers to take the pressure off content publication, your business can stay in the game as well. Take time to develop these assets — they’ll help you keep cool under pressure. If you’re craving that fast break sizzle, here’s some sideline coaching on creating pithy, punchy email subject lines.
Focus on the long term
In college basketball terms, one and done is used to describe players who leave a college program after one year to join the NBA — and at this time of year, to describe the way the NCAA championship works. Lose one game and you’re out. Fortunately when marketing your business, you have the opportunity for a rebound or three point play with email marketing strategies like re-mailing to those who don’t open your emails and LinkedIn newsletters.
Keep it clean to avoid penalties
While game plans are developed and practiced repeatedly before The Big Dance, the pressure of game day can result in play that’s not according to plan. Minimize turnovers and the dreaded airball with a website and email that are secure and mobile-responsive. On the court, taking steps while carrying the ball may result in a traveling call. On your website, those extra steps are illogical navigation or broken links that may create doubt in website visitors.
Even the most seasoned players can get in foul trouble from play that’s deemed too aggressive. In business, aggressive marketing tactics are off-putting and irritating. Respect your audience with marketing that caters to their preferred topics and scheduling needs. While it’s easy to get caught up in game day excitement, a social firestorm can throw off your timing, leading to a shot clock violation. Strive to keep your cool and maintain social media cadence.
Eyes on the prize
Many broken brackets are caused by dark horse squads that outperform higher profile competitors. Often, the March Madness teams that make it to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite 8 and even the Final Four aren’t those with the most hype or biggest name recognition. While the upsets by these Cinderella teams may mean losing the office pool, they’re a big part of what makes the NCAAs captivating. Everyone loves an underdog.
If your business doesn’t have the name recognition of the #1 seed in your field, don’t fret. Instead, follow the advice in this post to increase your odds of cutting down the net in the championship game — and savoring your one shining moment.
Want pointers on these strategies?
This post was previously published on OnlineAmplify.com and has been updated for relevance and timeliness.
