Watch the Six Nations from a different perspective.
Looking for ways to inspire your marketing team? Find yourself in a rut when it comes to your digital marketing? Step away from the office. Hit the field instead. With the Six Nations just about to enter its final two weeks, we’ve got international rugby on the brain over here.
Hang on – why the rugby interlude? Shouldn’t we be talking about marketing?
Be a winning team
All the rugby excitement soon got us thinking. What we do is all about teamwork. And what better example of teamwork is there than the Irish rugby team so far this year? It wasn’t just luck that got them this far – it’s the fact that every team mate knows exactly what his role is – and he brings his best to make sure they come through on top.
When it comes to marketing, it really is no different. Sure, we might not be going around in a rugby shirt caked in mud (usually) but apart from that, there’s a surprising amount in common with the action on the field. That’s why one of the most important aspects of the game – whether you’re on or off the field – is knowing your position.
What’s your field position?
Every player in the squad has his own skills, and his own job to do during the game. From the hooker, to the scrum half, to the full back – each player brings his own unique mix of style, talent and experience to the position. And without each man, the team just couldn’t succeed.
Marketing is no different. When you’re bringing together the different elements of digital marketing – it’s exactly like creating a winning rugby squad. Each player in your team has his or her own role to play. They might be a designer, an SEO expert, a blogger, or something else entirely! Whatever their role is though – they’ve worked on building your skills and talents – and that’s what they bring to each match, every time.
The perfect game strategy
Anyone would think you were a nutter if you wanted to swap your tight head prop for your left winger. And it’s exactly the same reason why you wouldn’t want to have a web designer write your marketing content for you too.
The digital marketing ecosystem is a complex and finely tuned system– all targeted at one goal: making your business even more successful, through web visits, leads and customers. It also brings in a lot of different disciplines together, which – on the surface – can seem to complicate things.
SEO, web design, content development, strategy development, PPC, influencer marketing… the list goes on. But ultimately – despite the fact that all of these individual fields are so different on the surface, they’re all tied together with a common goal. And they succeed when each person involved is able to work on their own skill set – while keeping the overall objective firmly in mind.
That’s why when you’re putting together your strategy for digital marketing, you need to look at both the players and your goals. Who are your team? What are their strengths? And what are you collectively trying to achieve? If each person executes their role and concentrates on their individual output whilst keeping the overall goal in mind, a successful digital marketing program is guaranteed.
So this Six Nations weekend – when you’re caught up in the thrill of the match, take a quick moment to be inspired by the great work of the team. Think about how their joint efforts have brought in some amazing performances – and how your own marketing team could do the same.
