February 3

Online Marketing is like Football

With the Super Bowl being played this weekend, I thought I’d take a few moments to write about how websites and online marketing are like football.  Both fields are very competitive; both require long hours of planning and analysis; both require strong, decisive action to succeed; and both have their share of “armchair quarterbacks”.

For the purposes of this analogy, I am going to focus on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s start with the quarterback.  Think of the quarterback as your website–the quarterback is the “hub” of the offense, much like your website is the hub of your online marketing strategy.  The QB touches the ball on every possession, and impacts your offense more than any other player.  Similarly, all of your online marketing efforts tie back to your website–more than anything else, it determines your success.

Social media is like the wide receivers–this is the glamour position.  People love to talk about Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube just like they love to talk about Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.

Content management and creation, like the offensive line, do the grunt work.  It’s not glamorous, it’s not high-profile, it won’t get you on Sportscenter, but without it the rest of your online marketing won’t be effective.  It provides structure and continuity to your campaign.

SEO is the driving force, incrementally moving your business up the search results rankings.  Not unlike the team’s running back, who steadily gains yards against the defense.  To succeed here requires patience and commitment, along with the ability to recognize when a hole opens up…and to then burst through it.

A football team can achieve moderate success if it has a good quarterback, or a good set of receivers, or a good offensive line, or a good running back.  But when a team has talent at all of these positions, only then can it truly achieve greatness and score a lot of points.  Opposing defenses cannot stop everyone.  The same is true of online marketing.  A well-designed website is a good start, but to really grow your customer base, develop brand loyalty, and increase sales, you need remarkable content, search engine marketing, and a cohesive social media strategy.  That is how champions are made.


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