B2B Marketers Can Learn Branding Advice from Professional Sports

Yes, you read that title correctly. Sports teams are marketing machines! How else do you think they fill their seats with millions of people every year? Marketing is an integral part of their business operations from ticket sales to selling fan merchandise. They know how to target so many different types of consumers, which can definitely be useful for B2B marketers.

Give an incentive/offer something that brings value to the customer

From college teams to the big leagues, giving away free merchandise is a very common marketing tactic that every team uses. It’s a very clever way to get fans to buy a ticket and almost always has a great ROI (return on investment).

B2B marketers can easily follow this practice. Whether you’re garnering new email subscribers or trying to get new people to click your Facebook ad, you always want to offer something that brings value to the customer. Perhaps a free whitepaper, a “how to” guide of some sort, or a discount on your product/service. By offering an incentive, people are more likely and willing to participate.

Producing relevant and relatable content

Sports teams are known to have unique personalities on social media and are also known for producing great content. They never miss an opportunity to partake in a social media holiday or whatever topics are currently trending on Twitter. They are quick to act, which makes them content role models for the rest of us.

Staying up to date on current events and trending topics is essential in this media-driven, ever-changing world we live in. Through email campaigns, social media posts, and blog posts, there are so many ways to show your customers, old and new, that you are relevant with the times. You also want to produce relatable content. If your core demographic is vegetarians, you probably don’t want to send them emails about a new blog post on 15 different ways to barbeque ribs. Always remember to keep your content relevant and relatable to your audience.

Taking care of their fans [your customers] and showing appreciation

Earlier this year, the Mets struck a deal with a fan on Twitter who wanted to take her prom photos at Citi Field in Queens, New York. The team said if she received 500,000 retweets, then they’ll make it happen. The post went viral within a few days and she will be taking her prom photos at Citi Field as promised.

Show your appreciation to your customers every once in a while. You can do so by sending them freebies such as an Edible Arrangement or a mug with your company logo, a discount on their next purchase, or by simply sending a personal thank you email. The whole point is to make your customers feel that you truly appreciate and value them because without them, you wouldn’t be in business.

Your B2B business is most likely not an internationally admired professional sports team but from a marketing standpoint, their strategies can be highly beneficial to any B2B brand. So all you B2Bers out there, take some notes from their playbooks and follow suit.