Think about your business right this instant. Are you Super Bowl ready? I don’t mean playing in the big game between the Broncos and the Panthers on February 7th, and I’m not pushing you to market around it in this post (though you should contemplate it if you haven’t already planned to do so). But what if you got your big break today? A chance to make something happen with your brand? A chance to make history? If your brand was to have your own version of the Super Bowl today, would you win? Whether it’s making a ground-breaking deal, opening a new brick-and-mortar, or even simply making your first sale, consider our ‘Big Game Checklist’ to make sure that your team is completely ready to go.
1) Confirm that you have a solid team around you. No one man, or woman, can go it alone. Even for those entrepreneurs who do go off on their own, remember that they have any combination of mentors, aides, and investors in order to make their wheels turn. Cam Newton, while he does resemble nothing short of Superman on a regular basis, needs a team around him to achieve the goal of becoming a Super Bowl Champion. He needs wide receivers, tight ends, a number of coaches, and even a stout defense. Without that, Cam and his team would look…something similar to just a few short years ago. You know what your strengths and weaknesses are as a business owner – further develop your own strengths while bringing a team around you that can fill the void in your weaknesses. Ideally, while these attributes or skills may be a weakness for you, they are the strength of your teammates. And lastly, do not make the mistake of hiring YES men or women. Bring people on board who want what is best for the business and the brand, and will professionally and proactively work to win the big game.
2) To win the social media Super Bowl, understand what the audience is looking at what application. Many businesses make the mistake of seemingly flipping a switch to blanket all of their platforms with the same content at the same time. Best practice instead is to dig deeper, to reverse engineer the demographic of the specific medium, and put out high-quality content that will appeal to those particular masses. For example, Facebook is geared more towards the crowd that is 25 years old and up. Just this week I had a discussion with a group of high school students…not a single one of them had a Facebook page. Sure, that may have been unheard of five or even three years ago, but the times are changing. First, do the research to determine where your content is best served. Then determine how it will be the most engaging. Do you want to reach a younger age group? Tap into Snapchat, try your hand at YikYak, and of course work with Instagram. Twitter (at least for now) seems to be a universal mode of communication and information transferal.
3) No matter what, always be using your natural abilities, your talents, and the team around you to develop the absolute BEST product or service at any given time. A team doesn’t just show up at the start of the NFL season and is given a one-way ticket to the Super Bowl. The chance at a championship must be earned. You need to put in the long hours – the blood, sweat, and tears. No amount of incredible marketing – full of bright lights, bells, and whistles – can fix a poor excuse for a product or service. You need to bring your A-game at all times. Otherwise, you will not be lifting that trophy as confetti is falling all around you.
