Don't Be Afraid to Take Chances
I was rooting for the Saints. Their coach, Sean Payton, grew up in nearby Naperville, Illinois. They were underdogs. After a shaky first quarter, they clawed their way back into the game by halftime. I figured, if they just play sound, fundamental football from here on, they’ve got a chance. So what does Sean Payton do? He runs an onside kick to open the second half. Unheard of. Crazy.
And what happens? The Saints catch the Colts off guard, recover the kick, march down field, score a touchdown, take the lead, steal the momentum, and win the game.
B2B Can Use Social Media to Steal the Momentum
One question I hear frequently from B2B owners and marketing leaders is, how do we stand out from the crowd? In a lot of sectors, companies conduct marketing activities in pretty much the same ways – trade shows, “billboard” style websites, brochures, press releases, print advertising, etc.
What would happen if such a company ran an onside kick at the start of the third quarter? What if they started a serious Twitter or LinkedIn campaign? What if they began to blog in earnest? They might score a quick touchdown. They might take the lead.
But more important – they might steal the momentum. They might lock in a sustainable advantage over competitors by building strong customer relationships and attracting entire new segments of the market.
Anyone who has participated in team sports knows this – once you lose the momentum, it’s hard to get it back. You can stay in the trenches and slug it out with more powerful competitors, or you can do the unexpected. For anybody who watched Super Bowl XLIV, the choice is obvious.
And Don’t Be Afraid to Make a Mistake
And by the way – Coach Payton took another crazy chance earlier in the game. Instead of kicking a chip shot field goal, he elected to go for a touchdown on fourth down at the Colts goal line. The Colts stopped the Saints cold. Would your company take a chance like that? And, if you did and it failed, would you shake it off and come back a few days later , taking an even wilder chance?
Most folks wouldn’t, I guess. But winners do.
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Chicago based SEO copywriting, blog consulting, and content marketing.
Few stand out companies have ever gotten to where they are by copying their competitors. What’s always interesting to me is how often unique maneuvers are avoided more because they ‘feel risky’ rather than because they actually are more risky. To a certain extent it is applying a low risk label to the proven play because of how you will be judged if it fails rather than focusing on what needs to happen for you to excel. Watching clients increase trade publication advertising and tel-sales efforts in the face of declining effectiveness while avoiding less expensive exploration into the unknowns of social media can be disheartening.
“What’s always interesting to me is how often unique maneuvers are avoided more because they ‘feel risky’ rather than because they actually are more risky.” – Brilliantly put, Fred. Not only because of your words, but because of the underlying truth.
Brad, you couldn’t have explained this better… I love surprises and perhaps everyone does. It’t an amazing tool! Thanks again for a great post on a timely topic.
Robyn, Customers like surprises, too – at least pleasant ones. Instead of focusing on the drawbacks of new styles of customer engagement, let’s look at all the positives.
I’d love to hear stories of how businesses do onside kicks at the start of the third quarter. Clever analogy, Brad.