The NFL is Back: Here Are 3 Marketing Lessons You Can Apply to Your Business

The National Football League kicked off their regular season this past week—with the first game occurring on Wednesday, 13 games yesterday, and 2 more capping off the weekend tonight. Despite the struggling economy, the NFL remains a remarkably profitable business. Millions of fans watch each game on TV. Hundreds of thousands shell out money each week for expensive tickets to the games. And millions more support their favorite teams by purchasing jerseys and other products.

What can your business learn from the success of the NFL? Below are three lessons we’ve identified:

Give your customers many ways to engage. The NFL has solutions for fans of every interest level. Casual fans can watch their home team play every week on network TV. More involved fans can purchase NFL Sunday Ticket and have access to every single game, every week. For those that don’t want to invest 3+ hours into a football game, NFL.com and the NFL Network provide highlights and analysis of the key moments in each game. The games are available on TV, but now also on your computer, your phone, or your tablet. Hardcore fans can purchase access to “coaches film” and review each game from several vantage points. In short, no matter what your level of interest, the NFL has a solution for you. How easy do YOU make it for your customers to do business with you?

Take aggressive action to turn perceived weaknesses into strengths. The NFL has drawn intense scrutiny over the past several years regarding player safety. Observers are very concerned about the level of risk players are exposed to—and particularly concerned about the risk of head injuries and brain trauma. The league has responded decisively—overhauling their rulebook to reduce instances of head-to-head contact, and severely punishing the New Orleans Saints this offseason for efforts to deliberately injure opponents. Many observers question the effectiveness and the fairness of these efforts—but there is no doubt that the NFL has acted decisively to eliminate the perception that player safety is not taken seriously. How can you take action to eliminate any perceived weaknesses your business may have?

Never stop innovating. Despite the overwhelming popularity of the league and its unquestioned position as the dominant pro sports league in the nation, the NFL isn’t satisfied. Over the last decade, they have made subtle changes to the rules to increase scoring, and specifically to make it easier for offenses to pass the ball downfield. The result is more explosive plays, more star quarterbacks to idolize, and games that most fans consider more entertaining than ever. The lesson? No matter how successful you have been, never stop looking for ways to make your products and services even more appealing to your customers.

The NFL is a billion-dollar industry—even in this tough economy. Their success hasn’t happened by accident. Which lessons from their success can you apply to your own marketing efforts?

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!