| Mastering Internet Marketing - Build Your Brand Like the Boston Red Sox |
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Are you branding yourself and your business online? As an internet marketer, you can learn a lot about branding from famous sports franchises such as the Boston Red Sox. Read on and find out more about how you can apply these principles to grow your own business.
Even if you are not a baseball fan, I'm sure that you have heard of the Boston Red Sox. It is one of the most successful baseball franchises. The team is recognized throughout the country and even around the world. There are deeply loyal Red Sox fans everywhere and they even have a Red Sox Nation. I have been a Red Sox fan ever since I spent some years living in Boston. So what can internet marketers learn from the Red Sox about branding? First of all consider the faithful following of the fans. Your brand will grow as more people recognize it. That means you have to invest in advertising and joint ventures in order to reach a larger audience. If you don't get your name and your business out there, no one will see it. Think about the internet marketers in the make money online niche who enjoy good name recognition. Do you think that folks like John Reese or Armand Morin became sensations overnight? I think not. They work hard at building their brands. Branding yourself in your niche will make you stand out from the rest. If you have a blog build a community around it by encouraging readers to post useful comments. Ask them to subscribe to your RSS feed. In time, you can build your own base of loyal readers. Use charity events as a promotion vehicle The Red Sox through its foundation supports the Jimmy Fund and a scholarship program for 5th graders in the Boston public schools called the Red Sox scholars. Perhaps you can think of ways that you can contribute to the public good and also raise awareness for your brand. In the internet marketing world, Dr. Mani and his children's heart surgery charity comes to my mind. Competition is good for business Look at the Red Sox versus Yankees rivalry. Every time these two teams play, the fans on both sides flock to the games and those who are not fortunate to be at the ball park tune in to watch it on TV. Think about the competitors in your own niche. How can you stir up the discussion within your community? For internet marketing products, there will always be talk of which product is better and fans and detractors on both sides will chime in. This is actually good if you are a product creator because it allows the potential customer to get real feedback from existing users. Think of it like the Amazon rating system. In closing, I suggest taking some time away from the computer and thinking about ways that you can brand your own business. It will pay off dividends in the long run. |
