No matter how you feel about sports, no one can deny the pull they have to drive engagement and bring the best (and the worst) out of people.
The World Cup 2018 is under a month away, which means the world will be watching for a whole month. 32 countries and 64 matches. With so much soccer going on at the same time, why would you want to miss out?
Whether you know all about moment marketing or not, your instinct is probably telling you that this is massive opportunity to promote your brand. And you would be right.
You’ve still got some time to up your game and win at moment marketing during the World Cup 2018. Here’s how!
Win At Digital Marketing During The World Cup 2018
1. Know your audience
It seems pretty basic, but if you have customers in France, don’t send them a #GoEngland! email. Chances are, they won’t take it that well.
If you’re running an email campaign, personalize the content and segment your lists to send your subscribers tailored messages. Knowing your audience is not just about knowing where they live, their gender or age. It could also mean understanding how they’ve engaged with your brand, when they’re most likely to open an email or what their favourite products are by analyzing previous purchases.
Segmentation and personalization are great ways to make your emails relevant and potentially increase your ROI.
2. Get creative
OK, so you might not have the budget to produce a short-film with Cristiano Ronaldo, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and come up with an exciting marketing campaign.
Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” ad was probably much more affordable than Nike’s previous example, yet equally effective. The company repurposed a simple concept (user-generated content, featuring photos taken by iPhone users) that had already proven successful and arguably won the marketing battle during the Euro 2016. This time, the pictures were soccer related and were just as powerful as the original campaign was.
At the end of the day, sport is all about emotions, and so is marketing. Being able to address those emotions can be what tips the balance in your brand’s favor.
3. Go multichannel
Why focus on one when you can deliver your message on a number of platforms? Using multiple channels to power your marketing efforts can increase your brand’s visibility and improve your results.
For example, use Twitter on match days and email in between matches to drive the momentum. Grow your contact or follower lists and give your content the boost it needs to go viral by integrating email and social.
Has your business got the potential to drive your marketing efforts offline? Then why not try special in-store offers or prize draws on match days?
4. Drive engagement
Nowadays marketing is increasingly becoming a two-way conversation, rather than a one-way sales pitch. Getting users to engage with your messages can make the difference between an ordinary campaign and an extraordinary user experience.
Fall in love with hashtags, encourage your followers to predict results, get them to share their match-day photos or run competitions on your website. It will have an impact on your brand image, increase your reach and help you target potential customers.
5. Plan ahead… but embrace the moment!
Just as with the news, you can usually divide marketing moments into two teams: predictable and unpredictable. The World Cup 2018 is predictable, we already know it’s coming, we know when matches are going to take place and we can even anticipate who the top teams are going to be. This gives us time to prepare for certain situations, create campaigns and even find the best gifs we want to use on our social media.
However, not everything can be prepared. Sometimes, unexpected things happen. Like a fan running onto the pitch to hug Messi during a Copa America 2016 match. Be quick, turn the moment into a gif, caption it with a funny quote and prepare yourself to rule the Internet.
6. Take risks
Moment marketing is all about risk-taking. Part of reacting to unexpected situations is embracing that risk, thinking on your feet and making the most of the moment. It’s soccer, so don’t be scared about picking sides, being witty and making controversial remarks throughout the matches.
There’s likely an entire match narrative that can be crafted based on Bale’s Bun https://t.co/IoPA737eGV
— Unusual Efforts (@UnusualEfforts) 11 juin 2016
Don’t take yourself too seriously, but make sure you’re not being disrespectful or trivializing sensitive topics.
7. Keep it relevant
OK, so soccer is fun. We all love soccer. We’re all over-excited and filled with crazy marketing ideas to run during the World Cup 2018 final. But is it really going to be effective?
Well, if you work for an online betting company, July 15th is probably going to be the busiest day in the year. But do you really need to do live tweeting if you own a “cane and crutches for the elderly” ecommerce site? Maybe not.
So make sure you set your marketing goals and find the most effective ways to achieve them. Ask yourself “what’s the point?” before setting up a campaign and “was it worth it?” after. You’ll be able to learn from the experience and get ready for the next big thing.
Recap: World Cup 2018 winning ideas
This World Cup, get ready to make the most of the World Cup and add a bit of football-hype following these seven tips:
- Know your audience, personalize your content and segment your lists.
- Get creative – think outside the box and speak to your clients’ emotions.
- Go multichannel to increase your brand’s visibility and improve your results.
- Drive engagement by turning your marketing communications into a two-way conversation.
- Plan ahead… but always be ready to embrace the moment!
- Take risks, and don’t take yourself too seriously!
- Keep it relevant – always ask yourself: will this really be effective?
Are you planning to launch any World Cup 2018 campaigns? Tweet us your creative ideas and thoughts!