Before we get started, I’d like to invite you to join us tonight at the #u30pro chat on Twitter at 8pm EST. I’ll be guest moderating alongside Scott Hale and we’ll be talking about “Writing with Authority as a Gen Y Blogger.” So, if you want to be cool, drop in and chat with us!
This past Friday, the Winter Olympics got underway up in Vancouver, which of course means MSNBC has been blessing us with the opportunity to watch the greatest sport that none of us have ever played: Curling! If you’ve never watched it before, we’ll say it’s a cross between (big breath!) shuffleboard, bowling, billiards, corn hole, Canada, baseball, ice fishing, and chess. Trust me, it is.
So, as I usually do when I’m going through writer’s block, I started to try and think of random things and how they can relate to marketing, social media, and all that jazz (you should try it, it’s quite fun). So naturally, I first got sidetracked thinking about opening a cosmic curling center here in Charlotte, but then focused on the issues at hand: curling and marketing. So what did I come up with? Some halfway decent stuff, actually…
You Can’t Win On Your First Shot
In curling, you get 8 tosses in each round (there are 10 total rounds). In any one round, the first shots are not meant to score points, in fact, if you get your first shot in the center, it’s going to get knocked out without a question. So, you start out by setting the table, putting yourself in a better position for when you get to your last 2 or 3 throws.
The same goes for any marketing or business plan. You can’t expect to hit a home run right off the bat. You need to be thinking what you can be doing to set yourself up to succeed months and years down the road. We’re not in a sprint here, so quit thinking like it. Sometimes you have to sit back on defense for a while before you’re able to attack. This requires a solid strategy out front and the patience required to stick to that strategy.
No One Path Leads to Success
In curling, each inning or round tends to shape up completely differently than the one before. Because of this, the curlers have to be ready to improvise as to how to earn points. Even on any one shot, many different curlers would approach it differently. Some may try to hit another stone, bouncing it out of the way, some may try to curl their stone around the stones in the front. Others may just play defense. None of these are wrong. It’s all about how you execute the shot you choose.
Similarly, especially in social media, there are no templates for success. You can look at case studies and your competitors all you want, and you’re never going to find a step by step path to greatness (what fun would that be?) You have to analyze the situation you find yourself in, survey your options, pick the solution you feel confident in, and execute it to perfection. Being nimble and having the ability to look at the problem in front of you from many different angles sure helps with this.
Finding Your Niche
Curling seems to be a very polarizing sport. If you’re like me, you’re completely fascinated by it. If you’re like Lauren Fernandez, you’re baffled by why so many people get excited for it. The thing is, the devoted fans of curling are pretty wild. The Canadian fans went nuts when a good shot was made. Canadian curlers are even (supposedly) practically celebrities because the sport is so popular. That’s not to say that they can’t try to expand the sport and introduce it to new people, but curling isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It has found it’s niche group of fans and makes the most of this passion.
So the story goes with marketing, especially when you get into social media. You can’t be everything to everyone because you’ll just end up being everything to nobody (or nothing to everybody). You have to figure out who your ideal audience is, where they are, and go there. Simple enough, right?
What do you think? Are there any other ways that curling is like marketing? Which side of the curling fence do you fall on?
Image by bensonkua.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this analogy because it totally makes sense. The first shot will always get knocked out first!
But I wonder if there's a way to even try to get that first shot to stick. Putting it somewhere strategic that will make it tough to get knocked off?
Chances are the first time won't always be a success, but if you treat each shot like it matters more than anything, I think you'll have a better chance at success than not trying on the first shot.
Tim, I definitely agree. Just because your first shot may not earn you points, it's also one that you have to take very, very carefully. In fact, from the matches I've watched, the earlier shots are some of the most important because they are what determine how the rest of the round is going to shape up and ultimately, what your final shots are going to be. If your first few shots are really really good, they could potentially put the other team on their heels the rest of the game.
So, I guess the way this translates to business is that you need to build a very, very strong foundation at the outset. If you can do this, you'll set yourself up for future success.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Tim!
Last night, while I was screaming at the TV during the curling match between the US and Switzerland, I asked myself, “why am I rooting for curling?”. This is why:
1) I love rooting for the underdog in sport, and when your entire sport is an underdog, I love it even more.
2) These Curlers, at least the ones from the United States, are only recognized for their passion and commitment to their sport once every 4 years. Forget big time college sports, American curling is the true definition of amateurism that American sports fans long for.
3) It's approachable: After watching I immediately felt like I could and want to play. Moreover, the US curling team looks so average, they almost seem like a caricature of “mainstream” America.
Marketers, these are some questions that curling can inspire you to ask about what you're marketing:
Is your brand a well positioned underdog asking for the support of your fans?
Do you emotionally resonate with the values of your customers?
Are you passionate about what you do? Are you approachable?
Thanks for the post and sorry for the rant, I guess I really do care deeply about curling? Well, at least today I do.
All great points, Danny. #2 is something I also really appreciate. When I was watching they mentioned that each of the American curlers had to have a job outside of curling because the curling federation only covered their expenses for travel and such.
When we have football players who don't go to training camp because their contract doesn't have enough zeroes in it, something like curling is what we need to remind us what sports (and anything else really) are all about.
Enjoy the curling while it lasts, because it'll be another 4 years until we get to experience it again, haha.
There's no doubt that it is the strategy that draws me to Curling. Thinking ahead is a powerful trick in the bag of smart marketers. My favorite point of yours, Jackie, is that good marketers (and curlers) need the ability to improvise at any moment. You're a sad and mistaken fella if you think things are going to go exactly the way you planned.
To Tim's point, it is rare that a first stone will remain on the board in curling, but a good first stone can be the difference a positive end (inning/period/round). Each move you make in curling and marketing plays a part in a larger picture – it's a mistake to ignore any of your steps. You can't jump to the final product without carefully planning the route.
(as I write this comment, Schuster just choked again (guy can't make a big shot) for the USA team… Another good tip for marketers – Stay confident and succeed under pressure)
For real, Schuster is struggling! In a game of inches, the smallest of errors have huge impacts. All the more important that you execute to perfectiony, right?
Thanks for commenting, Scott!
Last night, while I was screaming at the TV during the curling match between the US and Switzerland, I asked myself, “why am I rooting for curling?”. This is why:
1) I love rooting for the underdog in sport, and when your entire sport is an underdog, I love it even more.
2) These Curlers, at least the ones from the United States, are only recognized for their passion and commitment to their sport once every 4 years. Forget big time college sports, American curling is the true definition of amateurism that American sports fans long for.
3) It's approachable: After watching I immediately felt like I could and want to play. Moreover, the US curling team looks so average, they almost seem like a caricature of “mainstream” America.
Marketers, these are some questions that curling can inspire you to ask about what you're marketing:
Is your brand a well positioned underdog asking for the support of your fans?
Do you emotionally resonate with the values of your customers?
Are you passionate about what you do? Are you approachable?
Thanks for the post and sorry for the rant, I guess I really do care deeply about curling? Well, at least today I do.
All great points, Danny. #2 is something I also really appreciate. When I was watching they mentioned that each of the American curlers had to have a job outside of curling because the curling federation only covered their expenses for travel and such.
When we have football players who don't go to training camp because their contract doesn't have enough zeroes in it, something like curling is what we need to remind us what sports (and anything else really) are all about.
Enjoy the curling while it lasts, because it'll be another 4 years until we get to experience it again, haha.
There's no doubt that it is the strategy that draws me to Curling. Thinking ahead is a powerful trick in the bag of smart marketers. My favorite point of yours, Jackie, is that good marketers (and curlers) need the ability to improvise at any moment. You're a sad and mistaken fella if you think things are going to go exactly the way you planned.
To Tim's point, it is rare that a first stone will remain on the board in curling, but a good first stone can be the difference a positive end (inning/period/round). Each move you make in curling and marketing plays a part in a larger picture – it's a mistake to ignore any of your steps. You can't jump to the final product without carefully planning the route.
(as I write this comment, Schuster just choked again (guy can't make a big shot) for the USA team… Another good tip for marketers – Stay confident and succeed under pressure)
For real, Schuster is struggling! In a game of inches, the smallest of errors have huge impacts. All the more important that you execute to perfectiony, right?
Thanks for commenting, Scott!
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