Improving Online Marketing is Like Managing Fantasy Football

As fantasy football hits full swing, it occurred to me that internet marketing and managing a fantasy team is a lot like managing internet and email marketing.  Its about paying attention to numbers, making educated guesses about what will reap the most reward, reacting to past trends, and hoping for a little luck.

People get obsessed with fantasy football but few people get consumed by their internet marketing numbers.  The truth is online marketing can be fun.  Yes, looking over the numbers and formulating a strategy to improve can get tedious but no more so than pouring over player stats.  Seeing the results is typically more fun than winning a fantasy game as it can show a measurable impact on the business.

The secret to motivation in online marketing is not placing bets for performance or setting up a smack talk feature.  It’s realizing that you are gambling with a lot more than fantasy football glory.  Online marketing has the power to drive sales or leads which will improve business returns and likely improve the lifestyle of the people who make up the organization. 

Think of it as a game, but one that needs to be taken seriously.  You should have some fun but also need to focus on what and how you are improving.

Why bring this up?  Too many people focus on the wrong end of improving their online marketing.  They want to do the “fun” stuff like redesigning the webpage or putting together cool banner ads.  Nothing wrong with those things but they aren’t likely to significantly increase ROI unless the metrics have been weighed and evaluated. 

Find the fun in incremental growth.  It will keep the site improving toward set goals and avoid a lot of energy wasted on “improvements” that likely won’t display measurable benefits.  That can be a lot more exhilarating than hoisting your virtual trophy.

– Eric
eMarketing Innovation

P.S. Yes, I am a fantasy football player (I limit myself to 2 teams a year to avoid the addict label) so I know first-hand how all-encompassing it can be.