This spring I have had the pleasure to coach my son's nine year old Little League team. As anyone that has worked with boys this age there are a lot of challenges (cats and herding come to mind) as well as plenty of rewards.
We started off our season with four team rules that would guide our behavior during the season.
- Have fun
- Listen and learn
- Be positive
- Always hustle
We repeated these rules at every practice and game and the boys came to embrace each in their own way. We also learned as coaches that when we followed these rules we were successful on the field and when we did not, we failed. One example, we have a very talented pitcher who likes to start games but not pitch at the end. Being a great pitcher I preferred to save him for the end of the game when he could finish a good game. What I learned was that he was not having fun being the closer, he was putting too much pressure on himself and it was nerve wracking for him. But as a starter he could relax and be his best.
By following these rules we played as a team, everyone contributed his best efforts, each boy knew his role, and improved each week of the season. By following these rules as coaches we were able to create a fun and interesting environment for our kids and parents and had a successful season.
How does this relate to inbound marketing?
If you are having fun your prospects will know it and be attracted to you and your team. Who wants to read boring content, watch flat lined videos, or look at a bland website. Show people your passion for what you do. By definition if you have a passion for your business and how you impact the world you will be having fun. Fun is infectious and who doesn't like fun!
When you listen and learn from your target market you show empathy and understanding. Market to them with respect, respect for their issues, respect for what matters to them, respect for their time and intelligence. When you listen and learn you create content from the prospect's perspective and avoid the feature dump. catalog websites and other mediocre marketing that is so prevalent, and mostly ignored.
If you are a force for positive change it is more compelling. Negative comments, snarky dialog, condescending tones and language are a turn off unless you are a late night talk show host. Market and communicate from a positive point of view. I always tell my boys to swing at pitches below their hands. I used to say 'don't swing at bad pitches'. The change to a positive, active voice makes a big difference to the listener.
Hustling means staying current, being active, returning that call immediately, posting new content regularly, doing the work required to be good at inbound marketing.
So hit a home run with your inbound marketing by learning from nine year old Little Leaguers!
That's me in the back row middle....oh and by the way, we won the League championship last night 9-1.
Topics: Marketing
