The NCAA tournament is a ratings machine. On March 18th from 8 - 10 PM, 5.47 million viewers tuned in to watch the NCAA tournament compared to 1.71 million viewers who were watching the NBA game that same night from 8:30 - 11 PM. Last year 15.6 million people watched the NCAA titlegame, generating 56 million impressions on Facebook and Twitter. When an event gets that much attention on social media, we sit up and pay attention. While advertising during the title game might be a stretch for your business (an average 30 sec ad costs $1.5M) we can still learn a few lessons about social media from the game of basketball itself.
The best defense is a good offense
If you are playing defense most of the time on social media, you are losing. A good offense means having a review generation strategy that encourages happy customers to tell your story. When, inevitably, you get a negative review it will weigh less in the minds of potential customers because your online reputation has been racking up points with positive reviews all game long.
However, getting stuck on defense trying to mitigate the impact of negative reviews without any of your success stories being heard won't win you any points (or any new customers) in the online arena.
Go big or go home
There are a lot of social media platforms you can play on in the online space, and they each provide different benefits. When you are walking onto any of those courts, you need an entire team to walk out there with you. You need a coach calling the shots. You need a strategy and dedicated resources to follow through on your plan. Keep the ball moving; walking off the court in the middle of the game will not produce results. Social media is not something that can be done by halves. If you are going to play, play to win.
Be the Cinderella Story
You dreamed about it, you trained for it, and now you are ready to get out there. Your business is not just about transactions; it has a brand and a story that people want to be a part of. You have fans and followers cheering you on, don't be afraid to share your story with them. You are ready to dance the socks off your competitors because you play for the love of the game, for your customers, and for your business.
At Chatterkick, we never tire of sharing Cinderella stories. After all, we are one too.
