The Digital Marketing Services Winter Olympics – PML Style

The 2014 Winter Olympics are exciting to watch.  It’s really impressive to see the athletes’ performance and to imagine the amount of work they put into preparing for these events.  This is very similar to how Digital Marketers prepare for their projects. It takes great time, dedication and experience to develop the specific skills needed to be a successful marketer.  Similar to each country’s success at the Olympics, digital marketing success is contingent upon a skilled and cohesive team whose wide variety of services are united towards a common goal…client success.

We thought it would be fun to see how some of digital marketing’s core services happen to be analogous to some popular Winter Olympics events.  Let’s take a look below to see how:

PPC Management = Curling  

Success in curling isn’t determined by brute strength or how quickly you can get the stone to the target zone, known as the house.  Instead, it’s a game of strategy, tactics and skill where points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house. The key to success in curling is having an accurate delivery.  Similar to curling, PPC campaigns also need a targeted and focused approach.  The more relevant your keywords and ads are in relation to your landing pages, the higher your quality score and ultimately, the higher your CTR (Click Through Rate) and conversion rate will be.  In curling, getting the stone to reach the house is assisted by two sweepers with brooms who try to guide the stone to the intended landing point.  PPC account managers are always ‘sweeping’ AdWords data in hopes of leading the customer stone to an exact, predetermined path to conversion.

SEO Management = Cross Country Skiing  

Great SEO work, like cross country skiing, can’t be measured only by initial success. Even with a fast start that leads to significant headway, you’re still in the game for the long haul.  Unlike a sprint or dash, you need to constantly come up with new moves to stay ahead of your competitors.  It’s not just the competitors you have to keep an eye on though, but also the search landscape and continuous search engine algorithm changes that will require ongoing adjustments.  Like cross country skiers, great Search Engine Optimizers need to be very determined and be prepared to invest a significant amount of time into their work.  The key to success is consistency and adaptability. One moment you may be coasting on a smooth ride, but if you’re not fully aware of your terrain and competition, you can hit a bump and end up falling behind.

Content Creation = Figure Skaters  

Content creation is a very in-depth process that necessitates a content plan or map for proper development. This is similar to what is needed to choreograph a figure skating routine.  Every paragraph, or step in your routine, feeds directly off the previous one.  Having great Web copy or moves, is key but a smooth transition between elements and a strong appeal to the audience, or judges, is critical for success.  Figure skaters and content writers both need to find a rhythm and focus on their flow for the duration of their program.  Champions in this event always happen to exhibit grace and beauty.  A great deal of forethought goes into both of these processes.  If you just try to wing it, you surely won’t end up with the Gold Medal.

Analysis and Reporting = Biathlon  

In the Biathlon, speed of skiing is important, but if your shots are off target, you will have extra distance to cover.  When it comes to analysis and reporting, if any of your reports or metrics are off target, you will lose the race to find helpful insights.  As is often the case, you are given another shot to hit your target, but it’s always best practice to be consistently accurate the first time around.  The keys to success in analysis and reporting are similar to that of the biathlon; accuracy, clarity and efficiency.  Get there quickly, but make sure your shots are on target.  If you do, your analysis will lead to winning results.

What analogies do you see between the Winter Olympics and digital marketing?   Share your ideas below!   If your company needs Olympic caliber digital marketing services, contact us today, as we are highly trained and disciplined to help you win the Gold!