Marketing – Like a Game of Chess
Have you ever met someone who could sell snow to an Eskimo? You probably do, because it's a common trait. In fact, the word "salesperson" is rooted in the word "sales."
But what if your salespeople are struggling and you're not sure why?
If so, you'll enjoy this blog post on marketing from my company that will teach you how to turn your marketing into a strategic game of chess. Check it out!
Chess is a game of strategy, strategy is everything in marketing and online advertising and SEO. What separates people that are good at chess from those who aren't? Well - they understand how to think like a chess player.
The "chess master" knows how to think ahead in the game. He or she knows how to plan for multiple moves in the future, and more importantly - what move you have to make right now.
With that in mind, we've brainstormed some of the core concepts behind chess and applied them directly to what you do on a day-to-day basis. We wanted to start with that analogy because if you understand strategy like a chess player, then your marketing will be strategically sound and bring you the results you're going after.
Here are just a few of the ways you can apply the principles of chess to your marketing savvy:
- Think strategically. "This will happen. This is possible."
- You get one move in the game, so focus on doing something great. If you don't, you'll lose.
- Plan your strategy ahead of time - for your entire brand or for specific campaigns. Chess players do this all the time and it's called "the opening." So should you!
- Have a vision and plan in mind, but know when to change that vision if needed. Chess players call this "moves" or "strategy.
- Think ahead. Know what move you have to make next. This is called "thinking three moves ahead."
- Get creative and find new ways to advertise and promote your brand. Chess players never sit still, ever! You need to be just as innovative in advertising and marketing. You may want to read up on some of the best chess tactics we've written about on our blog.
Good Luck! And Have Fun Playing Chess! – Chris Bartram, CEO of Greeting Card Universe
Chess Strategy vs. Marketing Strategy
Chess strategy is very much like marketing strategy. Both dictate how someone will play a game or conduct a business. Here are a few things to note.
One major difference between chess and marketing is that each player uses different tools to achieve the goal of winning. In chess, the goal is to take out the opponent's king, while in marketing, you want to appeal to the right target market. That is the main difference between chess and marketing strategy. Marketing has numerous online tools that can help any company reach their target audience.
Imagine this – you have one customer and they are worth $1 million in revenue every year. You want to find a way to keep that customer happy and keep their love for your products growing, but you need a way to get them to say "yes."
You would play the game of chess differently if you were marketing the product. You might throw away a few pawns if you have to in order to get that customer off your chess board. You would focus on doing something great and getting something amazing done, instead of losing that one invaluable pawn in the hopes of winning later on.
The problem with playing chess as a business is that it can be very difficult to know exactly where you should sacrifice things. Chess is a game where you think 30 moves ahead - and that means you have to sacrifice something in the present to get an even better result in the future.
That's why marketing strategy is so important. Chess players know that they can't wait for the outcome of the future to occur, because they don't know what options are open to them at any given time. Marketing strategy needs to be flexible and changeable, but it also needs to be simple and straightforward.
Chess Strategy vs. Advertising Strategy
If chess is like marketing, then advertising is like chess tactics.