I was watching a Broncos game the other night — the one in which they clobbered the Giants on Thanksgiving Day — and it occurred to me that the NFL is a heck of a lot smarter than me and you.
Here’s why.
After every play of the game, the sportscasters share the most arcane stats you’ve ever heard of. They know how long it’s been since specific scenarios have played out. They know when something has never happened in NFL history before.
Plus, they know rankings of players by position… passing, rushing, and scoring stats by quarter, game, and season… kickers’ accuracies and field goal percentages… and tons more.
The NFL is a well-oiled data machine that can spit out stats just nanoseconds after a new piece of information is added to its massive database.
Now, you know I don’t write about sports, so what does this have to do with anything?
Simply this: By knowing their stats, they’re a smarter organization (this goes for the NFL as well as each individual team franchise).
They know things.
This is one of the critical keys to success as a direct response marketer. You have to know your numbers.
Otherwise, how do you know when to go for it when you’re 4th down and inches? And how do you know when to run and when to pass?
You’ve just got to know this stuff.
In business lingo, you need to know:
- How many visitors you need to get a new customer.
- How much it costs to acquire a new customer.
- Which advertising mediums pay and which ones don’t.
- The average initial purchase a new customer makes.
- The life-time value of that customer.
And this is just scratching the surface.
I gotta confess, I’m nowhere near perfect when it comes to tracking my stats. But I’m trying to get better each and every day.
Because the better you know your numbers, the easier it will be to edge out your competition and thrive for the long-term.
-Ryan M. Healy
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About Ryan M. Healy
Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.
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Great analogy, Ryan. You're over .500 in the value content category this season.
Thanks, Kevin! I guess if I were a baseball player, I'd be making millions. ;-)
In keeping with the baseball chatter, it was Billy Beane who revolutionized baseball by bringing a statitition to the table when it came to building the Oakland A's into a powerhouse on a shoestring budget. That's why everyone loved reading MoneyBall http://www.amazon.com/Moneyball-Art-Winning-Unf… (not an affiliate link!)
I admit I think of it all the time, when I consider how poorly I do exactly what you're talking about today. This would be the perfect job for Mr. Parris!!
Gina,
That books looks really interesting… I think I might just have to buy a copy. Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Gina,
That books looks really interesting… I think I might just have to buy a copy. Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
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