Professional wrestling has been around for some time. Many of us grew up watching our favorite wrestlers fight each other on-screen. Back then, we were too young to know that it was all an act, but now that we are older, we can’t help but acknowledge the pop culture impact that pro wrestling has.
You might think that pro wrestling is a strange place to take marketing lessons from. But, there’s no denying that the entertainment sport has built an entire empire around merchandising and pay-per-view events. So, what’s the secret behind their branding?
Under the surface of loud, strong wrestlers fighting each other is an intelligent advertising and business concept that can help any brand trying to take itself to the next level. This article will explore all the strategies that digital marketers can learn from professional wrestling. Keep on reading.
What Are Some Lessons Marketers Can Learn From Pro Wrestling?
Professional wrestling has had a reach that echoes through different generations. By delving deep into some principles pro wrestling teaches us, advertising agencies can discover sources of inspiration in the most unlikely of places: WWE.
1. Focus On Storytelling
Even though, as children, all of us believed that whatever happened inside these wrestling rings was actually real and indeed that dramatic, the truth remains that it’s all part of a big gimmick. But that isn’t necessarily bad, since this gimmick is what made pro wrestling a billion-dollar industry today. These events rely heavily on storylines to engage their audience. Through different personas, costumes, and character plots for separate wrestlers, the sport weaves a story that they know the audience will buy.
Stories give the audience value and principles to follow or disagree with, making them come back for more. Now, think about your own brand for a moment. Is it telling a story? Is your target audience aware of the vision and direction of your brand? Can your customers tell what makes you different from all the similar brands? If not, it is time you start building a story for your brand, an authentic brand image that will resonate with the crowd.
The idea is to connect with your customers emotionally. Once they see that you have persevered through difficulties and come out of the other side of the tunnel, they will want to become advocates of your brand. This happens to be the untold truth of brand storytelling.
2. Make Use Of Digital Media
In this age of digital revolution, you have the most useful advertising tool right under your fingertips: social media. WWE is a testament to this since they have wonderfully harnessed the full potential of social media. Back in 2014, the company bagged three awards. It has become a social media powerhouse with millions of followers.
In today’s digital and content-focused world, practically every company has reaped the unrivaled benefits of having a strong online presence. Learn how to leverage different social media platforms and content types like videos, posts, and photographs to regularly keep your customers informed about brand updates. Social media specialists can use their social media game to develop a powerful brand identity and harness the potential of content to make sure that their audience is engaged. This helps establish a long-term relationship with your customers, which in turn helps build brand loyalty.
3. Audience Feedback Is Key
One of the most instrumental factors that have helped WWE become the pinnacle of success is the company’s ability to listen to its audience. Fans of the sport are a passionate bunch. They never shy away from voicing their opinions, be it through booing during a match, or leave a constructive comment on the company’s social media accounts. Pro wrestling brands listen to their audience every time since it allows them to understand whether what they are doing is actually working or not. If yes, they carry on with it. If not, they improvise.
Now, coming back to your brand, you must understand whether the service or product you sell suits the consumer’s demands. Listen closely to your audience because therein lies your answer to how you can improve your brand. If you always ignore your customers’ input, it won’t be long before they leave you for another brand. Hence, communication is key. If the audience says that you are not meeting their demands, you must adjust accordingly.
4. Be Authentic And Promote Values
So many of us believed that everything about pro wrestling was real because it felt authentic and genuine to us. While fabricating a captivating story, pro wrestling brands make sure that they are portraying an image that comes off as real and not contrived. Even though so many wrestlers are participating in the same sport, the brands manage to paint new pictures for each of them to keep the audience engaged. On top of that, they impart ethics and values for us to follow.
In this content-driven industry with so many similar brands trying to one-up, make sure that you don’t drown in the competition. Don’t be too tacky to connect with your audience, as it will only scare your customers away. Do what comes naturally to your brand. A big part of ensuring that your brand is authentic is hiring the right employees. If your brand has the right ethics and provides suitable conditions for its workers, they will tend to talk about it.
However, hiring the right team of employees isn’t always as easy as it sounds. That is why marketers today are using such tools as, for example, SignalHire to know that they are recruiting the right employees who agree with the brand’s ideals.
5. Hype Up Your New Launches
WWE builds up hype for every new show. It takes over its social media handles to promote its new events and makes sure that it reaches the audience in every way possible. The company produces short behind-the-scene clips and gives sneak peeks to get the viewers all excited. WrestleMania, the flagship event of WWE, is always packed full thanks to such advertising tactics.
But, how can you apply this to your branding? With every new product launch, you have to raise the expectations of your audience. Promote your product any way you can, give previews, list the special characteristics of the debut product, and give opportunities to your customers to interact. Customers want their favorite brands to be active on social media and use that channel to showcase their new releases. Hence, grab every opportunity you can and make sure your audience is being informed of your brand updates.
6. Don’t Plan Too Ahead
WWE produces two shows every week and a pay-per-view spectacle. Although the company has such a busy output, they make sure not to schedule concrete plans. They only plan for a couple of months because a lot can change within that short period.
Marketing trends are always coming and going. So, for content managers, the number one rule to follow is to be cautious of such changes and only plan a little ahead. Because a year’s worth of comprehensive marketing strategy can be a waste of time and resources since you can never predict these changes. Study the ongoing market trends and only plan 3 to 6 months in advance.
Final Thoughts
Inspiration strikes in the strangest of places. Who knew you could learn marketing strategies from professional wrestling? But, they must be doing something right if they have managed to become a worldwide phenomenon. Apply the tips mentioned above to your brand and take it to the next level.
