For those of you that don’t know, I row. Yes, I’m one of those crazy people that chooses to wake up at 4:30am to row around a lake at near-freezing temperatures.

Although it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, there are a few valuable marketing lessons you can learn from crew (rowing):

 

• One slow, solid stroke gets you further than two quick, bad strokes. Although sometimes you feel like you’re going faster by taking more bad strokes, a boat moves a lot faster when you row efficiently with solid strokes. The same is true with marketing: Taking the time to do things right will be more effective than rushing through all the steps and having a sloppy result. Think about websites you’ve seen – both good and bad. Which do you think were slapped together last-minute and which do you think were carefully designed and crafted? Which ones do you think are more effective?
• Ready all, row. Before an entire boat can begin rowing, you every single person in the boat needs to be ready. The marketing lesson that accompanies this? Make sure you have all your pieces in place before focusing on publicity. Do you have a website you can refer people to? If someone wants a brochure, do you have one ready? If you’re reaching out to media, do you have high-resolution images you can give them if they ask?
• Find your point. Crews in 4-person or 8-person boats generally have a person sitting in the stern steering called a coxswain. Before the rowers begin, the coxswain finds their point by lining the boat up. As the rowers start and the boat moves, the coxswain continuously adjusts the point to keep the crew on course. When marketing, it’s important to have someone with the vision that keeps you on course. Whether this is you, as the small business owner, spending time re-evaluating your activities on a regular basis or an outside consultant, it’s important to have a way to measure your progress and keep on course.
• A strong finish requires technique and strength. In rowing, you need one clear goal (whether it’s maintaining a specific stroke rate or chopping 30 seconds off your time) that is achieved through a variety of elements. For example, chopping 30 seconds off your time requires focus on technique, strength and timing with the rest of the boat. This is true with marketing, too: You need a clear goal that will be achieved through a variety of elements. If your goal is more website traffic, maybe you’ll increase your Search Engine Optimization by strategically adding website copy and regularly writing blog posts, and you might also offer incentives on your website to encourage consumers to visit.
• Row, row, row. Evaluate, then repeat. When rowing you repeat the same motion over and over and over again until you cross the finish line. You row, row and row. Then you evaluate your performance, make a few changes and row again. The same is true with marketing. There are a lot of tasks you do over and over again – writing/posting blog posts, updating Facebook, etc. Then you evaluate how it’s working, make a few changes and do it again.

Thoughts?

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