Leicester City can triumph with a modest budget – and so can you.
The way that Leicester City topped the Premiership against teams with 10 times their spending power is inspirational. So how did the English football (aka soccer) team do it, and which of their tactics can content marketers learn from?
Teamwork
This is at the very heart of Leicester’s success and it’s what let this David consistently overpower the Goliaths of the sport. The squad of players always operated as a team and put in consistent effort. Attacking players would track back to help defenders. Unity was all.
Successful organisations approach content marketing in the same way. They work collaboratively across departments and silos. If one part of the business identifies a customer need that content might meet they’ll share that knowledge. The marketing department receives lots of relevant information from sales, IT, customer support – and as a consequence they can create and share content that the market wants.
It’s a two-way street. The marketing department will actively seek out information and advice on the content they are producing. Support. Collaboration. Success.
Courage
To triumph in the Premiership, Leicester had to beat the biggest teams in the land. They knew they didn’t have the high profile players or the global reach of Manchester United or Chelsea. What they had was the belief that if you play to your strengths you can overcome anyone.
We’ve seen this time and again in the world of commerce. Small, nimble start-ups have out-manoeuvred the giants of industry. Quick decision-making, proximity to the audience and a more human scale all allow smaller set-ups to triumph over the big boys.
Work out where your strengths lie and make the most of them. Can your content be more opinionated? Can you get it out faster? Can you use new or different channels? Are there influencers who will ally with you but not the Goliaths? Use your head not your wallet to compete.
Community
Leicester City has the support of the whole community. Not just football fans but everyone. The team’s success instilled hope, pride and self-belief. But it goes much further than that.
Nearly every other supporter across the country wanted success for Leicester (once their own team was out of the running). This level of national, and even international, support is not the norm. Success often breeds envy or resentment. The minnows of the football league played fair, stayed humble, acted with respect and celebrated with pizza when they won. A sense of the brand came across in all they did. There were clear values that the players and management shared.
This should be something we aim for in all our content marketing. Play the long game, be consistent, and be honest and fair. Above all, respect the audiences you are communicating with and they will keep supporting you as you aim for you own success.
