Master the Marketing Angle
Something that Johnson learned as a professional wrestler that he displays a mastery of to this day is this: Selling yourself as a brand. Anyone that follows Johnson professionally, or just on Instagram, knows how well he has crafted his image and how well it plays with a wide audience. Whether due to his motivational videos on social media, to images of his cheat meals each Sunday night – complete with the peanut butter cookies – or his relentless drive and seemingly endless supply of energy, Johnson’s image is crafted to perfection. So much so that he is often mentioned as a future presidential candidate.
Face it, the man knows how to cut a good promo.
Any new league needs to master the marketing angle. The recent XFL seemed to be on its way towards that, complete with a strong social media presence led by Bailey Cardin. Cardin built the league’s Twitter account into an online force, tapping into the various memes of the moment and other creative avenues to generate buzz on social media.
Social media is one of the best ways to get eyes on your product. The league needs to embrace and promote sharing of clips by fans. If a player makes a great catch along the sideline and someone on Twitter posts a video clip of it, use that as free advertising for your product. Understand how people today consume entertainment – usually with a phone – and tap into that energy.