5 Reasons Why Email Marketing is A Lot Like College Football

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In the spirit of the season, this simple list has been devised for those who are beginners in the field of email marketing and also fans of the sport that brings Americans together - and could tear them apart - in the Fall: football.

1. Rules govern football. CAN Spam Laws govern proper email marketing. - Football has its first downs, holdings, pass interferences, etc.  The correct (and legal!) way of Email marketing requires an opt-out, physical address, and an accurate identification of the sender.  If you're "borrowing" someone else's list and you don't put their logo or name anywhere on the email, that's a major penalty!

2. Football has touchdowns. Email marketing has ROI. - While email marketers may not do a dance when we get a high return on our work, we do take satisfaction in seeing great results for something that we designed and implemented.

3. Football players wear pads.  Email marketers proof their work before sending it out. - Safety first!  A receiver would never go up against a linebacker without pads on.  When an email marketer exposes their work to hundreds of thousands of people, they would never simply hit the send button without reading over it completely at least twice.  Proofing is by far one of the most important steps to take before a send out. 

4.Football has a play book.  Email marketing has analytics. - A coach spends a very good majority of his time coming up with the ultimate plays that will eventually lead to a great victory.  When an email marketer receives the stats from an email that was sent out, they analyze its performance, note the items that worked well, and revise the items that did not perform well.  Continually changing the email and building on the strengths will lead to an ultimate victory for the client.

5.Football has positions.  Email marketing has segments. - The players in football are placed strategically on the field and each one knows his role in the game.  In email marketing, it's important to know who your list members are and what they're interested in.  The more information you find out from your members on the list, the better you'll be able to position your emails.  For example, if I am a corporate sponsor for a festival that's happening in California, would I want to send out a promotion for this festival to all of my subscribers across the country?  Probably not. 

It's important to remember that a good team of email marketers steps out on the field, plays by the rules, and while they may win a few games, they will never win the National Championship.  A great team knows that time, dedication, and practice goes into great work that will bring results.  Following consumer trends, updating templates, and finding new and better ways to improve your client's or company's ROI in your email campaigns will help you dominate on the field.