How to Make the Right Product Recommendations to Online Shoppers
Product recommendations can be found in almost every online shop. No matter which method you choose, the end result can really impact your sales.
This isn’t even that weird when compared to some other products you’ll find during the World Cup. With the big event taking place soon, you might be wondering if there are any marketing opportunities for your small business. Though it’s no secret that FIFA is quite strict about what businesses can and can’t do with their logos and trademarks, it’s not impossible to use one of the world’s biggest sporting events to boost sales for your business. Today, we’ll look at five ways you can promote your business on the eve of the World Cup.
Create and sell country-branded products
Who needs official jerseys and logos? The World Cup is about supporting your nation’s team. And using a country’s colours or flags will not violate any copyright laws. To be on the safe side, you might want to look at FIFA’s public (non-sponsored) marketing guidelines, which is a guideline specifically made for non-sponsors to avoid breaking any copyright infringements.
You might think that your business might not have the right products to use for this idea, but you can’t ignore the amount of silly products people proudly display during the World Cup.
This is pretty normal compared to some other products found during the World Cup
(Source: Shutterstock/nnattalli)
It can be dog bowls, car mirror covers, shoelaces, or even coffee mugs. Though it’s no surprise how patriotic casual football fans can get every four years, it might surprise you to see exactly how much they want to show that off during the World Cup. Start with a small number of products and test out how sales go. If sales numbers look good, keep this same strategy in mind for the Olympics or the next UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
Website Design
Again, be careful of restrictions. Any official logos will be off limits unless you pay FIFA for the right to use them. However, you can still make it obvious that you are promoting the World Cup without using any of the official logos.
By adding a unique, temporary header to your website, you can remind visitors that you have some great World Cup-themed merchandise. Adding a World Cup countdown timer to the header can add a bit of urgency to the situation and can help increase conversions.
If you have multiple international websites for your business, then congratulations on having localised your website. “However, keep in mind that you’ll want to localise the changes to your website here, too. You might be a proud English fan, but your customers in France might not appreciate seeing the crosses of St. George on the French website.
Hold a promotion
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, be careful with what you give away here or reference. Tickets, for example, are pretty much off limits as a prize giveaway.
Shutterstock/DisobeyArt
However, this is your chance to get creative. For example, you can let people know that for every goal England scores in a match, they will get an additional 10% off certain products for the next 24 hours. Or have with certain rivals (for every goal France’s opponent scores, get an extra 10% off).
Use your social media presence
Staying on top of the game (no pun intended) can be a big way to draw attention to your brand. The beauty of social media is that it can be very timely. Things happen in an instant in the world of sports. That means social media jumps on everything within moments of them happening live.
Great goals turn into Photoshop battle memes (remember Van Persie’s goal in 2014?) and mishaps churn out clever ads (The Sochi Olympic ring fail).
Audi claims they did not create this ad, but whether or not they did, this image made its rounds in social media and Audi reaped the benefits.
Make sure you’re on social media and staying on top of those compelling story lines that always seem to emerge during these world-renowned sporting events.
Promote whatever it is you’re promoting
If you’re having a sale, promote it in your paid marketing campaigns as well as your social media accounts. If it’s possible, get others to share the promotion.
Yes, I’ll say it again: Be careful of what wording, images, and logos you use in your marketing. Even wording like “Russia 2018” is protected, so this is the time to get creative. The most important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t create an ad that even hints that your business has a “commercial association” (as FIFA calls it) to the World Cup.
Conclusion
As the day rapidly approaches, now is the time to get that traffic to your website. So, get ready now and by the time kick-off approaches, you can simply paint your face, get the grill ready, put “3 Lions '98” on repeat, and relax (okay, forget about relaxing)!
