Internet Marketing NYC, March Madness and Healthcare in the USA: What businesses can learn from basketball and domestic policies

Posted by Salem Global on Mar 23, 2010

I don’t know too much about Basketball and even less about College Basketball except for the fact that my nephew goes to the University of Maryland and I believe that the name of his team is the twerps or something like that. (As a matter of fact, I think he actually chose Maryland for its basketball team). But as a smart marketer (IMHO), I do know my audience and that more of my readers are more interested in basketball than they are Internet Marketing in New York. So let’s talk about “audience” and apply it to your organizations marketing strategy…

We have a new Spring intern here at SalemGlobal (Eli), and it just so happens that he is leading the Stage 2 Networks (where we sublet our office) tournament office pool for the NCAA College Basketball Championship. (If you want to know more about Stage 2, business phone systems and Joe Gillette, check out their website at www.Stage2Networks.com and Joe’s blog at www.JoeGillette.biz). So I asked Eli what’s going on and he said that we have had a couple of big upsets, a couple of big surprises and Kansas, who many thought were the overall favorite to win, was knocked out by a very tenacious Northern Iowa team (The Panthers). The Michigan State team (MSU) also outlasted Maryland to make it to the Sweet 16 and Purdue won a highly contested matchup in overtime to beat Texas A and M. In addition, Cornell outshot 61% from the field while scoring 87 points to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers who are known to have a very good defense. So, as a Cornell alum, he is very excited to see his alma mater shine and FINALLY, the Ivy league, usually known more for brains than brawn, finally gets onto the proverbial court. As a matter of fact, with the way that Cornell is playing, it wouldn’t surprise him if they went all the way. And of course, because Eli picked the long shot (Cornell) over the favored Kentucky, in addition to correctly choosing all first and second round picks, Eli is ahead of the game.

So I might not know too much about basketball, but I do know about my audience and my subject matter. No matter what I write about week after week, I can always tie it into Internet and website marketing. I am not just a creative guy, I love what I do. Writing is fun. Making the connection between current events, sports, games and anything else that comes my way might be a challenge but it stimulates me intellectually and professionally. And of course, it gets my audience reading and my brand is ingrained on their radar.

In addition to sports and basketball, the other topic on people’s minds this week (besides Tiger Woods) is the famed Democratic Party Healthcare bill. Interestingly enough and related, this week I saw the movie “Milk” with Sean Penn. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He fought tirelessly, until his assassination, for his and his communities rights. He succeeded in breaking down barriers and moved the US closer to freedom for all, fighting against hatred and bigotry.

Barack Obama is of course the first African-American President of the United States. It’s very possible that Harvey Milk’s short stint in politics during the 70′s broke down those very same barriers that lead us to elect Obama in the new millennium. Obama ran on a campaign that stated there would be “change” during his presidency and of course, healthcare was one of his major platforms. In other countries, healthcare is socialized. What that means is that the Government takes care of you whether you need a band-aid or cancer treatment. Doctors get paid from national insurance instead of out of your pocket. You can still seek private healthcare but you don’t have to worry about how to pay your medical bills.

While there are Medicare, Medicaid and welfare programs in America, healthcare is still largely out of pocket. Obama proposed a $940 billion plan that will start over the next five years, with provisions, taxes and fees gradually phased in, most starting in 2014. Many states and republicans are fighting this bill. The plan will expand health coverage in the US since the last Medicare in 1965, but it will come at a cost primarily to higher-wage earners, insurers, employers and the medical industry.

So whether you like it or not, I am here to write about who is taking advantage of the searches for “healthcare” and healthcare related keywords.

In my Google dropdown I see: “new healthcare bill” and then descriptor keywords are “summary,” “facts,” “explained,” “2010,” “details,” etc. etc. And who is advertising on the keywords: Smart entrepreneurs who are putting up marketing sites and running MORE advertising, Empire Health insurance, non-profits, and Ask.com

So this weeks lesson is to “know thine audience” for your own business as well as know how you can take advantage of current events to make a quick buck. If you want to know more about basketball, speak to my interns. If you want to know more about the healthcare bill, read it online. If you want to know more about making some money on the internet, driving more traffic to your website and marketing strategy, give me a call at 212-993-5828, email me at raphis@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. And you should also consider coming to my Internet marketing seminar (www.TheSeminarSeries.com) (this Thursday!) where I teach this stuff to you in my conference room. It’s a no-brainer. And if you can’t make it, send your staff, your salespeople, or better yet, invite me into your organization.