Lessons from BYU Football and Business Success
With a third of the college football season complete, I recently found myself blessed to attend another BYU Cougars game. As I drove home, reflecting on their performance, I realized their journey this year is a tale of resilience, grit, and sheer determination—a true Cinderella story.
Last year, the Cougars struggled. They finished the season with a 5-7 record, missed out on a bowl game, and endured their share of criticism. A new quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, stepped in under immense pressure but ended the year with four straight losses. He was even ranked as the lowest QB in the Big 12. Few believed in the team’s ability to bounce back.
But something changed in the off-season. The team made a collective decision to improve, rise above the noise, and prove the doubters wrong. They adopted new strategies, committed to relentless practice, and embraced the grit required to achieve something greater. Their transformation is proof of the power of persistence and adapting to challenges.
This journey resonates deeply with my own experiences in SEO consulting, digital marketing consulting, and building effective marketing strategies. Whether working with clients on LinkedIn marketing campaigns or crafting multi-channel strategies, I’ve encountered those “5-7” seasons when things didn’t go as planned. Campaigns that fell short, traffic that didn’t convert, or analytics that told a less-than-flattering story.
In those moments, it’s easy to doubt. But just like the Cougars reviewed their game tapes, regrouped, and refined their approach, marketers and consultants must do the same. Reviewing past efforts, identifying gaps, and testing new strategies are the building blocks of success.
Lessons for Marketing and Business
- Review the Game Tape
In football, reviewing past games is essential to improvement. In marketing, analyzing past campaigns—whether a LinkedIn ad that missed the mark or an underperforming blog post—helps identify what works and what doesn’t. With multi-channel marketing, this becomes even more crucial as you piece together the puzzle of customer behavior across platforms. - Adapt and Refine the Strategy
Just as BYU embraced new playbooks and techniques, businesses must be willing to pivot. Whether it’s optimizing a campaign for better SEO or refining a LinkedIn marketing strategy to better engage a target audience, growth requires flexibility. - Commit to Relentless Practice
Behind every touchdown or successful campaign is a story of unseen effort. Whether you’re a digital marketing consultant crafting a new marketing strategy or a business owner learning the nuances of analytics, the daily grind matters. - Celebrate Small Wins
In football and marketing, not every play is a touchdown. But progress is built on incremental improvements. Closing one lead, increasing engagement by a few percentage points, or ranking higher for a targeted keyword are victories that add up.
Prove the Doubters Wrong
Success—whether in football or business—requires persistence, resilience, and the courage to keep going when the odds are against you. The BYU Cougars didn’t let last season define them, and neither should we. By committing to learning, adapting, and celebrating progress, we can achieve remarkable results in our marketing campaigns and professional journeys.
So, let’s take a page from BYU’s playbook. Let’s defy expectations, embrace the grind, and shock the industry. Whether it’s through a breakthrough in SEO consulting, an innovative multi-channel marketing approach, or a winning LinkedIn marketing campaign, the key is to keep improving—and to never stop proving the doubters wrong.
Success isn’t just about the big wins; it’s about the journey that gets us there. Let’s celebrate that journey and keep pushing forward.
