Celebrate “March Madness” with Your Customers
March Madness is right around the corner! The men’s NCAA college basketball championship tournament, known by many as “March Madness,” is one of the highest watched televised sporting events in the United States. The event draws millions of viewers and has a widespread appeal. Because it takes place over 3 weeks, and features more than 60 collegiate teams spanning a large cross-section of the company, there are few sports fans without some interest in some of the games.
How can your business hop on the NCAA tournament bandwagon to drive traffic and increase sales? Well, there are a few ways…
March Madness Marketing Ideas
Create Bracket-Theme Promotions
Many fans closely follow the tournament’s bracket and many enjoying filling out their own brackets to make predictions on the winners and to compete with their friends and other fans.
You can engage with your customers in this way by offering prizes and rewards to encourage them to participate in a bracket with your business. For example, if you own a bar or restaurant, you can offer participating customers a free appetizer if their bracket is still “winning.” A retail shop could do the same by offering a discount or special freebie at checkout.
You could take the bracket idea in a different direction, too! We like this idea from Total Wine. They’re showcasing certain wines and scheduling tastings around the bracket pairings.
Celebrate Local
Is your business located near a college or university that is in the tournament? If so, it’s an excellent opportunity to market to local fans! Consider tying sales and promotions with the team’s games and offer specials if they win or make 3-pointers during the game. While restaurants and bars are the obvious choices for game-watching fans, non-restaurant businesses can celebrate local wins by creating specialty treats (see macarons below) or offering specials to customers when the local team wins.
We like this idea from Albemarle Baking Company in Charlottesville!
Take Heed
“March Madness,” “Final Four,” “The Big Dance,” and other popular terms associated with the tournament are trademarked and can’t be used in a commercial advertisement. Your business can capture the spirit of the tournament by using the word “madness” with other images or terms associated with basketball or your business.
We hope these tips will help you celebrate the NCAA basketball tournament with your customers, friends and employees!
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