The Inbound Marketing Process: The Nick Saban Approach

Dan Davidson • November 6, 2013

The process. Follow the process. It sounds cliché; however winning three national championships in four years is anything but cliché. That’s exactly what Nick Saban has done at the University of Alabama. Success like this doesn’t happen by accident. And due to this said process that Coach Saban has brought with him on all of his stops, it’s no coincidence that the Crimson Tide are primed for another run at a BCS title. 


When looking at his “process", it is not a checklist, nor a menu, nor any principles that are set in stone, but it is a focus and determination that has led to consistent success. Consistency is a hard attribute to find in today’s collegiate football landscape. Between the network television dollars, exorbitant coach’s salaries (which Saban tops the list in) and a metaphorical arms race within the SEC, creating the successful longevity enjoyed by USC in the 1970’s and Notre Dame in the 1980’s seems to be a thing of the past. 


Just as football programs recruit the best athletes in the nation and hire the smartest coaches, organizations have started to embrace new alternatives to branding, imaging and communication.  Inbound marketing and leveraging the tools that make it effective need to become staples in your advertising war chest. Saban’s career record is 167-55-1. Tallying four BCS national championships while elevating four football bowl subdivision programs along the way, as well as stint in the NFL, he has arguably perfected his program building methods. The parallels one can draw between Saban’s process and career arc to the core principles of marketing are undeniable. When it comes to implementing crystal footballs (campaigns) and producing dollars for a university (business), his success rate is irrefutable.


Hailing from the “Bill Belichick Coaching Tree”, Saban has manned the helm at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, the Miami Dolphins and Alabama. “The process is having a plan for all areas of the program, and working hard every day,” said Joe Pendry, a Saban assistant from 2007-2010. Just as you launch a campaign or a consistent message to convey within your market, focusing on a steady process has become imperative in order for you to be effective. The inbound marketing process embraces this principle. Let’s look at how the inbound marketing funnel relates to Saban’s process.


Content creation: The basic fundamental of inbound marketing is what fuels your marketing efforts. Creating interesting and remarkable content is what fuels the rest of the inbound marketing process. Whether it is via a blog, e-books, video or podcasts, search engines crave and reward fresh, relevant content. Coaches and fans alike crave new 5-star athletes that can lead their team to another championship. Committing to this aspect on either side of the football/marketing parallel is essential in fulfilling a successful process. 


Optimization: At this point you have your team, your website if you will, ready. It’s full of the best and brightest student-athletes (content). Now it’s time to put them in the best position to win. For a collegiate football team that means strategy and practice. For your website and content it means optimization. Positioning your site to be found in search is critical to your marketing plan being successful. There is no point to have content that your clients and prospective consumers are craving and searching for, if they can’t find it. Just as there is no point in assembling a team and putting them on the gridiron with no intention of winning a game.


Promote: Now you have precisely designed your team. They are prepared and performing at a very high level. In football, it is time to go win games. For your marketing strategy it is time to push this information to an audience that can benefit from it. In amplifying your content through various social media channels and email campaigns, you are engaging a captive audience. In football you rise and improve through in the national polls and BCS ranking by playing a competitive schedule. It certainly helps a team in the polls when they play a quality opponent in front of a nationally televised, so more people are sharing in the "buzz" of your impressive win. Likewise in inbound marketing, your content will be more "likeable" when it's dynamic and remarkable in nature. 


Convert: At this point in both processes you’ve put in the work, devised strategies and created an opportunity for this process to reach a successful conclusion. On the football field this is where your wins, practices, meetings and preparations turn into championships. But the true conversion comes from what those championships yield. It can transform a community, state, region and national fan base. The dark days of probation riddled Alabama football were not long ago. Now they are on the verge of accomplishing something that hasn’t happened since 1936, win 3 consecutive national titles. With the transformation, fan bases and university boosters grow, resources increase and the process creates a cyclical protocol where as long as its followed, these positives results continue. For your marketing efforts, conversion occurs when the leads you generate through your content creation, search engine optimization and promotion become customers. 


Whether you are earning return business or brand new customers, the ultimate end game for a marketer is to earn more business. That is exactly what the inbound process is intended to do. By generating content for prospective clients to read and putting it where they can find it, you position yourself to earn their business and ultimately grow your bottom line. “It’s a total overall plan. The plan is about always improving. Nobody stays the same. The plan happens to have worked and is proven,” continued Pendry. The variables that can affect a program are countless, much like the outside environs that impact your marketing efforts, no single element can be stagnant and remain dependable. Players get injured, coaches leave, resources get reallocated, markets shift. Strong coaches, leaders and marketers, however, are able to persevere. Between depth on the bench, relevant content and SEO, coaches and inbound marketers alike can overcome bleak circumstances. For Coach Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide it will not be a goal to win their third consecutive national championship. Raising that crystal football in Pasadena will only be a byproduct of the process. Much like higher sales and new clients won’t be the specific goal of certain inbound marketers, but it will be the result of a committed, effective marketing effort within your organization.

The fragmentation of search. Why Being Found Is No Longer Just About Google

The Fragmentation of Search: Why Being Found Is No Longer Just About Google

By Rikki Broussard • July 23, 2026
Your customers are still searching. They are just no longer searching in one place. They may start with Google, ask ChatGPT to compare their options, watch a YouTube video, look for examples on Instagram, read reviews, or open a map to find a nearby business. This does not mean your company needs to chase every new platform. It also does not mean SEO is dead. The best response to fragmented search is to strengthen the foundation you already have. Build a clear, credible website, answer the questions your customers ask, share real expertise, and ensure your business appears consistently on the platforms that matter to your audience. AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is part of that approach. It helps search engines and AI tools find and understand your answers, but it works best when it is built on strong SEO . Why Are Customers Searching in So Many Different Places? Customers are searching in more places because they now have more ways to find the type of information they want. Every Monday during our BlinkJar staff meeting, each person brings an industry update to discuss. One recent conversation about artificial intelligence and its impact on search reminded me of what happened to television. Jared, my husband and BlinkJar’s founder , spent years working in television. At one time, a few broadcast networks held most of the audience. Then cable created more choices. Streaming services, YouTube, social video, and on-demand programming divided attention even further. Television did not disappear. People gained more ways to watch. Search is moving in the same direction. A prospective customer may search Google for a service, ask an AI assistant to explain the differences between providers, watch a video to see how something works, and read reviews before visiting a company’s website. The challenge is not that Google has stopped working. It is that businesses can no longer assume every customer will begin there. Does My Business Still Need SEO? Yes, your business absolutely needs SEO as it remains the foundation of being discovered online. Google continues to drive valuable, high-intent traffic for businesses. A strong website also gives AI tools, maps, social platforms, and prospective customers a reliable place to learn who you are and what you offer. Your website needs clear service pages, useful location information, simple navigation, relevant internal links, and a sound technical structure. Search engines must be able to crawl, index, and understand your pages. Traditional SEO is not being replaced. It is supporting a larger discovery ecosystem. Think of your website as your company’s home base. Social media, maps, reviews, search engines, and AI tools may help customers find you, but your website is where you control the complete story. 
Kingsley Working

What I Learned as a Marketing Intern at BlinkJar Media

By Kingsley Lavender • July 20, 2026
Kingsley Lavender shares what he learned as a marketing intern at BlinkJar Media, including SEO, website updates, content marketing, and real-world agency experience.

Why Personal Connections Matter More Than Ever in an AI-Driven Marketing World?

By Caroline Thaxton • July 10, 2026
Artificial intelligence is changing the way businesses approach content marketing , social media marketing , and digital communications. AI can generate ideas, streamline workflows, and help marketers create content faster than ever before. At Blinkjar, we embrace AI as a powerful tool, but we also know the most impactful marketing still begins with something technology can't replicate: a genuine human connection. As a Creative Content Specialist at Blinkjar , some of my most valuable work happens away from my desk. Meeting with clients, visiting their businesses, and building real relationships gives me a deeper understanding of who they are and what makes their brands unique. Those face-to-face interactions help me create authentic content that reflects each client's personality , values, and story. Can AI Really Tell Your Brand's Story? Every business has a story worth telling . While AI can help organize information, brainstorm ideas, and improve efficiency, it can't experience a company's culture, observe customer interactions, or hear the passion behind why a business was started. That’s why every interaction matters. Whether we’re on a call, exchanging emails, meeting in person, capturing photos and videos, or simply talking through new ideas, each touchpoint helps us better understand the businesses we support. These conversations allow us to see how a brand operates, hear the stories behind the work, and uncover the details that make it unique. Those real insights often become the foundation for stronger content because they reveal perspectives that AI simply can’t generate. How Do Client Conversations Lead to Better Content Marketing? The more time I spend with the businesses we support, the better I can represent their brand. Photoshoots are one way those connections happen, but many of my strongest content ideas come from everyday conversations, planning calls, emails, meetings, and moments when a client shares something we would not have known otherwise. Those small details often become the difference between content that feels generic and content that feels true to the brand. Whether we're discussing a new project, talking through their day-to-day operations, or simply catching up, those conversations give me the context I need to write content that's accurate, authentic, and true to their voice. Instead of relying on assumptions, I can pull directly from their experiences, expertise, and personality . That's what transforms content from informative to meaningful.