The Marketing Strategy Series - Interview with Henk-Frits Verkerk: Episode 5

Today, I am thrilled to share with you an interview with Henk-Frits Verkerk, Managing Director of Sports Alliance. If you're interested in data marketing, this is the episode for you.

Henk-Frits is one of the founders of Sports Alliance, Europe's very first fan marketing company, and his wide-ranging expertise is highly valued throughout the industry.

Through Sports Alliance, Henk-Frits aims to bring sports club marketeers closer to the fanbase they serve. He's passionate about gathering data at every touchpoint in order to learn what fans really want.

The important thing, Henk-Frits says, is to bring every disparate scrap of customer data together to provide a 360 degree overview of the fan community. It's an uphill struggle, since sports club data is notoriously scattered and haphazard, but Henk-Frits and Sports Alliance are up to the task. Every day, they help their customers to strengthen fan loyalty and achieve amazing things.

Henk-Frits was kind enough to take time out of his day to talk about his experiences in marketing. We covered a lot of topics, particularly around data-gathering.

Video timestamps

• How did you get into marketing? 0:25
• What does your current role at Sports Alliance involve? 2:39
• What advice would you share for aspiring marketeers? 4:20
• The problem with the technology swamp. 5:50
• In the book, you highlight the challenges that businesses have when gathering data. What challenges have you experienced? 6:39
• What tips do you have for businesses that are facing challenges with gathering data? 9:59
• What are some of the most common pitfalls that marketeers face, and how can they overcome them? 11:40
• What advice would you give your younger self, if that younger self was starting out in marketing today? 13:12

I'd like to give a massive thank you to Henk-Frits for taking part in this interview with me. If you want to know more about Henk-Frits and his work, check out his LinkedIn page.

For the next in my series of interviews, subscribe to the Let'sTalk Strategy YouTube channel or, if you prefer listening on the go, to our SoundCloud playlist.