In the world of modern sport, a team is not just a team, it’s a brand. As much as the team enjoy playing, and as much as the team’s management are passionate about the sport, they need to make money to carry on doing what they love. The good news is it’s pretty easy to market your sports team once you know how. Sports fans are some of the most devoted and enthusiastic fans, and knowing how to market your team to them, and to potential new fans, will help to maximise the profitability of your sports brand…
Market research
Before you can begin marketing your sports team, you need to understand who your target market is and what their needs are:
- Check your database: You should already have an existing database of members that you can analyse, looking for things such as age and geographical location.
- Check registration figures: It’s a good idea to check your registration figures and see if your recent members come from a particular age group or location.
- Interview existing members: Send out an email survey, or ask people a few questions on entry to your next home match, in order to find out what attracted them to join the club, and what keeps them coming.
- Talk to potential members: Get out into the local community and talk to potential members in order to find out what you could do to attract them to join your club or attend a match.
5 ways to market your team
Now that you understand how to identify your target audience here are five effective ways in which you can market your sports team to new and existing customers…
1) Website
More and more people are using the internet to seek content and information about sports teams, so it’s vital that you have a strong web presence. Make sure you have a well-designed website that is easy to navigate, and updated regularly. As a basic minimum your site should include a calendar of events, membership info, results, contact details, and a rundown of the activities you offer. It’s also a good idea to have a blog page on which you can publish unique content that can be easily shared.
2) Social media
Platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it easy for sports fans to interact with teams and players. It’s important that you’re active on social media and interact with fans regularly to build up a good rapport and increase your brand profile. Aim for a mixture of different posts including competitions, results, discussions etc to get people involved and encourage shares and likes.
3) Merchandise
Most sports clubs have merchandise such as caps, t-shirts, key rings etc associated with them, so try to find something that will set you apart from the crowd. Most clubs replace the pitch at the end of the season, but the turf doesn’t have to go to waste. Cash in on your hallowed turf and have it encased in clear acrylic, your fans will love owning a piece of history! Clear acrylic blocks can also be used to house your team’s badge, or a photo of your shirt, team, or stadium, which all make ideal merchandise for fans. Our sports team blocks are completely bespoke, allowing you to incorporate any image and wording you like.
4) Newsletters
Distributing a regular newsletter helps you to communicate with your members about club activities, events, and news. Postal newsletters are ideal for updating your members on events that might be coming up in the next few weeks, while email newsletters are much more effective at updating your members on news and changes as they happen.
5) Flyers and brochures
One way to introduce your club to potential new members is with flyers. You could hand them out in the local community, or post them through people’s letterboxes in order to get your club noticed. If you’ve got some home matches coming up then it’s a good idea to put the dates and times on the flyers as a clear call to action for the recipients.
