Marketing Your Sports Team

Nerves are building, hearts are racing, and tension is at an all-time high. Tipoff is moments away as the National Anthem roars on. The whistle blows – it’s game time! Basketball fans all across the country are rooting for their favorite teams, whether it’s for a high school, college, or professional team, there’s a fan base for all. Players are dedicated to winning, bringing a competitive edge to each game. It is currently the peak of basketball season and playoffs will soon begin.

Follow along with us this January to learn how you can more effectively market your sports team as they fight for every inch, point, and competitive edge you can give them this season.

Get Active on Social Media

Social
media makes marketing your sports team fun. Get active on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram to build excitement leading up to the game. Stay active during
and after the game by posting score updates, and post-game interviews. Studies
show that 72% of sports fans are most engaged by
exciting pre-game content.

Developing a target audience is crucial for effective marketing of your sports team. Think about who you are marketing to and what your audience wants to see. It’s also, important to keep in mind what level of play you are marketing. Whether you’re marketing for a high school, college, or professional team, the best way you showcase them to your audience will change.

For example, when you are marketing a high school team try to focus on the team as a whole. Go in depth about team chemistry, highlighting their team play and why you don’t want to miss their next game. Do you have a rambunctious student section? Let everyone know about it and how they add to the fun and competitive atmosphere. Overall, when marketing a high school basketball team it is important to market the school as a whole to show the importance of school pride.

Next, when you are marketing for a college team you might focus in on specific players, games, and even coaches. Marketing your college basketball team will include your own page dedicated to only the basketball team. Use this page to interact with your fans, share relatable content, and give an insight on your team off the court, such as team dinners or charitable work.

Lastly, marketing a professional
basketball team will entail more focus on the organization. This page will focus
on trending news, such as contract extensions, trade deals, and jersey sales.

Social Media allows teams to engage their fans by creating interactive content that will get their fans talking. Sports fans can share your content with their friends, ultimately networking your target audience and keeping your team in the discussion. Create fun GIFs of star athletes to bring a smile to followers, and more serious posts such as the road to a successful season. Another helpful tip to marketing your team is adding hashtags to each post to make your team easily discoverable. Here are a few examples for the next time you want to market your sports team: #sports, #basketball, or #fans.

Work with a Charity

Promoting
and working with a charity is a great reason for fans to follow your team. This
is a great way to boost morale and improve your social status in the community.
Whether you are promoting a high school or a professional team, giving back to
those in need is a great way to promote that you not only do you care about the
sport, but also care about those who are less fortunate.

Hold a 50/50 raffle at your next event to promote a local or a nationwide charity. This will build trust in the overall company, along with the value of attending a sporting event. Promote your raffle early on social media so your fans can bring a friend to the game! In turn, this will increase the amount of support you receive during your games and for the team.

Attract Sponsors – Hold a Contest

Sponsors are helpful when building a great campaign and bring brand awareness to your team. 70% of sports fans who like or follow a brand online say they’re open to sharing brand content, buying goods, or engaging with social posts. Having sponsors pay to have their products and logos associated with an event or team translates their trust in your team. Sponsors are highly visible either on a banner in the gym, on the corner of a jersey, or on a promotional product, adding credibility to the brand and the team.

A great way to get your fans involved is holding sponsored half-time contests and games. A go-to for a high school or college basketball games is the half court shoot off with the winner receiving a free pizza. A popular way to a great way to keep the crowd involved during a professional basketball game is to give away a free promo product each time a player hits a buzzer-beater, or each time the team scores over 100 points. There are countless ways to utilize sponsorships to promote your team, while getting your fans involved.E

Overall, marketing is
crucial to the success of bringing awareness and support to your sports team. Apply these tips and tricks for not only
basketball, but any sport you may be marketing for this season.  For more help, contact your Account Executive today!