We can define marketing as that set of tools that are used to identify the needs and desires of the consumer in order to satisfy this need and meet their expectations.

The main objective of marketing is to make a product or service a wish, adapting it to the preferences of each client and making it part of their life. Therefore, the epicenter of marketing is the customer, everything must revolve around him and not the other way around.

It is common for managers of sports clubs to get frustrated because the use of the best known and most popular marketing techniques does not produce the results they expected. And that’s when we hear things like: this marketing thing doesn’t work! Clubs aren’t companies! Marketing is for big clubs!…

This idea is totally wrong if what they want is to imitate the techniques of another company from a different sector. sports marketing is a different and specific sector, with its own characteristics and particularities.

Therefore, the first thing you should do is previously analyze the sector and know your potential client and then adapt marketing techniques to the reality and specific context of your sports club, which is nothing more than a non-profit entity.

A thorough investigation is key. You must be clear about who your “clients” are and what you want to convey with your club.

• Do you want to attract athletes, coaches, parents or followers?
• What sports modality does your club treat?
• Do the facilities meet the needs of your customers?
• How much does it cost to join the club?
• Do you have different quotas to offer?
• Do you want to get promoters for your club?
• What works? What does not work in your club?

Once you are clear about who your target audience is and what you can offer, it is time to start selling your club. There are different ways to promote your club. Let’s get started!

1- Take care of your club’s website

A web page is the online showcase of your club and is an excellent starting point to start selling it. It is a cheap and efficient medium, since without investing a lot of money, you can reach a large number of people from anywhere.

If someone wants to find a sports club for the next season, where do they go? The vast majority turn to the Internet as a search medium. So if someone finds you surfing the net, what less will they see a modern and elegant website of your club. You must capture what you want to convey with your club.

Nowadays, as consumers are exposed to so much information, they are carried away by the things that capture their attention. Impressive, feature-packed websites get more attention. It is becoming less common for a user to stop to read a long paragraph, so prioritizes visual content and quality.

Regarding the information, just put the basic and necessary information . No more no less. A good website should have, at a minimum, current contact information and a section about the team. As a bonus, it is also interesting to include photos of the club and members, as well as calendars, results and history.

You just have to include all those things that give a good impression of your club to the people who visit your page.

2- Start with SEO initiatives

search engine optimization, known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization), is the art of positioning your club at the top of Google searches in terms of relevance. Google positions the content based on the degree of response it gives to the user’s question.

For you, that means that if someone searches for the exact name of your club, or something like “Sports clubs around me”, if you have done well you should appear in the first positions.

To make sure that Google recognizes your club and positions it, you must create it as if it were a company. Create a profile of your club, add images, a location on Google maps and, most importantly, link it to your website.

Select a series of keywords that match the most used searches on Google. There are different tools to see which are the buzzwords or the most searched like Google AdWords, which includes a keyword planner.

We understand that SEO can be difficult, and even more so if you are not very familiar with digital marketing. We recommend that you start with very simple articles on SEO for beginners like this one from Lifestylealcuadrado. If not, you can always contact professional people who will manage to take your club to the top of the search engines.

3- Prepare a basic mailing strategy

Emails can be a great way to keep your members up-to-date on all things club – games, schedule changes, or special club events.

Of course, this method requires a list of email addresses. That is why when a new one signs up, it is interesting to ask for this personal information for your database. You can also add to the database the emails of the people who contact you through the web. Do not always forget comply with the General Data Protection Regulation . We will talk about the 8 keys to fulfill it in your club in this post.

It is convenient to qualify the contacts you have and group their email addresses to organize them by groups. This way, you can send the relevant information to the right people.

For example, if you want to send a notification about an activity that your club is organizing, you may want everyone to receive this information, but if you have a promotion to get discounted clothing, you may only want to send it to members . If you want to do a recruitment campaign, you should send the emails to those who are not yet members.

You don’t have to have dozens of groups and run overly complex email marketing campaigns. The simpler the better. We recommend that you have a group of “partners” another of “potential partners”, “fathers and mothers” and another with everyone.

Be careful with this medium, as it is becoming the preferred method for many companies that send spam emails, and they may end up ignoring yours.

We recommend that your email stands out and that you select the correct and necessary information. Nothing to roll or put intrusive advertising. Of course, make sure to send the right content to the right people as well.

4- Social Networks for your club. Which ones to use?

Just as having a good website is important, taking care of your profiles on social networks is also important. With them you can reach a younger audience and more used to being connected to the Internet. Millennials have grown up with new technologies, they master them and use them all the time.

You can benefit from the great interaction that these media generates among the community. Social networks are the perfect place to keep up to date with a multitude of events.

In addition, by building a community on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you will have more chances to reach young sports fans and they will be able to see your club in action, give “like”, do comments and recommend you.

Depending on the social media platform and who you are targeting, you can post different content, such as:

• Images of the training sessions or live videos
• Match results
• Questions or surveys
• Updates and latest club or facility news
• Debates with comments from players, coaches or fans
• Competitions with other teams
• Organization and promotion of events
• Player of the month awards
• Links to the club’s website

If you do it well and your content is good and of quality it may be that your publications will share and reach more people. In this sense, videos are the most used and viewed on social networks, and they achieve greater interaction. It is much more likely to be consumed by those who share the hobby, which increases its potential to be shared.

Record your team in games or training sessions and who knows if an incredible goal will come out? This type of content will make your club spread throughout the sports world, making the club’s profile known and attracting a new audience.

As for social networks. Which ones should you use? This is a complicated question. It depends a lot on your audience and the people in charge of managing the networks.

We’re not going to tell you which ones you should boost. But what we can tell you is that the networks most used by amateur clubs in Spain are Instagram and Twitter. Facebook too, but each time, to a lesser extent. And using YouTube requires more time and effort. There you take it 😉

5- New technologies as the basis of your club

At this point we can summarize all of the above. Of course, without the new technologies we could not make the other marketing strategies real

new technologies are the engine of digital marketing . With them you can further involve your current members, attract new members and keep them updated on everything.

The younger generations have grown up with a cell phone under their arm, which means that your club has to find a way to interact with them through this medium. It will be much more comfortable for both them and you.

Many times they are technologies that are used to optimize the operation of the club, others for communication with members, and in other cases they are used with a marketing approach. However, whatever the main objective, they all influence the marketing of your club.

The fact of using new technologies, on the one hand, will attract more athletes to your club. On the other hand, you will be able to offer a better service to them, being able to dedicate time to actions directly related to marketing.

Discover a multitude of technological solutions that exist to improve the reality of sports clubs in our post on the best tools for your club.

6- Organize an open house

Organizing an open day at your sports club can be a great opportunity for it, since it will open many “doors” for you. The hard part comes when you want to spread this day. Putting up a few posters in or near the same club will not attract your potential members.

As we’ve said before, being on social media is a good place to start. Create an event on Facebook, and count on your existing members and followers to help you buy it through networks among their close circle, so you will be able to reach more people.

You can request collaboration to nearby centers such as schools, town halls or your own sponsors, they could spread this day to nearby areas.

When you organize an open house we recommend:

• Involve your community (members, friends, parents and local businesses) The objective of the open house is to create new relationships, bring together as many people as possible and make yourself known.
• Use the facilities and services available to your club. Make it a fun day, people are much more likely to get involved and remember your club. Take advantage of this day to reflect the personality and spirit of your club.
• Attract new members but without forgetting the existing ones. Although the main objective is to attract new members, it is also important to try to maintain good relationships with existing members. They are as vital to your club as the new ones.

7- Sponsorship

Sponsorship is another way to publicize your sports club. Here, our resources play an important role and are a key piece to make the most of the sponsorship opportunity

With a decent sponsorship partnership, you can increase the awareness of your club. For example, having a large sports brand sponsor your team will attract potential new members.

Only with a simple link to your website, that they share it on their social networks or that they dedicate a small space in their email newsletter can benefit your club.

If you want more information about sponsorship, you can learn more in our post about sponsors in sports clubs.

8- Word of mouth

The most traditional method , but at the same time, the most effective, is to use your own community to promote your sports club. Use your own members, their friends, family, etc.

This marketing technique can complement the rest of the techniques mentioned above. For example, the use of social networks to share the club’s profile.

Another way is to use the lifelong method, the use of posters and propaganda . Place posters in nearby businesses, posters, schools or town halls. Make fun, attention-grabbing brochures and distribute them to schools. You can also take advantage to offer discounts if they bring a friend.

Then ask them how they found out about your club and what made them come. This way you will be able to know what has worked and what has not, and you will get to know your audience better to improve that method of promoting your club.

Advantages of marketing in a sports club

It is clear that sport is gaining ground in the world of marketing and those responsible for sports clubs must be aware of everything.

In conclusion, we can say that if you have a well-planned and organized marketing campaign it will give you many advantages:

• Improve the image and reputation of your sports club
• Increase sales, which translates into new members
• Generate value for money, that is, monetize your club
• Create long-term partnership and sponsorship opportunities
• Build credibility in your community

Members of sports clubs are becoming more demanding, and it is more difficult to meet their expectations. Consequently, sports entities must keep a continuous monitoring of services that are offered. Once you have learned how to apply marketing techniques to your sports club, we recommend that you read our post on 3 keys to optimizing the management of your sports club.

If what you are looking for is someone to help you with different marketing strategies for your sports club, we are your right partner. We work with several clubs, offering digital marketing services to help you with the web, attract more athletes and improve social interactions. What are you waiting to contact us?