How well a school or club markets or promotes its athletics programs,
both within the school and within the community, can directly impact the
financial success of those programs. Like it or not, high school and
club sporting events are in direct competition with professional and
collegiate events, and other forms of entertainment – anything that a potential
spectator might otherwise choose to do at the times your teams are hosting
a contest.
The basic element of any successful marketing campaign is to
convince the public that the sporting events being promoted are a
commodity that they either want or need to attend. First you must
create awareness of the events. If the public doesn’t know your teams are in
action, it’s a given that they won’t consider seeing them play.
There are several key approaches to take in promoting your events. One is to market
your program’s athletics logo. We live in a visual world. Secondly, hype your teams’ schedules.
If people don’t know when and where your teams are playing, it’s a good bet they won’t even
think about attending.
Another important route to take is advertising. This can be accomplished
without spending a cent through various media promotions. Since we live in a high-tech age,
it’s also imperative to develop a web site. More important, keep it updated.
In addition, cross-promote your programs. Make fans aware of upcoming events
during current events. Develop in-game promotions, because the actual event is not enough
anymore to draw fans. You need to make the event an attraction.
Involve your students or fans by challenging them to increase attendance. To broaden
this concept, you need to get out in the community. Coaches and other administrators should
be encouraged to speak to local groups and civic organizations. Athletes and coaches also
should visit elementary and middle school classes.
This is just a broad overview of key elements to consider in promoting your sporting
event. I have developed several seminars geared toward athletic administrators and coaches
to help in program promotion. There also are seminars for high school students interested
in sports journalism as a career, and a seminar focusing on working with the media, for both
coaches and student-athletes. Media contact can seem intimidating, but
it doesn’t need to be.
If you are interested in any of these seminars, you may contact
me at nancy@cedarvalleyathlete.com or at nancyjcommunications@hotmail.com, or call 319-277-3631.
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