Creating an effective sports marketing campaign requires a lot of planning and preparation. A sports team has to consider many factors, including Apparel contracts, Influencers, Social media, Loyalty, and Brand recognition.
Apparel contracts
Despite the hype, apparel contracts aren’t the cheapest perk at your local sporting goods store. As a result, colleges and universities with big fan bases have big contracts. The most important metric is the number of fans in the arena. A big deal isn’t always good for players, coaches, and administration.
Several notable schools have splashed in the apparel contract space, including the University of Michigan, Texas, and Florida. For instance, the most expensive deal in the state is worth $220 million. The lion’s share of the cash goes to Nike. The company has an official apparel deal with the NFL. Nike sponsors the NFL’s most popular team, the Miami Dolphins, and has done so for the last three years.
Social media
Social media in sports marketing is a great way to boost your profile and create a one-to-one relationship with your fans. You can use Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to promote your team and athletes and tell the story behind the team or the players.
Using social media in sports marketing also increases engagement. 70% of sports fans follow their favorite teams on social media. This makes it easy for the fans to interact with their favorite team members and receive updates on their favorite games.
Moreover, social media in sports marketing can improve your brand image and increase sales. Creating a personalized photo with fans is a great way to build loyalty. You can post news about games, behind-the-scenes footage, and other relevant content.
Influencers
Working with athlete influencers can increase your brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website or store, whether you are a sports league or a club. These social media stars can also help you build relationships with your audience.
Athletes are becoming savvier about products and services. As a result, they are becoming more strategic about using social media to promote their brands. For example, they may sign partnerships with an outside agency to increase their exposure. Or they may share insights with fans on social media. This helps fans get to know their teams better and allows clubs to sell more merchandise.
Athletes have been known to have a massive reach on social media, especially for the younger generation. But, many marketers still struggle to decide whether working with an athlete is the right fit for their brand.
Loyalty
Creating and maintaining loyalty in sports marketing is essential. It is as important in business as it is in sports. Companies want to retain their customer base and develop fans into brand ambassadors. If they cannot do so, they risk losing customers to rivals.
One of the most popular forms of sports marketing is season ticket sales. These are sold at stadium gates. For example, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball sell around 25 percent of their tickets at the gate. This is because it is cheaper to keep a customer than to attract a new customer.
To develop a loyal customer base, sports teams and brands concentrate on fostering relationships with their fans. They also offer promotions for kids, like team kids’ clubs, to draw families into their stadiums. In the case of MLB, the World Series win was a significant factor in the team’s success.