Any new sports company faces a plethora of challenges with regard to getting the word out. It can be difficult to find ways in which to network with a community’s existing athletic base. From high school football players to senior citizen marathon runners, there are plenty of unique demographics and cross-sections of sports to consider when making a pitch. Building brand awareness requires persistent dedication and a savvy marketing strategy in many cases. Whether you’re building a sports business in your local community or on the web, it’s essential to increase brand awareness. Today, we’ll review some tips that can help you accomplish this.
Take Some Classes
Many aspects of business are similar across all industries and job sectors. However, specific management and marketing tactics can vary wildly from industry to industry. If you are managing a sports business in one way or another, then it is generally a good idea to be aware of the ins and outs of marketing in this regard. Many of the most successful sports companies have been built or managed by individuals who studied one type of sports management program or another. Others have focused specifically on marketing classes that help improve the ability to see opportunity in the world of exposure. By learning how to make the most out of any marketing situation, a sports company can improve its bottom line through better management.
Sponsor a Team
Especially if your sports business is new, there is no better way to get the word out that you exist than through a sponsorship of some sort. Many opportunities exist at the local level: from a college track-and-field team to little league baseball, your business can help improve brand awareness and recognition by simply giving back to the community. There are many different ways in which you can seek sponsorship opportunities – as well as a variety of different sponsorship actions to take – but the broader premise is simple. Remember, the goal of the sponsorship is to shape or reshape attitudes about your business through civic engagement. If your brand is consistently seen by a niche sporting community in a positive light, then you can slowly imprint on a community the reputation you’d prefer your brand to have.
Improve Online PPC/CPM Campaigns
There are many ways to easily promote your brand and increase awareness thanks to technology, but PPC/CPM ad campaigns may undoubtedly be the easiest way to reach large numbers of people in no time at all. Through search engines like Bing and Google (and social media platforms like Facebook), you’ll be able to quickly setup an advertising campaign, customize who sees it based on geography, age, interests and more, and deploy it for a fraction of the price of a traditional campaign. Whether you are a brick-and-mortar sports company or an online establishment, there is plenty of benefit in using online ad campaigns. You’ll be able to specify how you want people to interact with your ads on sites like Facebook: do you want them to click on a link to your website, subscribe via email, like your Facebook page, or something entirely different? Whatever the case, this type of marketing is dirt cheap, highly targeted and can boost brand awareness in no time.
Use Promotional Merchandise
Last but not least, remember that everybody loves free stuff! If you’re in the position to give away a bit of free merchandise, then you should jump at this opportunity. Whether you’re an online business and want to promote a giveaway or you have a store in a physical location and want to team up with local events for promotion, there are many different ways to use merchandise to your advantage. From free t-shirts to pens, keychains and other items, get the word out by giving it away. For a sports company specifically, there may be opportunities to give away relevant apparel or merchandise that will attract your target audience. Just remember to brand whatever you give away: that’s half the reason promotional merchandise works from a marketing standpoint as every time somebody looks at your merchandise, they will be reminded of your company.
A new sports company has many tools available to improve brand awareness and increase its marketing potential. From promotions and giveaways to team sponsorships and online campaigns, you’ll have no trouble getting the word out about your brand if you stay focused on providing value and making a good impression. Keep these tips in mind and you won’t go far wrong.
