One of the most effective branding tools available today is a good sports marketing strategy. Sports marketing is the art of transferring to your brand the passion that fans have for a sport. It’s not always easy, but it can work for you if you follow a few rules of thumb.
Affiliate your company to a sport or team
An effective branding campaign means more than printing T-shirts for your employees to wear at sporting events. And it’s not just about buying billboard advertising space at your local ballpark. An effective campaign is one that truly makes fans passionate about your product or service. Your marketing goal is to activate something within consumers so that they feel like they have no choice but to do business with you, because they are truly passionate about your business.
The best branding efforts are those that closely tie your brand name to a particular sports team or sport in general. Because? True sports fans passionately love their teams and will do anything to show it. They believe that they are part of the team and that they can really make their team win. You want your brand to be mentioned alongside the team every chance you get a chance to garner some of this passion and fan ownership.
Sports Marketing Techniques
Depending on your marketing budget, you can buy your way to get your product or service mentioned along with your local sports teams. Sponsorship costs often depend on the popularity of the team. For example, sponsorship of the Chicago Bears costs more than sponsorship of a minor league team in Decatur, Illinois.
The bigger the fan base and the more passion the fans have, the more effective a marketing campaign can be. An effective branding strategy is to find the team or sport with the fan base you want to target for potential customers and invest your company dollars in advertising with that organization. The goal is for your business name or brand to be seen alongside your name every time you get the opportunity to appear in TV commercials, radio spots, billboards, t-shirts, baseball caps, and event shows. You want fans to closely tie their passion for your team to their passion for your company.
Post-Game Marketing Opportunities
Another effective branding technique is convincing fans to shop with your company immediately after a game. Some companies place advertisements on the back of ticket stubs. For example, if the home team wins or scores a certain number of points, the ad encourages fans to come to your store and get something free or at a deep discount. However, if you’re considering this tactic, just make sure your company can handle a surge in business within two hours of a game.
With planning, investment in advertising and follow-up, sports marketing can be a very effective tool. By carefully considering your target audience and choosing promotions that complement your company’s products and services, you can use sports marketing to capture an untapped and loyal customer base.
