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Grow attendance, increase media coverage, maximize fund raising
October 2009 Posts
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Some coaches don't like the talk about "marketing". They think of it as sleazy or misleading. Maybe you feel that way. Maybe you are right. Maybe that's what you think of when you feel like someone is trying to sell you something or deliver their message to you. I feel that way when I get junk mail from credit cad companies. Or when a used car dealership has a commercial on tv.
What about the times that the marketing is reaching you and you're responding (by purchasing, signing up, agreeing to receive emails, or even making contact to a business or organization). What about that rare instance that you're in the market for a credit card or a used car? Or what about when a product or service you use and love (think of one that you used in the past week). When we buy these we don't think of this as a result of marketing. Why not? Because we welcome the message. We're in the target audience of the marketer, they have crafted a message that we want to hear and we accept it. Or possibly we go further and take action.
That's the kind of marketing YOU have to do if you want more attendance, more media and more money. You have to reach YOUR audience that WANTS to be reached. They are the ones that want to be sold and won't see your marketing as a ploy but will receive it as a welcome message. It 's not the mainstream. Forget the main stream. You need to get those who just might be interested in what you have to offer them. Besides, you have something worthwhile to market- your program, your athletes, the opportunity you offer to youth, education, experience to your followers, community and all of the other things that you provide to your athletes and to those who follow your program.
Now get out there and do some marketing!
I'm sick of hearing why wrestling programs are dropped, of why they don't have more attendance, more media coverage, more support. Sack up and change your thinking.
“Don’t tell me it’s impossible,” he says, “tell me you can’t do it.” “Tell me it’s never been done. Because the only real laws in this world–the only things we really know–are the two postulates of relativity, the three laws of Newton, the four laws of thermodynamics, and Maxwell’s equation–no, scratch that, the only things we really know are Maxwell’s equations, the three laws of Newton, the two postulates of relativity, and the periodic table. That’s all we know that’s true. All the rest are man’s laws…”
-From Esquire profile titled “How Dean Kamen’s Magical Water Machine Could Save the World“, December 2008.
In wrestling we are supposed to attack from an angle. Get better angles more often and you're likely to have more successful offense.
Likewise, if you approach your goals from multiple angles, nutrition, drilling, competition, flexibility, rest, etc, you're more likely to win.
Attack your marketing from multiple angles and win.
"If you're attacking your market from multiple positions and your competition isn't, you have all the advantage and it will show up in your increased success and income."Jay Abraham
The Riot system uses a finite number of marketing angles (too many spreads you too thin without proper resources) to make your supporters want to flock to your matches, be excited, cheer for you, wear your gear, and give you money.
riotsportsmarketing.com
We talk about goal setting for our athletes. We know that goal setting is imperative for keeping us on track (and letting us know where the track is at all). What track is your program on? Your marketing? Have you written down your goals? Then the steps to get you there? Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself in regards to goals out:
So, next you have to take this to one more level of detail... that's where the rubber meets the road. For example you double your home database with web-based tools such as creating an email marketing account and adding the sign-up form html to your website.
Go into detail until you have actionable steps. Three actionable steps is often the best recipe for on-going success.
Start today!
I've always wondered why football and basketball became the most popular sports in America? Why soccer in most of the rest of the world? Why cricket in India and England? I haven't found the answer but would love to hear your opinion. Here is some food for thought.
Roone Arledge is widely recognized at the genius behind taking NCAA Football's popularity to the next level. A brilliant man and innovator at ABC in the 1960's, his blueprint was to give the viewer enough background info to make him care about a game taking place thousands of miles away between teams to whom the viewer has no relation.
"we have a supply of human drama that would make the producer of a dramatic show drool," he said in a memo to his superiors at ABC back in the 1960's.
So does wrestling and a lot of other sports for that matter! Let's capitalize on this!
He continued, "...we will have pre-shot film of the campus and the stadium so we can orient the viewer. He must know he is in Columbus, Ohio, where the town is football mad; or that he is part of a small but wildly enthusiastic crowd at Corvallis, Oregon....
Then the viewer must meet the players, but he will meet them as he would if he were at the game. This will be accomplished by using a blowup of the cover of the actual game program and introducing the individual players by means of pictures of them in their normal street attire...."
An innovative blueprint. Let's follow Mr. Arledge's lead. We don't have tv coverage like NCAA Football but we have plenty of other tools at our disposal.
No more excuses.
Have you ever seen (or been) an athlete who gets motivated, trains hard for a while, doesn't see results immediately then settles back to status quo? As coaches we teach our athletes to have a long-term plan with short term goals that help keep us motivated along the way. Progress happens by taking small steps every day. I wonder why so many of us coaches don't take our own advice and apply it to program development.
Too often I see coaches work hard to promote an event, see little or no results then go back to status quo. Marketing is a long-term strategy of which promotion is a subset. Coaches often confuse marketing with promoting. Promotion is often done for an event. We call the newspaper, put out flyers, and make a big deal about an event we have. We see some results and that's the end of it.
Developing your program is not an event. It's something that is part of your everyday efforts. Decide what you want to do (set goals), decide how you're going to do them (create an action plan) and then do it (or delegate it.
Did you ever notice how fans react when wrestlers acknowledge them? It's probably most noticeable at NCAA's when wrestlers acknowledge their fans with a wave, a fist pump or a point. They go nuts! I get chills watching wrestlers throw some love to those that support them. Being a fan is a thankless job. Sure, they're fans because they enjoy it. But what if we gave them a little piece of the limelight more often?
Wrestlers.... share your glory. Acknowlege your fans and they'll love you for it!
