Marketing Sports - Tactics And Opportunities

You have a gold-mine if your team is doing particularly well. Other businesses and corporate sponsors know this. Therefore, it's important that you take time to consider the wants and needs of your sports fans. There are some givens, of course. For instance, alcohol and marketing sports just seem to go hand-in-hand. If you've ever seen a rabble rouse of maniacal sports fans running down the block to the stadium with two beer cans in hand, yelling at the top of their lungs, covered in war paint and wearing logo products, then you know this. Local restaurants and hotel chains may also be willing to do business with you, as food and sports or travel and sports often go hand-in-hand as well. They'll be making a ton of money, so coughing up some cash to sponsor your event won't be an issue. This area of marketing is particularly salient if your team needs a new stadium or training facility.

Another big focus of marketing sports is presenting your target audience with innovative imprinted merchandise. This is where things get tricky. You need to connect with your audience and push them one little step further to consume. Sure, they'll buy the baseball tickets and the footlong hotdog and the beer, but will they buy the NY Yankees hat or hooded sweatshirt? Will they buy the imprinted pens and the key tags? Perhaps you need to catch your fans slightly off guard by offering promotional items in a venue they wouldn't expect. For instance, you may run a promotion with a popular college eatery, offering promotional merchandise along with a certain menu item for just a few dollars extra. Or you can make use of modern technology to reach your audience via their cell phones! The Celtics basketball team has been reaching their target audience through a partnership with an Indianapolis-based voice messaging company Vontoo (vontoo.com), which is being used to increase ticket renewals through personal messages from player Delonte West. The Memphis Grizzlies saw an increase of $30,000 in sales following just one round of phone calls!

As well, you can focus your marketing sports efforts on offering unique imprinted merchandise, like bobblehead characters, stress relievers, imprinted pens or "beer koozies." Watches, telephones and videos have become hot ticket items, experts say. Many cross-promotional efforts are marketing unique gifts. For instance, IdRatherBeGrilling.com markets their BBQ sauces, seasoning, grill utensils and aprons to the golf-loving dad, with their golfer's cookbook and golfer's caddy. "Our golf-themed grilling products offer a refreshing alternative to catalog shopping for status quo, 'been there, done that' promotional items," said co-founder Michelle Mobley. "We work very closely and diligently with our customers to develop compelling, yet practical and cost effective, corporate gift packages sure to 'wow' the recipient. It's a lofty goal, but one we achieve time and time again through our distinctive and lighthearted product line with high appeal."