Your Own Sportscenter

If Sportscenter were just a listing of dates, times and locations of games, meetings and events, it wouldn't be very exciting or interesting. Teams would suffer because fans would be less educated, informed and engaged. Ticket sales would drop. Sponsors would leave. Licensing deals would lose value.

Instead, Sportscenter (and all of the other sources of news about a team) gives fans an inside look at the team, it's coaches, individuals and events. Fans get excited. They want more. They talk around the water cooler. They come to the game early. Buy gear (and concessions). They become the most important asset you have.

So... how are you educating and involving your fans?

Un-marketing

I discovered a new term (and an interesting person in the process) the other day. Un-marketing. I'm not sure if Scott Stratten coined it or not but the term sums up what you need to do. If you want to drive ticket sales, get more members, maximize fundraising or increase attendance then you have to stop marketing and start engaging. That is possible now more than ever with the new communication channels available today.

Be interesting.
Write something I want to read.
Make my life easier.
Do something cool.
Exist where I already am.
And... talk to me.

Then I might buy, sign-up, donate or show up.

Are They Buying What You are Selling?

Like it or not, as a coach or administrator, you are selling something. You are selling yourself, your plan, your vision and your next course of action. You want people to "buy in". Keep this important fact in mind; people love to buy but they hate to be sold.
First, listen. Listen to learn about what your people want. Then, you can provide what they want to buy and you can do so in the manner in which you choose to present it.

How will what you are selling help me get what I want, coach?

When Nothing is Better Than Something

Remember when you got your website? You built it yourself or you had "a guy" who built it for you. It was gong to be great! You added pages for your roster, schedule, team info, fundraising, alumni, links, results, fun facts, contact us, about us, news, coaches, history, pics, video, rankings, JV, site map...
Unfortunately, you haven't updated most of this since last December so when visitors land on your site, they think it, and your organization, is dead. They never return. No website is better than a dead website.
All you really need, most likely, is a news blog to let me know whats going on. A one-page website with news posted chronologically from top to bottom. If you need more, create a Facebook Page. I can find your videos and pics there in addition to your news. Or better yet, they find me.
The real key is to get me then keep me. You do that by creating multiple avenues of communication through which you can "keep" someone. Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, blog and RSS feeds (notice I didn't say website).
Keep it simple and build as your resources allow. Baby steps.

How to Start a Riot

I have been asked "why the hell would you name your company Riot?" Riot has a bad connotation of flipping over cars and burning buildings after your team loses the championship (or wins- never could figure this out). However, to start a riot, someone has to be passionate enough about something to stand up and take action. How do you start a riot through social media marketing? Well, it takes the right mix of quality content and engagement. 
What does your team's community want to read about? What will make them stop in their tracks on this busy day to read what you have written (or watch your video or otherwise pick up what you're puttin' down)? Then, when they react, will you engage with them? Or are you just a one-way pipeline of information like a newspaper (dying) rather than social media (thriving).

Top 3,470,001 Fund Raisers

Having been in athletics my entire bipedal life, I've been exposed to lots of different fund raisers. Selling stuff, hosting events, phone-a-thons, direct mailings, and more. Some work better than others. They all work great for some. Google "top fund raisers" and you'll find nearly 3.5 million results (3,470,000 to be exact). Here's one more to help you run your next fund raising event or activity.

Decide.
Do it.
Document it.
Delegate it.
Develop it.

Social Media = Brochure?

I was talking with the director of a large national organization recently.  "We're doing the social media thing," he explained.  "The challenge is keeping it up-to-date."
I will be working with him on a paradigm shift before we even begin to talk about strategy. Social media is not something that you have to keep up-to-date like a website or brochure.  Social media is where you engage and where you offer value.  What do I mean? Here are some examples:

• Respond to questions posted on Facebook or Twitter: like a handshake or a handwritten note, these encounters go a long way
• Ask questions of your followers and fans by soliciting feedback and crowdsourcing ideas: show them that they are valued
• Post good content: respect their time
• Offer discounts or specials for those in your community
• Enjoy it.  I'm mean really enjoy your community. Like a smile over the phone, it comes through.

What are Your Benefits?

You have both features and benefits. Features are boring. Benefits are exciting!
Your features might be a new facility, the best coaches, year-round opportunity, lowest price. 
Benefits are doors opened, success attained, desires fulfilled, lives changed, wishes granted.

We're all selling something. What are you selling?

Here Jim Goes Again with the Systems Talk...

Had a client ask me a question today regarding a strategy to increase awareness and community involvement in his program. The interesting twist was, his question was generated from his reading of the E-Myth (from my Summer Reading List). My answer was that it is not so much in determining the strategy-- that's easily done with a few people sitting in a room over some adult beverages.
More importantly is documenting what works so that it can be replicated by someone other than you. That way you experience the success of the system while working on more strategic tasks... such as developing new ways to reach your target audience or having another adult beverage.
See also:
C-Myth
C-Myth (cont)