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).

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?

Donald Trumps Laundry

Ever wonder how successful people seem to get so much done? Take Donald Trump, for example. We know he is a busy man. He has meetings to attend, interviews to do, and phone calls to make.  He's probably so busy that he doesn't do his own laundry. No surprise there right? We understand that The Don would not do things that would take up his valuable time when it could be spent doing more meaningful things.

Now, place a value on one hour of your time. (If you're paid salary, cut off the zeros then cut the number in half to get a good approximation of your hourly pay.)  If you are doing work that can be outsourced, through people or technology, for less than that amount of money then you should do just that. 
Time is the only currency.

Social Media Overload: How to Simplify and Systematize to Maximize Revenue

Everyone is talking about the death of traditional media and the rise of social media. (Especially us consultants... I'm aware of the irony).  There are 100 ways to leverage social media but what is right for your team, department or organization?  Too many, and you spread yourself thin.  Not enough, and you are practically non-existent. 

Things to consider:

• Outcomes- what are the outcomes that you want?  Stronger donor relationships, better attendance, more media coverage, a closer knit community of supporters?  ("Who is Your Target Market")
• Budget- do you have someone who can dedicate themselves to this full-time? Part-time? Can you outsource this? Will this be something that you will be doing? If so, how often will you set aside time?
• Competition- what is your competition doing? Is this a way for you to get ahead or just catch up? What are they doing that is effective?  

Set aside time for strategic, high-level planning. Then attack!

You Want me to do What? A Top 10 List

I want you to start a blog. Forget about the preconceived notions that you have about a blog being for political junkies, small businesses or sports marketing consultants that provide an awesome service. Blogs are for everyone nowadays.  Granted, most are full of the kind of people who like to hear themselves talk.  The good ones are written by people with something to say.  And, if you have a vision for your sports team, club or athletics department, then you have something to say.  And we, your fans, alumni, community and prospective supporters, want to listen. What would you post?

1. Your mission- this cannot be done in one post
2. Interviews with athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, parents and members
3. Links to organizations that are like-minded
4. Links to articles and resources that your followers would want to see
5. History of your team or club
6. Outcomes you expect
7. Video
   
8. Your schedule
9. Personal musings
   
10. Fund raising messages

See... it's not hard.  Brainstorm a bit here... what am I missing?

Jim Harshaw

Riot Marketing
More fans.  More media.  More money.  Less work.
www.riotsportsmarketing.com

(434) 409-0257

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Where's the ROI?

What is it with all of this social media buzz?  Where's the value? 

The problem is in the metrics, or lack thereof.  You can measure metrics such as Facebook fans (or "likes"), Twitter followers, retweets, blog comments and other such metrics but you want to know the bottom line. It's hard to measure the return on investment in time, energy and even money (time is money isn't it?) invested into social media so, unfortunately, all too often it gets ignored.  Unless you're tracking how many fans show up at your competitions because of your printed schedule cards or by having your event listed in the paper's "community calendar", then it's hard to measure the ROI on many of the marketing actions that we already know that we have to do. 
Consider this, coach. Practice 1,000 double-legs, shoot 1,000 free throws, run 100 miles... how many more "W's" will that bring?  As a coach, you trust in the cumulative effect of daily effort. You can't work hard today and expect the results tomorrow.  Sometimes you won't even see them this season!  But you will see incremental gains. 
How will marketing, more specifically social media marketing, help you? A few of the benefits that my clients see are:

• more people learning of your mission and vision
  
• increased attendance
• more successful fund raisers
• better attended optional workouts and off-season training
• higher participation rate
• more community involvement
• better parental involvement
• fewer communication breakdowns

 If you are not fully utilizing the tools available to you then you should re-evaluate your program.  Is it ok to operate at 90%?  80%?  70%?

Jim Harshaw

Riot Marketing
More fans.  More media.  More money.  Less work.
www.riotsportsmarketing.com

(434) 409-0257

Show Some Leg

I can get your schedule on your website.  I can read the results in the paper.  I can overhear that you made a new hire to your staff.  But you need to tell me more... if you want me to join you, that is. 
Marketing a sports team is more than just putting out some schedule cards and getting the tv station to cover your "meet the team" event. Pull back the curtain and let me inside. When I know your struggles and your fears and your aces and your strengths then I'm an insider.  When I'm an insider, I'm on your side. I'm pulling for you.  The article below talks about how professional sports teams are using social media marketing to drive revenue, connect with their fans and show their personalities.  A website is no longer enough.  A static website has very little value unless you are luring eyeballs to it.  There's no better way to do that than through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, blogging and email marketing.
http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Sports-get-more-social-615598.php

Jim Harshaw

Riot Marketing
More fans.  More media.  More money.  Less work.
www.riotsportsmarketing.com

(434) 409-0257

Story vs Status

What's your story? 
You say that you are the underdog. Or maybe the veteran, the favorite or the new kid on the block.  That's your status.
Every team and organization has a story behind their status. If your supporters and prospective supporters know your status, big deal.  (By "supporters" I don't just mean your team and their parents).
Your story is everything that makes up your status. It is a story woven of the fabric of many, many stories within your program that happen over time.  If I know your story- or, I should say, stories - then you're more likely to get me to get up and take action.  Or show up at an event. Open my wallet.  Tell a neighbor. Call the paper.  Put a bumper sticker on my car. Wear a t-shirt. Talk to the guy in front of me in line who is wearing your hat.
You see, the story is much more than you can get from the newspaper.  It is more than what you can get from Sportscenter.  It is more than you can get from a 5 page spread in Sports Illustrated.  Your story is what you get to tell daily in digestible bites.
Social media has given you the power to tell your stories; to create a following.  That is why I say that social media is the great equalizer.
Spin me a tale and I may stand with you.


Jim Harshaw

Riot Marketing
More fans.  More media.  More money.  Less work.
www.riotsportsmarketing.com

(434) 409-0257

Where Are Your Fans?

How can you use location based social media for your team? 

Places Everyone!

I was planning to write a post about the importance of location-based social media apps for sports, primarily Foursquare, when Facebook jumped into the game last week.  So, with that, I think it's plain to see that, if Facebook is in the game, then it's likely to be big.  Location based social media is basically a way for users to "check-in" when they arrive at a location.  With Foursquare, maybe the most popular location based check-in social media, the person who has checked into a location the most is the "mayor". Some businesses offer special discounts for their mayor.  I suggest you get yourself a Foursquare account (free) and create a "place" where you compete for home competitions.  Tell your fans to "check-in" at home competitions. Your mayor can recieve preferential seating or other treatment. 
Just another way to engage your sports fans!  The professional teams are already doing it so, as I always say, social media is the great equalizer.  Be your own sport marketing agent!
Check out this short vid on location based social media