This is part of a short blog series where we take a look at how social media can be utilized to grow a sports team’s fan base, regardless of whether the team already has a large following or is starting from the grassroots level. You can see the other posts here.

The first three posts of this series have covered listening, content and community. This week I’m going to focus on the importance of taking online connections offline.

Keep It Consistent

Offline conversation about brands is still what prompts us to search for more online. If you want to build awareness and grow your fan base, you need to get out into the community offline as well as online.

Your message should be consistent across all platforms and all types of media, whether it’s online or offline. Make sure that if people see your team online they’ll recognise your brand offline and vice versa. Online and offline marketing should be part of one strategy and both should be kept in mind at all times.

Jay Baer explains the concept of integrated marketing quite nicely in this post.

Taking Your Online Connections Offline

I’m a big believer in the power of social media, and whilst it may seem strange to talk about offline communication and community in a series of posts about using social media to grow your fan base, I feel social media is most powerful when combined with offline communications and promotions.

Taking online connections offline is one of the most powerful things that can be done with online marketing and social media. It’s also key in building long lasting relationships.

We’ve seen some pro teams utilize tweetups as a way to bring people together and there’s no reason this can’t work for teams and organizations of all sizes.

Social media holds a world of opportunity for sports teams to reach new people, but often it’s what happens offline that will turn them into fans – the atmosphere around your team, the experience, the community.

When planning your social media strategy it’s important to think about how you can take your new online connections offline and bring them closer to your team.

How have you or your team connected with your audience offline?

For a full guide on how you can utilize social media check out ‘The Ultimate Guide to Grass Roots Sport and Social Media’

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Image by markhillary

About Ash Read

Ash is the co-founder of FundSport.com a grassroots sports community providing sports clubs and athletes from around the world with professional, easy-to-understand advice and articles on all aspects of grassroots sport including sponsorship, fundraising, the Internet, social media, club management, PR and marketing. As well as being passionate about the development of grassroots sport Ash also has a keen involvement in the sports social media industry. You can follow Ash on Twitter at @ashread14

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A couple of months ago, NYC-based social media agency Carrot Creative challenged the agency I work for, VaynerMedia to a game of basketball. “Hey @vaynermedia,” they tweeted, “Since our comps are the 2 best Sports Social Media Shops It is time to battle it out on the Basketball court! #challenge.” Of course, we accepted the challenge and played the game. VaynerMedia won, 61-41.

The Website

Carrot created a fantastic microsite for the game, called SocialMediaBasketball.com. They included both teams’ starting rosters, complete with names, nicknames, and the ability to follow all of us on Twitter. Even cooler? Visitors had the ability to “like” the team they were rooting for / thought would win. Finally, a live feed featured anyone who tweeted about the game with the hashtag #CCvsVM.

The Game

We played the game at the Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex, on the lower west side of Manhattan. Both teams arrived, warmed up briefly, and we got started. We hoped to show the game live on Ustream. We even invited a friend, Internet personality Owen JJ Stone, to emcee the event. Unfortunately, the wi-fi connection at the facility was not fast enough to stream, so we instead live tweeted the whole thing.

Carrot jumped out to a 5-0 lead right away, but we quickly responded to go up 22-7, and then 43-19 at halftime. The second half was back and fourth, but VaynerMedia ultimately prevailed by 20 points. Susan Shan, a sports blogger, came to cover the event and put together a great video recap.

What’s Next?

In the end, the game was about friendly competition and having fun. However, it served many other purposes. After the game, the two companies went out for a couple of drinks. We networked. We got to know each other on and off the court, in a much different sense than we would have at a more traditional event. Only a few of us had ever crossed paths before the game, but after the game, we had a new-found camaraderie and friendship that will benefit us both down the line. We also got some press out of the game, which was completely an added value.

I’d like to see more of this. Forget conferences or meetings or networking events. If you’re reading this article on this site, you probably like to compete. Get together with other entrepreneurs or companies in your area and make it a good time!

Since our win, we’ve talked with Carrot about having a rematch, maybe in another sport, and we have received challenges from a number of other companies and entrepreneurs. If you hadn’t noticed already, VaynerMedia is quite the competitive company. Our founder, Gary Vaynerchuk, insisted we would beat any company on Twitter, including Facebook & Digg. It’s possible he forgot about @NBA…

What do you think about the game? What could we do next time to  make it a better experience (keeping in mind that we planned to stream the event but could not)?

About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Back by popular request, Sports Networker returns to the international stage one again this fall as it teams up with the UK Sports Network for an exciting sports professionals networking event at the Sports Bar & Grill in London.

When:  August 10th from 6pm-9pm

Where:  Marylebone Station, Melcombe Place, London NW1 6JJ, United Kingdom

The UK Sports Network is a group founded by Daniel McClaren that strives to share its expertise on sports social media and the industry’s latest trends with sports professionals.  Since its inception in November 2009, nearly 1,000 sports professionals now seek the insight and creativity that the UK Sports Network offers.

All sports professionals are welcome to attend this event and learn from the experts on social media and the latest developments in the sports industry.  Admission is £10 GBP if you sign up now, and £15 GBP at the door. Stay posted for updates about the event by registering for the event on LinkedIn HERE.

To receive early bird pricing and ensure your spot at this event (as there is limited spacing) register below and we look forward to seeing you at the event!  Make sure to add your company name when you check out as this will be included on your name tag.

About Lewis Howes

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The Sports Executives Association (SEA) is excited to host its first live networking event June 24th in New York City. This inaugural, members only, event will be hosted by PlayBeautiful, an interactive, community-driven pop-up venue is celebrating the 2010 FIFA World Cup for 30 days in NYC.

They will be featuring match viewing parties, player appearances, demonstrations and private events including our SEA networking meet-up. PlayBeautiful’s main location at Openhouse Gallery will feature an indoor mini-stadium modeled after Soccer City in Johnannesberg, South Africa.

Be there, Thursday, June 24^th from 6-9 p.m. for the chance to network with other SEA members in person. There will be appetizers, cash bar and exciting opportunities to connect in this unique World Cup venue.

If you are not yet a member of the SEA but would like to attend, just sign up here and gain free access. Please RSVP on LinkedIn to let us know if we’ll see you there. You must be a paid member of the SEA or will not be admitted at the door. We hope you’ll join us for this exclusive event.

About Lewis Howes

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Sports Networker returns to the international stage when it teams up with the UK Sports Network for an exciting sports professionals networking event at the Sports Bar & Grill in London.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m on May 17, 2010, and sports professionals will have the opportunity to network in what will be one of London’s premier sports restaurants to watch the 2010 World Cup this summer.

The UK Sports Network is a group founded by Daniel McClaren that strives to share its expertise on sports social media and the industry’s latest trends with sports professionals.  Since its inception, in November 2009, nearly 1,000 sports professionals now seek the insight and creativity that the UK Sports Network offers.

All sports professionals are welcome to attend this event and learn from the experts on social media and the latest developments in the sports industry.  Admission is £10 GBP if you sign up now, and £15 GBP at the door. Stay posted for updates about the event by registering for it on LinkedIn here.

To receive early bird pricing and ensure your spot at this event (as there is limited spacing) register below and we look forward to seeing you at the event!

About Lewis Howes

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One way to expand your reach in the sports industry, or any industry for that matter, would be to host your own networking event.  It would be great to host a large industry trade show like the National Sports Forum, a Sports Business Journal Event, or the U.S. Sports Film Festival, but for most of us this would be a daunting task.  However, it would not be that difficult to host an event for sports professionals in your own city.

Think about it; if you live in a decent sized sports town there is a good chance you have a professional sports team, a few universities and high school athletic departments, sports agencies, sports marketing/PR/advertising companies, and other freelancers who work in the sports industry.  There is potential for a few hundred or even a few thousand sports professionals in your 50-mile radius.

There are many benefits for hosting a networking event, but first you want to complete the prep work upfront to ensure the event is a success.  Here are my do’s and don’ts for throwing an event:

Do: Make sure it is well attended: Send out e-mails and press releases, make phone calls, create events on social networking sites, and tell as many people as you can; Do whatever you need in order to maximize the crowd and build your trust in others.

Don’t: Come unprepared: Make sure you have food, drinks, name tags and banner, a sign up page or place to drop your card, and proper space in a central location.  If it is more of a trade show event, have tables ready for your sponsors.  If it is a symposium, make sure all panelists have what they need and your sponsors are properly displayed.

Do: Have an assistant: I thought I would be able to run the registration booth alone in my last event, but soon found a cluster of 30 people jammed by the door waiting to get a name tag.  Make sure you have a few registration tables and at least one assistant to help move the traffic along smoothly.

Don’t: Become isolated: If you throw an event, make sure you go around and shake everyone’s hand.  Listen to what the careers, goals, passions, and interests of your attendees are.  Don’t spend too much time with one individual or group of people, but be gracious and listen to as many people that you can.

I recently hosted an event for LinkedIn professionals who live in the St. Louis area (view the images above).  Many of the attendees said it was a great event because it was well attended.  There was free food (although I heard it was a bad selection; sorry guys!) and people made quality business contacts.  Your attendees can’t ask for much more than that.   Throwing an event is an accomplishment in itself, however, there are additional reasons why hosting a successful event will pay dividends in the long run:

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1.    New Relationships: Nearly 300 people were in attendance at the St. Louis networking event and 290 of them were new faces to me.  This gave me the opportunity to expand my connections and build quality relationships.

2.    Filling a Niche: What are you passionate about, or what is your field of interest?  I am passionate about building relationships and using LinkedIn.  This led me to throw a party to fulfill those passions in St. Louis, a city I lived in for seven years.  Figure out what you are most interested in, and throw the event around that niche.

3.    Building Your List: If you have a newsletter, websites, or magazine then this is a great way to grow your audience.  Make sure everyone drops their card in a fish bowl or have them write down their contact info.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to add these individuals to your database.

4.    Personal Brand Awareness: Dan Schawbel runs PersonalBrandingBlog.com, a resource that shows you how to build your personal brand to ensure your professional success.  Read a few articles on his blog and you will see why hosting an event helps build your personal brand, and why building You, Inc. is important.

5.    Credibility: I recently attended the U.S. Sports Film Festival in Philadelphia and was wildly impressed with the way the event was produced.  Stephan Hartman was the founder and put together a great cast of directors as the chairman of the board.  Before the event I had never heard of Stephan, but since the event he has gained a lot of credibility and is on my radar as a mover and shaker in the sports industry.

6.    Extra Income: Unless your full time job is to host events, this is not a way you will get rich.  However, depending on your event format (cover fee, sponsorships, or taking a cut from the bar) you may come away with a few extra dollars in your pocket.

7.    Consulting and Jobs: Depending on what your objectives are, you may be looking to find new clients for your own business, or seeking out a new career.  Putting together a well-attended event should help you in achieving these objectives.

8.    Product Sales: Do you have a book, CD, or other products you are looking to sell?  Why not put your products up on the front table and offer a discount to all of the attendees?  If the product provides compelling value and is related to your niche market it is likely to sell.

9.    Press Opportunities: Any event is worthy of at least a brief mention in a local newspaper or online publication.  MySolutionSpot.com featured me after my event, and another newspaper said they would run a feature before my next one.  Send out a press release to a few publications that might share some interest and be prepared to put on your game face for interviews.

10.     Happy Venues: You can never become familiar with too many restaurants or venues.  By giving them the business and brand awareness to an audience, they will always be grateful and willing to help with future events.

11.     Connecting Others: It’s a pleasure for me to help others connect and mutually benefit from creating a relationship.  By bringing a large number of influential people together, it is only a matter of time that the right people will be introduced to one another, businesses will grow, and lives will change.

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Did I miss any other Do’s and Don’ts?  Are there other positive outcomes from hosting your own networking event?  Please let me know in the comments section and feel free to add anything to the list.  Did you like what you read?  Then subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive the latest networking features in the sports industry scene.

About Lewis Howes

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