Let’s not sit around and cry about it!
I understand it’s their profession, they care deeply about it. But once you get eliminated from the NBA playoffs you can’t just sit around and sulk. You have to get back up and make your fans care about you still and your team relevant during the rest of the NBA playoffs and the post season!
How do you as a front office and from a sports marketing and sports business side go about staying relevant?
The NFL has done an exemplary job of making their sport top of mind all year long. From the NFL Draft to the announcement of the schedule to Hard Knocks on HBO to OTA’s they have made it necessary for the sports world to talk and pay attention to their product all year long. If you are a team on a local and national level there’s no reason you can’t create your own little PR off season relevancy campaign and remain in the limelight a lot longer than just when your team is on the court.
Here are five ideas from the Marketing Fun With Mike sports marketing brain that I think every team could attempt, hang their hat on, and stay top of mind awareness during the rest of the playoffs and the offseason long after their team’s season is over. And none of it involves being a BIG BABY!
Give a Little Back to the Community!
You want to stay relevant in your community? How about you show them that you care! At least half of the players or so on a given team stay within the area during the offseason and on top of that a lot of them really do care about others. As a marketing and PR department it’s your job though to line them up with the idea and the gig. Organize a monthly soup kitchen volunteer shift for the players and the staff. It’s good PR and you are helping people in the community that need it.
Let’s Play Some Ball!
Your organization owns the basketball courts (I hope you aren’t renting them just during the season.) Get a few of the coaches/trainers and local high school coaches and players together and do some free seminars, basketball camps, or fitness workouts. If you can get a player or two all the more better. But it’s not even necessary. Kids need places to go in the summer and we as a country to solve our obesity problem. This would be a fun, easy, and cheap way to accomplish all of these goals.
NBA Draft Viewing Party
It’s the night of hope. It’s the evening where everyone can become a contender again. Partner up with a local restaurant or bar and have some signed giveaway items from players, maybe an appearance by one of the coaches or the cheerleaders, and promote it as an NBA Draft Viewing Party for your team. The worse you were this season the more this should draw because you’ll be landing a top pick!
Provide Some Value on Your Social Media Sites and Your Website
No, don’t just post a countdown to days until pre season or traning camp start. Yes you will get a bunch of LIKES but that’s not really the barometer judge engagement anymore.
Think about posting 5 ways to improve your child’s basketball skills this offseason. 10 places in your city that have free court time for you to go play.
Interviews with the players with their goals and training during the offseason.
Engage them with VALUABLE information. Not just the corny old “LIKE us if you are excited for next season yet!” People forget about that as quick as it goes down their feed.
Finally… Get a Better Team!
The best way to keep fans interested in your team is by being fun to watch, a team of good guys, and an elite team. The better you are and the better season you have the more interested fans will be in you come the offseason. The deeper you go into the playoffs the longer the excitement will last into the summer and fall before the next season.
To quote the late great and sometimes crazy Al Davis “Just WIN, Baby!”
Thanks for reading today everyone! Have another one or two that you have seen or think would help?? Email me at mike@marketingfunwithmike.com, tweet us @SportsNetworker and if you are interested in getting a little bit more motivation from what others are doing in this world check out my free monthly podcast archives the Hot Dog Stand Chronicles right HERE. Carpe Diem All!
– Mike
Hi, very good article that gives us good ideas. Thank you very much.
Glad you enjoyed Ivan! Thx for the support!