I need help marketing my local rugby team online!

by Mitchymoo

Posted: 14 years ago 15 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

hi guys, I need some help. I was hoping that with so many talented marketing people on here, I might be able to get some ideas on how to market my local team online. Their tickets sales for matches have taken a big hit over the winter due to the snow.
I was wondering whether anyone had any ideas how I could raise tickets sales and other revenue streams online? Does anyone have any experience in this kind of thing?

#local #marketing #online #rugby #team

Jason Perez O'Connor 14 years ago

I think for a local rugby team you have to mix between offline and online. Make social groups as a start. Check if your local area gets any search traffic for the word rugby in 'insert local area'. Some people like to know about where they can start etc or how they can improve. Slap up a site also, if you're recruiting new players then put it on your site or tell others how they can find a team.

Include hints on how to play, and make it look good.

Find ads targeted to your area. And the obvious, ranking for rugby terms with UK pages would seriously help to get your team name out there.

Unless your a big named team or turning faces with underdog results there's not much traffic to be gained. You'd better off advertising offline, getting people interested in your team by including a professional site they can visit. Include ticket sales online and that's all I can think of.

Jay.
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jonnoryan 14 years ago

Maybe you could get something of value that Rugby fans would appreciate such as a signed Jersey of the England rugby team and auction it on ebay. If you approach some lower rank official in the English Rugby federation and explain to them what you are doing, they should find a way to accommodate you with a signed jersey. After you have acheived this, I would suggest you round up a few students etc and take them with you to a few high profile rugby games around the country. Arm them with fliers regarding the ebay auction and leave a flier on each and every car that is attending the game. This will give your auction huge exposure.

This is just one way , there are loads of other ways to raise cash for the club.
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- Venturetothetop 14 years ago
  
  Being a Rugby player myself this is how we promote out team, it's free, simple and effective.
  
  Set up a Facebook group for your Rugby team. Get all your players to join it and get them to invite their friends (supporters of xxx Rugy club) this keeps a mailing list of all past and current supporters.
  
  2) Set up a fan page, for your Rugby club. The advantage of a fan page is that you can send notification to people direct into their inbox (see where this is heading??!)
  
  3) Every week, 3 or 4 days before your match set up a facebook event for the match and invite all members of both 'rugby groups' you have created and the fan page. You will be suprised how effectively this works.
  
  When people see their cool friends into something, they also want to be fans.
  
  Naturally your next step is to get a sponsor for these groups (it's against facebook rules, so we just hold the weekly afterparty in the sponsors establishment and mention this, if you catch my drift!)
  
  This is where you should start. We then moved on to:
  
  1) Contacting newspapers each week with a picture and review of the game. They now send a reporter to the match (he happens to be a rugby fan)
  
  2) As mentioned above, competitions are great for publicity
  
  3) Ask your boys how they can promote the club. Our lads had some amazing ideas
  
  4) Do some free training with schools. They will welcome it, and you will pick up legion of fans, young ones who will bring their dads along to watch the games to.
  
  That should be a good start. Rugby people have a strange thing about sticking together, once you find a few local businessmen who played rugby, things will take off on their own...
  
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AjiNIMC 14 years ago

I will suggest a mix of:
1) Search Engine ranking
2) PPC - on search engine and otherwise (Website ads)
3) Social media (it can work good)
4) Community building
5) Affiliates

It is the right mix that matter, let me know if I can be of any help.
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James401 14 years ago

I assume we are talking Rugby Union??
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- Mitchymoo 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by James401
  
  I assume we are talking Rugby Union??
  
  Yes, rugby union rules around here!
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  simon williams 14 years ago
  
  Maybe you could get something of value that Rugby fans would appreciate such as a signed Jersey of the England rugby team and auction it on ebay. If you approach some lower rank official in the English Rugby federation and explain to them what you are doing, they should find a way to accommodate you with a signed jersey. After you have acheived this, I would suggest you round up a few students etc and take them with you to a few high profile rugby games around the country. Arm them with fliers regarding the ebay auction and leave a flier on each and every car that is attending the game. This will give your auction huge exposure.
  
  This is just one way , there are loads of other ways to raise cash for the club.
  
  Sorry, this made me laugh, the guys from wales, dont think they value an England rugby shirt down in pontypridd, i know i come from Pontpool.
  
  There are a few website builders out there for clubs etc and some are free as well, we use one for our under 16s football team, a simple search will bring up a load, also google fund raising ideas, you would not beleive the ideas that are out there.
  
  I am in the middle of organising a kids tournament, we got over 90 teams entering a 6 a side tournament at £20 per team, plus a tug of war comp.
  
  with stalls such as golf challenge, coconut shire, beat the keeper etc, our fun days bring in around 4k every time
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  SIMON WILLIAMS
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  T.R. McCarroll 14 years ago
  
  All of the above and:
  
  Some type of community service with a huge promo in the newspaper along with a targeted press release series ... Invite the public so they get to know you guys ... if rugby is as big as American football .. we always wanted to be in and around the players ... be on your good behaviors though LOL
  
  Thom
  (dreamed on playing rugby for the Irish)
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  AndrewCavanagh 14 years ago
  
  All the basic internet marketing methods can work:
  
  # Email follow up with notifications of events, rugby tips, jokes funny things from fans etc.
  
  # Videos on youtube of the team and rugby tips, jokes funny things etc.
  
  You can embed those videos on your site and send people to them one or two at a time (eg fans saying why they love their team or telling funny stories about what happened to them at the game, players telling inside stories about what happened in the locker room etc etc)
  
  # A blog or blogs.
  
  # Social networking sites like Facebook.
  
  Think through why people follow the team and buy tickets and promote that (fun loyalty etc.)
  
  Make your follow ups, emails etc entertaining and get people involved in posting as fans themselves.
  
  Kindest regards,
  Andrew Cavanagh
  
  Thanks
  
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  Vikuna2009+ 14 years ago
  
  I have not watched a game of rugby for at least 25 years but what I do remember, they all had rugby clothes on. Maybe tie in the clothing supplier somehow? If somebody has a cart for hot dogs? This is not only for guys BTW. The reason me and my girlfriend went is because we had a crush on one of the rugby guys.
  
  Maybe a rugby dance night with an "auction" on the players for a night out? Hey, the chance of getting "you know what" would draw quite a few females. Pick it up a notch, ever heard about male stripper shows?
  
  Get in contact with hair salons, spas, tanning, anything female related, you go from there. Have a party, charge entrance fee, charge for watching the game, charge for the "date".
  
  Crazy? Maybe, but I'm sure you can make it work, Eva
  
  Thanks
  
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  simon williams 14 years ago
  
  Nice one Bev
  
  But it was Pontypool who had the front row not Pontypridd
  
  Pontypridd had an outstanding outside half called Neil Jenkins
  
  SIMON
  
  Thanks
  
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ConversionTime 14 years ago

Look at who you want to target and go about it appropriatly I know the fans down in Ponty can be truely mad the extent they go to. How to market new people to go to it I would say try get as many people who currently go to sign into facebook and join a group around the team then ask them as often as you feel right to send a quick message on the page asking thier networks to joins I say facebook over others as seems to have the best mix of over 16's who would easily get to the place, try if you can come up with some deal system games you know wont sell well see if you can get discounted tickets or buy 1 get the 2nd half price to try and get people to go.
The other important thing is season tickets see if you can get people to buy a ticket by marketing it on a facebook page just remember how powerfull the community can be.
Personaly i wouldn't try too hard on PPC or SEO.

Good Luck
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Bev Clement 14 years ago

I had to laugh at the England Shirt thing as well. Connect with Will Carling on Twitter, I know he's English, but he loves to chat to us Welsh people except last year

Will had a rugby site and think it has people from across the UK on it.

Are Pontypridd still known for their front row, if so capitalise on it?

C'mon Wales

Bev (who played rugger in school) Clement
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Bev Clement 14 years ago

Simon

I realised that last night, but forgot to come and edit the post

And who could forget Neil Jenkins.

Bev
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Mitchymoo 14 years ago

ahum Martyn Williams cough! cough! lol!

Anyway thanks guys for all your advice, I wasn't quite sure of the response I'd get!

I love the fact that when I mention rugby on a massively global forum like this all the welsh people start coming out of the wood work! Fantastic!

Cymru am Byth!
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I need help marketing my local rugby team online!

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