Sporting Goods Firm That Promote Grassroots Sports Competition

Spalding is a sporting goods company well renowned for promoting grassroots sports competition as a means to boost sales. As the world’s oldest sporting goods manufacturer, Spalding’s reputation is built upon providing high quality sporting products for a wide range of sports. Note that the company’s Sports’ mission is to “be the world’s leading supplier of authentic sporting goods products, servicing the needs of sports participants of all skill levels.”

According to reports, Spalding boasts of over 60 licenses worldwide and leverages these licensing as a practical means to grow their product line. Their products include items such as: clothing, skis, bicycles, helmets, baseballs, basketballs, sports ropes, and badminton sets.

Note that they also provide the official balls for the Amateur Volleyball Association (AVA), the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA), the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA), and the National Coaches Association of America (NCAA).

Have it in mind that the history of Spalding’s early innovations and development is linked to founder A.G. Spalding’s interest in sports. Spalding began his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox between 1871 and 1875.

Note that within this time he created a baseball for his own use that aided him in winning 241 of the 301 games that he pitched during his career. After Spalding left the game, the ball remained, and in 1876, A.G. Spalding started making the official baseballs that are still used by the major leagues.

Have it in mind that from those very moments, Spalding started to focus its efforts on creating high-quality sporting goods for men and women sports throughout the world. The company’s strategy has been to steadily market its unique lines of sporting goods and boost its name recognition by becoming a force in the grassroots stage and also online.

Note that they boast of 11 offices worldwide, with full-line operations in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, England, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Sweden, and Italy, plus more than 9 distributors worldwide. They have also set the standard for sporting goods companies throughout the world.

Spalding has maintained its place as the original all-purpose sporting goods manufacturer, and other companies such as Rawlings and Wilson have followed and often copied the products that Spalding introduced, which have sometimes led to unending lawsuits over copyright and patent infringement.

How Can You Promote Grassroots Sports Competition as a Means to Boost Sales?

When looking to use grassroots sports competition promotions as a means to boost sales, ensure to use imagery primarily because they connect emotionally with the audience and a clear message that gets to the heart of the event. This is what ensures that campaigns go viral and achieve the needed results. Here are strategies to consider;

1. Sports Contests

Have it in mind that a contest can leverage the excitement that fans already have for the game as they are eager to feel like winners although they might not be athletic. Note that little– little contests tend to get people excited about what you have to offer your customers, and this is one reliable tool used by sports goods companies for customer outreach.

2. Brand Partnerships

Indeed a good number of brands in this modern age depend on partnerships to effectively drive results. Sports teams and brands are eager to connect with one another as businesses are striving to become more data-oriented. Businesses all over the globe are searching for new opportunities to invest in partnerships, so they are always out for new opportunities to make that happen.

3. Develop a Target Audience

According to experts, the target audience is the group of people you will directly be marketing to. However, to ensure you achieve the best possible results, it is imperative you think about audience traits such as location, age, interests, and income.

Considering everything concerning your target market lets you understand how best how to reach them and what demographic to target. Have it in mind that it would be a waste of time and resources to target football fans for golf accessories when your research is telling you that they care about boots and Jerseys.

4. Sponsorships

Results over the years have proven that Sponsorships are highly effective ways to generate brand awareness. These strategies are extremely visible and help add credibility to the brand and turns a smaller brand into a nationwide or even worldwide player. Basketball has become a global game, and companies from around the world have a presence on team uniforms and playing courts.

5. Consider a Sports Marketing Firm

In this age, individuals and brands are craving more authenticity. They want to be closer to the action and closer to their favorite athletes. Owing to that, a good number of brands choose a sports marketing firm. For instance, the Boston Red Sox have their own marketing arm, Fenway Sports Management. Note that sports marketing companies can help connect your brand and your desire to be more exposed to the world of sports.

6. Work With Sports Influencers

Reports have it that influencer marketing has become increasingly popular and with a good reason. Connecting with influential people especially in the sports industry can expose you to a broader audience. Nike is a perfect example of how aligning with popular sports influencers can strengthen your brand and raise more awareness.

And you don’t even need their type of budget to see the results. Consider working with smaller grassroots influencers with an engaged, tight-knit community. Howbeit, you can be quite specific with your campaigns and target audience that matters most to you.

7. Post Live Updates of Your Sports Event

Have it in mind that one sure-fire way to promote any event is to post live updates on social media. For instance, live-tweeting events as they happen surely help people who can’t make the event current and up-to-date. Even aside from Twitter, most of the other social networking sites have live posting features.

For YouTube, there’s live streaming, and Instagram has Instagram TV, while Facebook has Facebook Live. Regardless of the network you pick, there are tools available to keep your fans updated and engaged with your business.

8. Share Pre-Game Teaser Content

In this marketing strategy, sometimes, your major marketing aim is to attract as much attention to a grassroots game as possible. A great way to do that is to share content during the lead-up on social media. Things like;

• Photos of individual athletes with a quick summary of their main strengths on Twitter
• Image slideshows of prep-work at the event location on Instagram
• Videos of your team warming up for a training session on YouTube
• Flash sales for tickets at a discounted price on your website

By doing so regularly, you keep your team visible in news feeds, which grows your chances of more people seeing your content and taking action.

9. Post Behind the Scenes Footage

Also note that another strategy to create excitement for your sports goods business is to share behind the scenes snap-shots on social media. Real Madrid, for instance, had buttressed that brilliantly with their behind the scenes tour of their state-of-the-art sports complex. With over 30,000 views, it was an instant hit with fans.

10. Sharing Content and Photos

A good number of modern-day sports fans love sharing content and it helps them connect easily with other like-minded sports enthusiasts who have the same interests. Therefore, to ensure that your content remains effective, it should be easily shareable and should also be exciting enough to share.

Also note that around 60% of 18-29-year-olds are interested in watching a hockey game through social media. If 83% of sports fans are checking social media while watching a game, that offers a good platform to reach your target audience.

Conclusion

Generally, sports marketing strategies have gone beyond billboards, half a minute television commercials, and one minute radio spots. New trends of marketing techniques are being leveraged every day to mobilize existing sports fans, draw in a new audience and generate additional organizational revenue. You can also leverage these innovative and easy reaching strategies to reach your own audience and attract them to purchase what you sell.