When you’re trying to grow a sports organization, having a strong sports marketing strategy is non-negotiable. Additionally, it’s no secret that social media is a crucial part of that strategy—since many of your future customers and current members are spending more and more time on their phones. So many of our partners are doing an amazing job building their brands online via digital marketing and social media. We wanted to highlight a few sports marketing examples so you can garner some inspiration for your own organization. 

Sports Marketing Examples: How do sports teams use social media? 

Social media is a great way to show future players, coaches, and other staff members what your organization is truly about and to establish a relationship with your community—ultimately helping you attract new customers and keep current members engaged. Here are some examples of sports organizations that have top-notch social media accounts. 

Ripken Baseball has a whopping 29.6K followers on Instagram—and we can see why. They’re consistent but reasonable with their posting frequency (about 3x a week) and they create quality content that gives the community a great look into what Ripken is all about. This includes:

• Videos promoting tournaments 
• Showing off merchandise
• Training tip videos from Bill Ripken (Co-Founder)
• Registration info
• Giveaways
• Including their branded hashtag #RipkenWay on all posts
• Highlighting team values
• Utilizing templates to keep branding consistent

Here are some other great examples of sports organization’s Instagram accounts that you can gain inspiration from:

• @CAL Sports Academy: Note how they utilize the Instagram Highlights function to easily show off their organization’s different program offerings
• @SteelSports: Check out how they highlight their core values via their bio and staff spotlight posts each week
• @Centercourtclub: Reels are a great way to expand your reach because even Instagram users who don’t follow you will see your posts in their Reel feed. Centercourt Club & Sports does a great job at utilizing this feature.

Facebook ad campaigns are also an effective way to market your organization’s offerings—like our partners at Rawlings Tigers do to garner registrations. They even utilize TikToks in some of these ads! In fact, most sports organizers report they’ve had the most success with Facebook, so if you’re just getting started with sports marketing consider focusing your efforts there.

For an example of a sports organization that utilizes TikTok in a productive way, check out Firecracker Softball’s account. They have 2,207 followers and do a fantastic job showing off the culture and community of Firecracker Softball via dance videos where players wear merch, player intros, and tournament coverage–all while highlighting the fun players have with each other. Approximately 32.5 percent of TikTok’s global audience is between ages 10-19, and 41 percent of TikTok users are 16-24—so TikTok is a great way to show the players what a fun and inviting community they’d be joining by choosing your organization.

For more tips on building out your social media strategy, read this.

Sports Marketing Examples: Email Newsletters 

Despite the rise in social media, email marketing also remains one of the most useful marketing tools for any business. Newsletters and targeted email outreach can help sports organizers get prospects and current customers engaged in club happenings—making them more likely to register for your programs. 

Steel Sports’ visual newsletter is a comprehensive, storytelling experience that keeps the community updated on everything in the Steel Sports world that month. It highlights what’s going on in the organization each month via a link to an external document so it’s easy to navigate, aesthetically engaging, and a lot of information can be included. Some highlights of their May newsletter include promoting their new websites, spotlighting player achievements, recapping tournaments and outings, and discussing social impact.  

Ripken’s utilizes newsletter marketing to garner registrations for tournaments and help families plan the trip as though it were a vacation. They even offer giveaways to incentivize families to register ASAP. As you can see below, their branded hashtag #RipkenWay is consistently present in all of their marketing materials. Consistency is key!

Wherever your organization is in its marketing journey, let LeagueApps help you take it to the next level with  Design Shop. We’ll help you plan, design, develop, and launch a branded website that tells your story and helps you attract new customers.