Promote your programs!

Mary Cain | June 19, 2020

Let's get people out on the courts! These easy and quick tips can help you get the word out about your programs and facility/club. Combine these marketing initiatives for a successful promotion:

  • Social Media presence
  • Traditional Marketing
  • Email Marketing

 

Enhance Your Brand and Increase Outreach and Engagement on Facebook

  1. Your social media page should have accurate descriptions, a clear and professional cover photo, and your logo as your profile picture.
  2. Post images, stories or updates frequently to keep your audience engaged.
  3. Photos, videos and links are all great content to post; avoid posting text only.
  4. Engage with any questions or comments your audience has on the content you post.
  5. Facebook Events are a great tool to promote your own events. Create an event and invite people on your page. Once someone says they're "interested/attending" the event, the outreach increases to that person's network.
  6. Paid Boost Feature increases outreach by letting you target a specific audience with a certain call to action. Even just $5 will go a long way. Make sure to frequently monitor your boosted posts/events to adjust as needed.

Pair Digital Marketing with Traditional Marketing

1. Make sure to include key information on your flyer in a clear, bullet-point format:

• Name of program or event

• Date and time the program or event is being offered

• Location of event with a specific address

• Who the program or event is for (i.e., level of play, age(s), etc.)

• A brief description of the program or event and what the participant can expect

• Cost of event (if free, make sure that is mentioned)

• Instructions on how to sign up, including the direct link URL to the online program or event registration

• Person to contact with any questions or more information

2. USTA provides some great visual and compelling templates to help get you started—Net Generation Marketing Generator or Canva are both great, free resources.

3. Creating a QR Code linking to your online registration for your program/event and including it on your print flier is a great way to bridge the gap between print and digital. QR Code Generator is another great free resource that can help you provide an easy and convenient way for people to sign up on the spot.

 

Communicate With Your Audience Through Email Marketing

1. Upload your contact list to an email marketing service. A couple of popular services are Constant Contact and Mailchimp.

2. Organize your contacts into different lists (i.e., members, coaches, junior players, parents of players, etc.).

3. Communicate with paid members at least once a month via email.

• More frequent emails are fine but no more than once a week as a best practice.

• Don't send an email just to send one; make sure there is a purpose.

4. Write a clear and simple subject line—something that will make someone want to open the email. Test subject lines for effectiveness with this free tool.

5. The body of the email should be as short as possible—get to the point.

6. Use email to promote programs to current members and lapsed members and to cross-promote to different lists within your database.

 

We’re Here to Help

If you have any questions regarding marketing, contact your section or district marketing/communications people, who should be able to offer suggestions and consult on promotions that can help you reach as many people as possible. 

 

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Mary Cain is the Marketing Manager for USTA New England.
 

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