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Marketing your Bowls Club
By
Denis Goodley
(Article appeared in last edition of Bowls International)
Perhaps the first question to ask is what do we mean by Marketing ?
The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as ‘the process of Identifying, anticipating and satisfying your customer requirements profitably’.
For bowls clubs that would be working towards providing a service your members and potential members want and thus making your club sustainable.
Bowls clubs are facing strong challenges in order to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive and demanding market.
Our bowls clubs need to be able to:
- Learn ways of attracting new members and retain existing ones,
- Become a hub of the community
- Grow sponsorship revenue
- Increase attendances
- Improve the social life of the club
- Increase media coverage
- Benefit from new technology
- Introduce new revenue streams.
Marketing will create opportunities to:
+ Raise your profile
+ Fill vacant rink spaces
+ Attract new volunteers
+ Put across a specific message about what is on offer at the club
+ Deliver the short and long term objectives of the plans you have for the club.
General Considerations When Marketing Your Club
We must understand our audience. Marketing your club is about looking at bowls from the point of view of an individual, and learning to understand what he/she wants from it and how we can meet those needs.
Are there any barriers to taking up bowls or joining a bowls club?
- Do existing and new members of the community know your club exists?
- Is your club open at times that suit future members or they are only for existing members.
- Can potential members actually get into your club (security systems)
- On entering your club will members make the newcomer welcome or merely continue with their game of bowls. Should there always be a ‘steward’ on duty?
- When a new bowler joins a club do you have ‘welcomers’ who direct/guide the new member through the new customs/rules which so many find confusing, such as what to wear for casual play or representative matches, can he/she put their names down for friendlies etc.,
- What preconceived image do newcomers have of your club or our sport,’ old peoples game, ’players wear funny hats’etc.
Social Opportunities
One area of our sport/club that is often overlooked and is so vital to so many, especially if on their own, is just how very sociable the game of bowls is. Many people when interviewed on what they are looking for in an activity replied that they were looking for a sport that all the family could take part in, where there was time to socialise and meet new friends. Sounds like a bowls club to me.
Your Brand
Remember yours is not the only bowls club in town. So how do you persuade potential members to come to your club ?
The answer to this would be to develop your business identity or ‘brand ’as it is known in marketing terms.
The brand is the personality of your club. What is your club known for? Is it for being a very sociable place, top players centre, youth focused, professionally run, or is it a closed shop, drinkers club etc.,
Raising your Profile
When selling your club you need to:
+ Think about the product you are selling. What are your clubs unique selling points?
+ Try to achieve value for money
+ Market the benefits of joining your club
+ How do you reach potential customers, who and where are they?
+ What makes your club different to others. Is it the friendly atmosphere, competitive
level of play, family atmosphere, quality of coaches, price reductions for juniors etc.,
+ Put yourself in the place of a newcomer to the club, what can you improve on?
+ Survey your existing members, what improvements would they like to see.
+ Ask new members where they heard about you and what they were told.
+ How good are your staff. Have they a ready smile. Are they proud of their club? Have they knowledge of the sport. Are they qualified? What extra training is needed, in say, customer care?
+ How very true is the saying ’new members are silver but existing members are gold’
Satisfied members will recommend your club to friends and relatives. Show how you value their custom by sending out newsletters, consulting with them and get them involved.
Further guidance.
If this article has wet your appetite then why not attend one of the Sport England courses on ,’Marketing your Sport’. Details of local courses may be obtained by logging on to your local Sports website, or contacting your local authority sports development officer.
The above article was written by Denis Goodley, Manager of Acle Indoor Bowls Club and EIBA Board Member in collaboration with active-norfolk, his local sports partnership, who undertake marketing courses for sports club, details of which can be found on their website http://www.activenorfolk.org .
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