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Critical Digital Marketing Techniques Sports Professionals Should Know About

By Regina Jaden, exclusively for iWorkinSport.com

With the advent of the digital age, digital marketing has become an essential part of all industries, especially in sports. With its reach, it’s no wonder large events and businesses are investing large sums of money in improving marketing and advertising efforts. As reported by S&P Global Market Intelligence, the total digital advertisement spending globally is estimated to reach US$534 billion (CHF 489 billion) in the 2022-2023 period. Specifically, sporting events like the FIFA World Cup and Beijing Winter Olympics have boosted mobile advertising to reach $362 billion in 2023.

Given the power of digital marketing and its large investment, sports professionals looking to improve their marketing strategies should be aware of the techniques that can drive further growth. In this article, we visit three critical digital marketing techniques that benefit the sports industry.


Social media marketing

Sports has since moved on from physical engagement and viewing, with most modern-day sports fans enjoying several means to interact with their favourite athletes, coaches, and other professionals online. Many supporters heavily rely on social media platforms as a key source of information, making it essential that sports professionals create relevant content to engage with their fans and build a strong sports community.

Aside from disseminating information on the current and next games, social media can be used to engage fans and your target audience in multiple ways:

  • Sharing photos and videos of behind-the-scenes – Gives supporters a look into how athletes and their teams prepare for upcoming sports or personal events, helping humanise experiences.

  • Engage with memes – There’s no better way to connect with someone than have a relatable joke, which is why trends can go a long way in promoting brand visibility.

  • Broadcasting live content – Live video, play-by-play updates, and much more enable professionals to share their thoughts and opinions throughout events or highlight key performances.


Digital advertising methods

Digital advertising is a key part of marketing, as it can reach a wider audience through snappy ads that can attract potential customers. Sports professionals who provide services like consulting can benefit from active adverts, especially on Google. To get the best conversion results from searches, Ayima highlights how it’s important to tailor your advertisements in order to improve your Google quality score. The search engine runs a system of ad relevancy— with better-quality ads, you improve your click-through rate (CTR), which affects your quality score and leads to a lower cost per conversion as Google ranks your advertisements higher.

Some ways you can boost your quality score include tailoring your ad copy and linking to highly relevant landing pages. To boost your CTR, include unique selling propositions (USPs) such as discounts or delivery whenever applicable. This not only boosts your conversion rate and quality score but will also increase your business sales.


Brand partnerships and sponsorships

Brand partnerships and sponsorships are important for smaller leagues with a limited marketing budget. As reported on CNBC, women’s professional sports had their sponsorships grow 20% year-over-year in 2022. From brands like Gatorade and Nike to Ally and Hilton Hotels & Resorts, more sectors are boosting ad budgets directed towards women’s sports. In the case of Athletes Unlimited, which operates softball, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball leagues, it saw a sponsorship revenue increase of 122% year-over-year.

With more companies open to sponsorships, sports professionals have more opportunities to participate in brand partnerships. Athletes and teams can take advantage of their following on social media to promote a brand and their products. However, it’s essential to remember that you shouldn’t stray far away from your niche and ensure that you truly believe in what you’re promoting. By being more truthful in your marketing, you can improve your sales.

Given the importance of digital marketing for sports professionals, more marketing agencies are rising to meet this demand to help individuals and teams. For those interested in supporting these marketing efforts in sports, we open up different opportunities for potential candidates and organisations to connect. Check out our post on the “Top 20 Sports Marketing Agencies” find out which are some of the leadings sports marketing agencies in sport nowadays.




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