FIVE SOCIAL MEDIA MIS
AND HOW TO AVOID THE
Indoor sports facility operators, who want to get involved in
social media, must understand what makes social media an
effective tactic in their overall marketing plan. Here are five
common mistakes with suggestions to avoid them.
1. "It's all about me."
Your social media posts do not all need
to be all about your facility. If all you talk
about are your programs, your teams, your
leagues, etc., people will tune out.
2. Providing Information
Without a Request or Invitation
Social media sites are not websites.
Information like schedules and press
releases do not belong on Facebook.
Strategy: Promote people or groups with
whom your customers can identify. Shine
the spotlight on them and other members
of the sports community. Collaborate,
share and cross-promote with local
businesses and groups. Guide followers
to interesting, relevant and valuable stuff
online. Position your sports facility as
a reliable guide, and you'll get plenty of
attention.
Strategy: An effective social media
campaign shares information and invites
others into a conversation regarding it.
Engage your Facebook friends by sharing
a story about something that happened
at your facility and asking, "What would
you do?" Post pictures from camp
and invite customers to comment on
what activities their kids enjoyed most.
Encourage customers to post their
pictures. Host a picture contest and
award a program discount or gift card
from a sponsor. Ask Twitter followers
simple, concise questions like, "What
new youth sports programs do you want
offered this fall?"
3. Push-Pull Selling
Many indoor sports facilities add
hyperlinks to their social media posts
to online registration pages, to products,
to sponsorship opportunities, etc.
Unless you're very careful, hyperlinks
can become the equivalent of pushy
salespeople.
Strategy: Content is "king" and comes
way before advertising. Link to an article
on your local high school soccer team,
whose players participate in programs, or
to coaching tips by the coach, who directs
your youth programs, or to USIndoor!
In what larger conversations—such as
childhood obesity or energy conservation—
can your facility take part? Your
customers want news and information,
as well as ideas and advice, more than
sales pitches. Pull them to you with useful
content. Earn their respect, and they will
give you business.
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