Though you wouldn’t think it necessary, even a sports program as popular as the one at Northeastern State University needs to participate in sports marketing in order to maximize its revenue potential. And make no mistake about it, college sports are a real money-maker, and in many cases help fund the academic programs of a college or university.
What exactly is sports marketing? It’s a type of marketing focused on the promotion of sports events, teams and related products. If you can sum up the marketing strategy used in college sports in one word, it would be “loyalty”. That’s what gets the tickets sold and the arenas filled. It is also what prompts deep-pocketed alumni to donate large gifts to the school. Loyalty is enhanced by things such as uniform colors, fight songs, fan-team events, and, of course, a winning team.
The last is key: a winning team will usually have no problem selling out its seats. That’s been the experience at NSU throughout the years. But it’s a little harder to sell tickets if a team isn’t doing so well. Universities sometimes resort to companies that sell leads for potential season ticket holders. Sales leads are used to identify alumni who have not so far participated in ticket sales in an effort to expand the paying-fan base.
Another tack is to use your best athletes in a marketing campaign. Obviously, for college sports, these team members cannot be remunerated, but once they turn pro, watch out! A famous athlete can pull in tens of millions of dollars each year in endorsements and commercials.
Another aspect of sports marketing has to do with NSU’s commitment to the health and well-being of its fan’s. Known as grassroots sports marketing, members of the community are encouraged to participate directly in athletic endeavors. This falls within the marketing field known as social marketing. Here is an example: many colleges sponsor five and ten kilometer walks in which the walker pledges a contribution to the school based on the amount of distance covered. This raises money and also improves the health of the fan base. Remember, healthy fans are ticket-buying fans, so it is in everyone’s interest to keep your fan base in good physical shape.
Cheerleading and bands are very popular props for sports marketing. The idea is to increase the spectacle of a game such as football or basketball for fans that go out and attend. A great fight song can do much to instill loyalty and fervor among fans and athletes alike. So, if you live in northeastern Oklahoma, why not get more involved in NSU sports – it’s fun and the money goes to a good cause.