A to Z Guide to Marketing Your Judo Club
We’ve put together this handy A to Z list around how clubs can market themselves more effectively and ultimately get more members.
A is for Ambassadors
Personal recommendations remain one of the most influential marketing tools available to judo clubs. Every member represents your club and by encouraging them to champion your club at every opportunity you can quickly form an army of ambassadors or advocates who ‘sell’ your club everywhere they go.
B is for Branding
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. By adopting a logo, distinct set of colours, particular fonts you use for or even a motto a judo club can raise its profile significantly.
C is for Club Marketing Portal
British Judo’s Club Marketing Portal allows clubs to access a range of templates which they can use to create their own personalised marketing materials to help promote your club and retain members – and the best part is you can download them for FREE!
D is for Deliver
A lot of marketing is about trust, delivering on your promises to members is a sure way to build trust amongst your members and potential new members.
E is for Email
It’s estimated that 91 percent of people check email at least once a day on their smartphones. People that have gone to the effort of signing up to your newsletters are more likely to read them. Email marketing is a reliable communications tool which your club shouldn’t over look.
F is for Facebook
There are over 1.6 billion users on Facebook, making it the most popular social media network around. Setting up a Facebook page for your club is a worthwhile thing to do to start to tap into some of those 1.6 billion users.
Click here to sign up to Facebook. Once you’ve signed up you can create your club’s Facebook page.
G is for Galleries
Posting galleries of a club’s event of competition can really help to demonstrate the atmosphere at and character of your club. Next time your club holds a competition take a camera along and take some photos. People will always want to see pictures of themselves in action on your website or Facebook page.
H is for Hear your audience
One of the most important things about marketing is that is as much about listening as it talking. All of the platforms mentioned in this article are also useful tools in finding out more about your audience’s needs and interests. You can use this information to tailor the sessions you run to increase the enjoyment of your members.
I is for Insight
Knowing your market and members is vital element of any marketing plan. Your club has access to a wide range of information that can help you understand your members needs better and also identify opportunities for growth. If you don’t you can easily set up a free to use online survey system to get insight on your market.
J is for Judo
There is nothing quite like judo, it is unique. Think about why and how judo differs from other sports. Once you understand the unique selling points of judo, your club will be in a better place to sell itself to others.
K is for Kit
Having members wearing club branded kit is another great way to promote your club. Matching kit can make members feel more part of a team and can also be used as a revenue stream for clubs.
L is for Language
Consider this, you are visiting your club’s website, Facebook page, Twitter account or a session for the first time. What do you notice about the tone and language you use? Is it formal? Jovial? Filled with judo terminology? Think about how the text on each of your platforms is likely to be interpreted by visitors and adjust where appropriate and necessary.
M is for Money
Marketing your club effectively doesn’t have to break the bank. Setting up a Facebook profile, twitter account or even setting up a basic website costs nothing.
N is for News agencies
Local and regional print and digital news agencies are always on the lookout for interesting and relevant stories. Research and identify the key journalists, bloggers and reporters in your area and start to build a relationship with them. Why not invite them down to your club to get some firsthand experience of judo?
Find out about ways you can marketing your club through the local media here.
O is for Opportunity
Never pass up on an opportunity that will help promote your club, especially to new audiences. Have a look through local listings and national calendars to see what events are coming up that your club could utilize e.g. a stand at a school summer fete.
P is for Partnerships
Partnerships are a great way to expand a club’s network, access additional resources and create mutually beneficial relationships with local business and organisations. Think about what your club might need and research what organisations there are locally that offer it and start talking with them.
Q is for Quotes
Quotes can add a bit of colour to an otherwise functional news update. If it is update listing the results from a competitive at the weekend, bring it to life by including a quote from the judoka mentioned or their coach.
R is for Rivals
A significant proportion of good marketing is taking the time to investigate and consider the activities being offered by your rivals. Does the local football team’s training session clash with yours? Does the local cinema have nothing on a Tuesday afternoon? Find out how these impact on your club’s own activities and adjust where possible.
S is for Story Telling
Nothing quite captures people’s imagination and interest than a good story. Find out who has a good story at your club and share it. Stories that highlight personal struggle and are easy to relate to can be really powerful and draw people with other interests outside of sport to your club.
T is for Twitter
Twitter is another great way to connect engage with current members and new audiences. Twitter is great for sharing content so think about what highly sharable pieces of information your club can post on twitter which other people are likely share.
Click here to set up a Twitter account for your club.
U is for User friendly
In all of your club’s marketing activity you should always ask yourself the question “is this going to be easy to use for our members and potential”. People will naturally turn away, discontinue with something, or get easily distracted if what they are doing isn’t easy to work out or straight forward to use. Look at everything you club currently does and see how you can simplify things.
V is for Venue
The dojo at the heart of every judo club’s activity. Think about ways in which your club can utilize its space to either generate more revenue for the club or to offer a greater experience for your members. Hiring out your dojo on nights your club aren’t meeting or setting up a gathering to cheer on our judoka as they compete at a major international via a big screen.
W is for Website
With all the different marketing tools available nowadays, having a clear, efficient and informative website remains are the foundations of any club’s marketing activities. A club’s website will be the first point of call for many people interested in joining or finding out more about the club. Ensure that club meeting times, key contact details and venue locations are all prominently listed on your club’s website.
X is for X-Factor
After reading 98% of this article you’ve probably got some good ideas about what your club can do to market itself more effectively. But crucially you need to discover you own X-factor! What is that special something that draws people to your club?
Y is for YouTube
YouTube and videos generally are a great way to showcase your club and its activities. Two-thirds of UK adults now have a smartphone, nearly all of which have a built in camera. You can also download apps which offer basic video editing and publish it onto YouTube or other similar platforms. Experiment by taking some short videos of your club’s activities. You could interview a judoka or a coach at your club to start with.
Click here to set up a YouTube channel for your club.
Z is for Zeal
The enthusiasm and passion of your volunteers and members is the greatest resource your club has. Show others the positivity that surrounds your club and you’ll find that more people become drawn to it.
