1. Menu

2. Finance & Governance Engaging with your Community Leadership & Management Funding Marketing & Communications SWOT Analysis Click on a subject to begin! Coming Soon

3. Starting Up What is Marketing? Marketing & Communications Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising At its very core, marketing is about identifying, matching them with the capabilities of your organisation and satisfying consumer needs by delivering them to the customer at the highest standard. If you are clear about your club’s capabilities and what you’re trying to achieve, and if you are clear about your target market and its needs, then the decision about how to promote your organisation effectively becomes common sense. This guide will help dispel the myth that you need a budget of millions to create a successful marketing plan, and give you some simple suggestions of how to put together a successful marketing strategy for your club. Menu

4. Starting Up – Page 1 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Start planning Crucial to developing your club and marketing activity is a clear understand of what you’re trying to do and how you plan to get there. Research is very important so consider your customers, your environment and your competitors. An understanding of these things will help you ensure that you’re creating a club that is unique, wanted and needed by the local community. Defining your target market Marketing is about focus – the right product or service for the right person. No matter how good your marketing strategy is, if you are talking to the wrong person you will get nowhere. Remember that you might have different targets. So, your club might be trying to attract funders to set up or grow; you also need to target young people who will attend but also remember that the adults will be paying and/or giving permission to go. Click HereClick Here to continue on next page…… Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

5. Starting Up – Page 2 (of 2) Marketing & Communications It might be helpful to talk to some of your potential targets to talk through your ideas before committing to them. Your customers will be the best judge of your ideas and may give you some ideas on how to make them even better. Communications & reaching your customer Having thought through your target market, you should also consider what methods of communication are best suited to reach them. In deciding which medium is best, you also need to consider what tone and manner you should adopt. Remember, just as your club needs to reflect consumer needs, the style of your communication should match the customer. For example, if you are trying to attract funders, you need to look as though you know what you’re doing but not so organised and glossy as not needing any more help. If you are trying to attract young people, your language and style should appeal to a youth market. Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

6. Press Releases – Page 1 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Generating media interest in your club can help build credibility and profile, so is worth the effort. The first step is to identify the local media relevant to your audience – for instance, the South Wales Echo has a sports section on a weekly basis called Parklife which has a community sports roundup. But there are other community newspapers and magazines and even radio which might be appropriate. Think about the following: Who the relevant contacts are, Their areas of special interest, What kind of stories they write about. What stories you have to tell. For example, launch of your club, a visit by a local sports star or a winner of a competition. Remember human interest stories are the things that news are made of. Begin to develop a relationship with an individual by telephoning initially and send through snippets about your club on a regular basis. You can do this by sending a press release. Click Here to continue on next page……Click Here Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

7. Press Releases – Page 2 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Tips on writing good press releases: Start with an interesting heading Summarise the basics of your story in the first paragraph Develop the story more fully in the following paragraphs Avoid long paragraphs, colourful adjectives like ‘fantastic’ Match reports should be 200- 300 words max Do not use slang or text speak. Always use full names rather than, for example A, Smith Use quotes as journalists have limited time to interview everybody Always add your name and contact details Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

8. Online & Social Media Marketing & Communications Social media is a growing medium for marketing communications and provide a unique way of reaching your customers. There is a wide range of social media tools out there – from Facebook to Twitter and Youtube – each have their differences so you need to do your research to find out the best method of reaching your target. It’s simple to set up a profile for your club on Twitter and start ‘networking’ online with communities while a Facebook group for your club to share news, photos and videos. You could also consider writing a blog about your club, but only do this if you can put in the time to keep it up to date. More tips to get you started can be found on the following links: FacebookFacebook Twitter YouTube BloggingTwitterYouTubeBlogging Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

9. Other Media – Page 1 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Menu Leaflets/ Brochures Leaflets can be an effective method of initiating communication. Consider what kind of leaflet would appeal and how much it would cost to produce. Could you get sponsorship or in-kind support to produce it? Keep the wording and format simple, easy to read, and in a style that will appeal to your target market. Again, check out FREE templates available online.online Direct Mail Before beginning you will need to work out whether direct mail will be an effective way of reaching your members. Write your message in a clear and eye-catching way. People receive lots of direct mail so you need to make yours stand out. Ensure you include action points and contacts about what to do next. Remember to follow up. To use this form of marketing, you’ll need to have email and/or postal addresses of your members and potential members, so start collecting them as soon as you can and continue to grow your list. Click HereClick Here to continue on next page…… Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

10. Other Media – Page 2 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Newsletters A newsletter is your very own media and therefore gives you total editorial control. It can reflect the very heart of your club and with strong writing and good distribution – either electronic by email or by post - it can give your club a lot of prominence. Think carefully about what sort of newsletter would appeal to your target market. Explore the costs – professionally printed newsletters can be expensive to produce. Consider if you could have it sponsored or if you could produce it yourself. There are lots of Word newsletter templates that you can download for FREE online.online View the Sport.Cardiff newsletter here.here. Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

11. Marketing & Communications Advertising Advertising in newspaper, magazines, TV or radio can be expensive so do your research! Find out the cost of each route, what you need to do to book the space and factor in who will create the advert. A more cost-effective way of advertising could be to produce posters for display in your local area – in church and village halls, on community notice boards and in schools. Remember to ask permission first though before you display anything or it could lead to trouble. Remember to make use of your FREE annual listing in Sport.Cardiff directory! Sport.Cardiff Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

12. Direct Marketing – Page 1 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Direct Marketing Direct contact with your customers can often provide the most powerful form of communications with your target market. Networking Networking is difficult to define but is an important element of any marketing strategy. Networking with businesses, community groups can help build your profile and reputation. Seminars / Presentations If you need to raise your profile with a particular individual or group – go and see them. Start by writing or emailing them explaining who you are and why you want to see them. Then follow up by calling to arrange a meeting. Remember to be persistent! Click HereClick Here to continue on next page…… Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

13. Direct Marketing – Page 2 (of 2) Marketing & Communications Events You could consider hosting your own event – but it might be expensive. A more cost-effective option is to attend other people’s events like housing association open days, school and village fetes etc. You might consider offering a ‘taster’ session with a local school to engage young people. A good target might be your local high school and its feeder primary schools. The School Sport Development Officers may be able to help you engage and connect with schools.School Sport Development Officers Click HereClick Here to return to the Marketing & Communication Menu Click HereClick Here to return to the Main Sporting Success Toolkit Menu Menu Starting Up Press Releases Online & Social Media Direct Marketing Other Media Advertising

14. Using SWOT What is SWOT Analysis? SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats SWOT Analysis is a useful technique for understanding your Strengths and Weaknesses, and for identifying both the Opportunities open to you and the Threats you face. A SWOT analysis is a planning tool that can be used for a specific project or the sports club as a whole. What makes SWOT particularly powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you are well placed to exploit. And by understanding the weaknesses of your club, you can manage and eliminate threats that would otherwise catch you unawares. More than this, by looking at yourself and your competitors using the SWOT framework, you can start to craft a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your market. Menu Tutorial Use the buttons on the left to navigate to each section Or Click on the buttons above to skip to the next/previous page or return to the menu.