Analysis on Media Marketing for Sports Camps

            For my final blog for Mass Communication’s, I thought there was no better way to explain my learning of communicating to the masses than analyzing my own life experiences with my baseball camp business. Ever since I broke my ankle, I was granted a new opportunity I never was granted before, that opportunity is simply stated as time. With a broken ankle, a couple of crutches, a computer, and this newfound time on my hands, I truly was able to discover the power of the media and how effective marketing and communication can be.

            It all started with an idea, how do I grow my Mini Warrior Baseball Clinics, without spending money on advertising considering college loans are on the horizon for me. Also, I needed to factor the fact my bank account wasn’t as it’s highest, I was unable to get places considering my injury, and I needed money to make money. Enter: Go Fund Me. The money I was going to make working was now out of the question because I couldn’t move, so I created an informative page hoping to raise a few hundred dollars. Through the use of Facebook as my social media platform, I garnered over 75 shares of my Go Fund Me page explaining my story and what my purpose was for running my camps. My goal was $500; I raised over $1300, which was awesome because I really needed all of that to market to the crowd I am marketing to today. Through the use of Go Fund Me and Facebook, I already wasn’t just getting the word out there about my stories, I also was receiving attention for my camps. Thanks to the Go Fund Me page, a local blogger from New England who has a twitter account with over 4,000 followers reached out to me. I was able to have him write me up a story, which was liked and re-tweeted on twitter over 20 times which gave my cool camp story, and injury, more recognition and exposure. The use of social media marketing when it comes to the success of my camps has been absolutely crucial as we will continue to examine in the next few paragraphs.

            Every single local little league has a Facebook page, through the use of Facebook Messenger; I was able to get in touch with many local leagues, in turn, booking presentation meetings while I was laid up. I was also able to advertise via my Facebook page, which has nearly 100 likes now, whereas a month ago had 30, so that was great progress as well. Social media allowed me to connect with other leagues as well as my Gmail account. Through the use of email and Google search, I was able to find out who every single little league president was in the Central Massachusetts area and get their email addresses to constantly send them a little email reminded to allow me a presentation. A short and convincing subject line was all I needed to retrieve their attention. The same was done through Facebook Messenger. If you keep it short and sweet, they are bound to read and give you 20 seconds of their time.

            I am now up to 9 different baseball camps scheduled this summer with 9 different towns and organizations. In turn, I needed a professional website to attract potential customers and clients. I completely redid my Mini Warrior Baseball Website. It went from looking like something out of a child’s coloring book, to a professional website with a professional layout from Wix. I can thank my Go Fund Me page for that. I then used Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to attract customers to the site. The creation of a blog also aided in having parents return to the site for updated tid-bits of coaching information.  The web is by far the most powerful form of media marketing.

            When it comes to social media marketing, killing the community aspect has been extremely successful for me thus-far. But according to experts Tracy Tuten and Michael Solomon’s opinions, there are four main aspects of social media marketing one should target. The one I wouldn’t be able to target is e-commerce because I have no online payments as I do everything with cash or check. The other two concepts are entertainment, like a Candy Crush Game, but in my version it would be pictures and videos shared through Instagram or Snapchat of the clinic for parents to see. The other aspect is publishing which I use my brochures and flyers and connect them through social media websites (Tuten & Solomon.)

            My best form of marketing was when I reached out to the Worcester Telegram, which is one of the top 5 largest newspapers in New England serving specifically central Massachusetts. I knew if I had a high quality story written in that paper, it would get me some good exposure. A front page paper in the Sunday Sports section, the most looked at section of the paper on the busiest day, with the most viewers, right at the beginning of the high school sports baseball season, was the best possible way I could receive exposure. The article received over 100 shares on the Telegram’s Facebook page and 197 Facebook recommendations on their website, which can be seen at this link, http://www.telegram.com/article/20160430/SPORTS/160439961 .

            Through my own website, social media, and the Telegram, I was really making a name for myself with my clinics.  Slowly but surely the media can be an absolutely powerful thing. I was able to understand why so many people pay so much money to have ads in a paper, or to have a billboard, a TV commercial. The power of repeatedly seeing something is so great in the world of business and mass communication/marketing. Fortunately, these expensive pieces of exposure were absolutely free because I had a really cool story.

            The benefit of media marketing is exponential. So many people not only signed their children up for my clinics, but they also referred me to other local little league boards of directors. Prior to the newspaper article I was in with 6 towns, following that article, I was up to 9 and working on 10 completely booking every single week I have in the summer but gosh will it be worth it. The goal is to coach over 400 kids this summer all while raising over $10,000 for local little league’s to spend over the course of the next year on whatever it is they see fit.

            The best thing about media marketing with sports camps, and mine especially, which has a feel good story behind it, is that the sports camp or mine, baseball, in particular, leads to other forms of exposure. Because my Telegram article was so successful, local town specific smaller papers where I am running the majority of my camps in have reached out to me directly. With this said, I was able to write smaller stories specific to more than half the towns I am currently in. I was also approached by the news anchor for Charter TV 3 Worcester News Tonight Sports section, which receives over 30,000 viewers a night in the Worcester and surrounding town’s area. Talk about perfect exposure.

            Point is, at the end of the day, media marketing is fantastic. I will never argue that one bit. Especially when it is free. But I tell you what, nothing compares to the marketing the presence of a person can bring. When I set up my marketing tables at local little league’s and talk with parents directly, that is when I get my kids to sign up for my camps. Sure it is one thing to have multiple media outlets do a story on you, but nothing is more powerful than the person-to-person communication with a parent. Nothing is more genuine, and nothing works better. My moral for this blog; thank god for social media, for newspapers, for the internet, for blogs, and for the television… but when it comes down to it, even in a day where technology and the internet dominates us, communication at its finest roots of interpersonal interaction, that is the most powerful form of communication there ever will be.

Works Cited

Person, and Jennifer Toland. "Despite Injury, Leicesters Ryan Petrone Honing Youth Baseball Clinics." Telegram.com. Gate House Media LLC., 30 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 May 2016.

Tuten, Tracy L., and Michael R. Solomon. Social Media Marketing. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Print.