Sports bars and softball teams seem like a match made in heaven. But are they?
"Hundreds of people are going to see your logo on our shirts. Maybe thousands!"
That's the promise.
But will you ever really know if you make a dime from your sports bar's logo appearing on jerseys? Who knows. So, how can you do something more useful with these requests you probably get every spring -- maybe even from some of your frequent customers?
4 steps to building a sports promotion that works
Key #1: You WILL know if you make a profit when softball players and entire teams come in. That's the first thing to remember when building promotions to take advantage of spring softball kicking into gear.
Key #2: If you invest in your sports bar marketing, make sure everything you do is trackable.
1. Giveaway softball gear.
Baseball hats, jerseys, bats, all of that. If you get this going right now, your timing is going to great.
To put your logo on a team's jersey, you had to have done that a couple months ago, well before the season started, because the team had to sign up with your name and get jerseys ordered.
But to run a promotion in sponsoring a team, you can do this anytime -- though right now is perfect because teams are just now getting ready for the season.
The other thing about this promotion that's one step better than just sponsoring a team and putting your logo on their shirt? You can get more teams to visit your sports bar WITHOUT having to sponsor them!
Want More Details?
I created a video with more details on this sports bar sponsorship idea as well as how your sports bar can capitalize on the April 15 Tax Deadline.
2. Get your local beer distributor involved.
Yes, you'll probably have to put their brands on special for the day and night of your promotion. But that shouldn't be a problem, right? We do this all the time.
Many local beer distributors are willing to help with these types of promotions because they're relatively low-cost compared to other promotions they get hit up for by your competitors.
3. Raffle, raffle, raffle.
Tell everyone who's there for the night of the promotion why your sports bar is great. Toot your own horn. Make sure you build loyalty and capitalize on the event you've just put together.
Raffle off the bats, hats, gloves, balls, and sporting goods you bought and had sponsored by the local beer distributor by having people join your email list.
Too many sports bars run single-night competitions, contests, and promotions but miss out the ongoing bump they can get from those events.
You don't have to make people purchase something to participate -- in fact, you can't really do that. But you can make sure they REGISTER TO WIN by providing you with their email address.
4. Use my sports bar marketing secret weapons.
Increasingly, I run Facebook ads that are highly targeted to attract more attention to my special events. You'd be surprised at just how targeted you can get with Facebook ads.
Get started learning about how to use geo-targeted Facebook Ads for your sports bar with my free video.
My other secret weapon is to offer a $50 bounty to any team who refers me to another team that I eventually sponsor and run this promotion with.
Listen, I'm all-in on sports bars sponsoring softball teams. But if you're like me, you want to spend your money in the smartest, most measurable way possible.
And the #1 way I know to make the sports bar and local sports team partnership work is by guaranteeing your sponsored team comes to your sports bar or restaurant.
This approach is your ticket to making it happen.
(Photo courtesy of Garrett Speed.)
