Skip to main content

BLOG: Audience, Audience, Audience – how Clip puts them first

  1. Home
  2. News and Events
  3. News, Features, Events and Campaigns
  4. BLOG: Audience, Audience, Audience – how Clip puts them first

The challenges for sport can often seem endless. In a world that is changing rapidly there is one challenge that rises high above others – reaching our audience. 

In this blog, Paul Batcup takes a look at the importance of engaging with audiences and why Clip can help.

Technologies will evolve, consumer behaviours will inevitably change but you should have a core marketing strategy in place that adapts with time. By knowing your audiences and what you want to achieve as an organisation, the creative opportunities are endless.

In sport, we often overlook the importance of planning our marketing strategies because of time, resources and workload pressures. But some of the most successful sporting campaigns have emerged from clever planning and an adaptable approach.

 

Let’s take a look at one relatable example. Can you believe that the UK’s beloved parkrun celebrated its 15th anniversary last year? Would it surprise you to learn that the first parkrun morning saw just 13 parkrunners take part, supported by five volunteers? Today it is an international family with over three million parkrunners. 

The concept was simple; turn up every Saturday and walk, jog or run 5k, or if you’re a junior then 2k every Sunday. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. What matters is taking part. There are now parkrun events in 20 countries all around the world. 

Parkrun understood its audience from the very beginning which was all about inclusiveness and wellbeing with the desire for people to feel part of a real local community. 

While the concept hasn’t changed, the technology certainly has. Fifteen years ago, it simply involved steel washers with numbers printed on the back before plastic tokens were used. The need to evolve was evident and it wasn’t long before an online ID and tracking system was integrated and even today technology is moving so fast that it has to keep up with demands of its future consumers.

So how can we take a leaf out of parkrun’s book?

There are many challenges that lie ahead for our sports in Wales and we need to make sure we’re ahead of these, so no-one is left behind. They include the ever-changing algorithms of social media platforms, adaptations in technology, collecting insight and information, the ways in which our audiences consume social media, how they find their news and how we can use simple data about our audiences to create successful person-centred campaigns. 

By sharing our experiences together, we can come up with stronger marketing initiatives and focus our efforts more effectively while also feeling supported and encouraged by our peers.  We want to equip you with the tools to be able to follow the journey of your end-users so that you can provide them with the information they want, in the format they want. If you can already answer some of these questions, then you are on the right track. Don’t worry if you can’t yet as this is what the CLIP programme will help you with.

  • What do you offer that is unique to your customers?
  • Who is your target audience? What do they care about?
  • What kind of messaging works well with your target audience? Are you reaching them in the right way on the right platforms?
  • What kind of campaigns or marketing activities can you do to engage with your athletes and audiences?
  • Do you have a social media presence that is engaging?

If you’re keen to learn about these subjects, hear success stories from across sectors and ultimately improve your communication efforts please take a look at the CLIP sessions or get in touch with the team.

Source: https://blog.parkrun.com/se/2019/09/30/parkrun-celebrates-15-years-how-times-have-changed/

 

CLIP - Communications Learning and Insight Programme

The Communications Learning and Insights Programme (CLIP) provides regular access to education and training opportunities for partners of Sport Wales.

Read More