9/08/2012

Football, Social Media, & Marketing

In Ft Myers, Florida most of us that live here are from somewhere else.  As a result we have a wide variety of interests, viewpoints, likes, and dislikes ... and this includes the teams we root for in college and professional football.  We don't have the luxury of watching our favorite teams play on local television as the folks "back home" do, and even if they are televised we miss out on the thrill of being able to watch the game with a large group of like-minded fans ...

UNLESS WE JOIN A LOCAL TEAM FAN CLUB!

Fortunately, SW Florida has many of them.  As good as this is for football fans, it's even better for those who are in business and trying to find new clients!  Marketing today is about social psychology,establishing rapport and trust with a potential client before they even walk through your door ... a football fan club is perfect for this!  You already have something in common, that you are passionate about, with every person in the room!

Social Media Get Together At Hemminway's in Estero Fl.



Arrive early and help set up, greet people as they walk in, and introduce yourself.  Make friends and remember names.  Over the course of the season you will find ample opportunity to ...

Hand out business cards.
Distribute flyers.
Offer special discounts to members.
Tell them about your company blog.
Ask them to follow you on Facebook and other social media venues.
Recommend you to their friends.

Just remember that it's about relationship building, not selling!  Don't hit them over the head with everything all at once.  Ask them about their line of work, if they're on social media, and treat them as you would like to be treated.  Let them know that you are someone they can trust, and will always make sure they are treated fairly, and nothing but good things are sure to follow!

Ask around the club and see if anyone is interested in doing some fundraising for local charities.  Chances are, if there are other business owners in the group they will jump at the chance!  Supporting charities not only establishes the club and it's members as valuable "pillars of the community", but also creates numerous opportunities for ... 

Press releases.
Photo opportunities. 
Videos.
Social media posts.
Impressive resume' and profile fodder

I served 2 years as Vice President and 1 year as Treasurer for the Washington Redskins Fan Club Of SW Florida and during that time we raised over $10,000 for local charities.  We raised the money by holding raffles/drawings at halftime for team related items such as jerseys, key chains, hats, etc ... the response was incredible, and we raised a lot of money while having some fun!


Rick Thomas, Social media/SEO Consultant in Ft Myers Florida,Regional Search Engine Marketing For Businesses, Improved Google Search Engine Rankings, Company Facebook Pages Created & Managed, Located in Fort Myers Florida. Yes I am For Hire!

Contact Rick Thomas at 239 896-7020

RickThomas@FtMyersMarketing.com