As I’ve mentioned before, social media should play a big role in your sports facility’s marketing plan. However, owners of smaller facilities might still wonder if staying up to date on social media is worth their precious time and resources, especially if they already have a business web site or just aren’t comfortable with the world of Facebook. Is it really worth it?
The answer is yes. As I’ve mentioned before in my post on sports facility customer touch-points, Facebook and Twitter are excellent resources to instantly notify customers of happenings at your facility in real time. In fact, many sports facilities rely on their Facebook pages even more than web sites to reach their customers online because Facebook’s user-friendly pages are guaranteed to be updated and accessible, they’re easy to find in an online search, and they’re free to create.
In fact, most computer savvy consumers expect business-to-consumer businesses to have Facebook pages; a well maintained Facebook page adds legitimacy to your brand, even if you don’t have thousands of fans.
Just like most things in life, the more effort you put into your social media marketing, the more you’ll get out of it. However, even spending just 20 minutes updating your Facebook page every few days is enough to significantly increase your chances of making a sale. Once you get comfortable with using your Facebook page, you can try more sophisticated strategies, but it’s important to just get started first and get into the routine of posting content.
Need ideas for what to post? Here are a few basic ideas:
- Allow your customers to “check in” to your facility, which displays on their own pages and is visible to all their friends.
- Announce new programs and remind your customers of their sign-up deadlines when they’re more likely to see them in real time.
- Announce special deals and discounts, and remind users when they’re about to end just when consumers are more likely to see them in real time.
- Start conversations by posting success stories and mentioning your customers.
- Post photos that your clients will want to share with their friends.
For more information on how to create and use Facebook for your sports facility, please call (513) 791-4940.