Marketing and fencing

[lochinvar]

This thread is an offshoot from "at least the USFA is solvent.

The consensus seems to be that "if we show it, they will come". I.e., when people are exposed to fencing, it sparks interest and spurs growth.

Not to start another "we need TV/we don't need TV, we need to focus on the grassroots" debate, it seems to me that fencing as an activity could benefit from some good 'ole marketing and PR work.

So who on the board has a background in marketing? I know there are engineers, computer geeks, teachers, students, mathematicians, beauticians, and the like, but who here does marketing for a living, or even as part of their living? Anybody?

Give us some input and ideas that we, the Grassroots so often mentioned, can use to efectively promote the sport at the local/Divisional/Sectional level.

[mtarascio]

As a coach, some of the things I have been doing to increase the number of fencers in my club and classes. It is working.

1. Conducting Introduction to Fencing Sessions on Saturday mornings.

2. Contact Middle School/High School PE teachers and offer to come to their school to conduct fencing for a couple of days. PE teachers love this as then they can relax and not teach.

3. Have a Club Referral Incentive Program. For each person a member refers to the club who signs up, the member receives a $$$ equipment credit to purchase fencing equipment.

[scarlet_woman156k]

If the USFA made me an employee, I could definitely help the organization become more beefy. hint hint I have a solid working knowledge of marketing and understanding how to see that it is actually working.

I see all these opportunities and have an understanding of what works and what doesn't, but I seriously don't have the time to do it because of my own 9 to 5 and fencing training.

It really does frustrate me.

Personally, off the very top of my head I suggest this:
1. We need to keep the members we have! That is the first part of the plan, keep those people in the sport and interested in the sport with plenty of opportunities for them. You need that base, so they will continue in some form or fashion to the sport as long as they are alive. Offering support and materials to the sections and divisions so there is consistency in what the USFA is, not varying from section to section and division to division, makes it solid. Solid structure is key and giving them timely information is also key (I'm a deadline junkie), but it is amazing how the timing of information and how it is PUT out there does so much to the actual response you will get.
2. How the information is structured. I find that there are serious tweaks that need to happen with the actual content that is sent out to fencers from the USFA level all the way down to the division level. Content needs to be structed in such a way to massage a person's interest.
3. Gaining new members would be through point #2 as well.

It's really sad, because there are simple things that could be done to really boost the retension of membership and the growth of it that the USFA does not do.

[Craig]

I would say take a lesson from what Wari did with summer nationals in SC and with what David Arias is doing with the Birmingham Fencing Club in AL.

Craig

[FencingAg]

I am a marketer for Harrah's Shreveport Casino and Hotel and Harrah's Louisiana Downs in Shreveport/Bossier City, LA. As far as a marketing background, I've worked in advertising, PR, events/promotion and database/direct marketing.

The difficulty that fencing faces is honestly the lack of money that is generally available for clubs/divisions to use for advertising purposes. You can get mentions in the local papers, do demonstrations, even get spots on TV fairly easily, if you develop contacts with the appropriate people.

The problem is, to do anything else costs $$. In Shreveport, LA, the typical rental for a billboard is about $1000 a month, one of the cheapest forms of advertising, along with advertising in the paper. Mailers are highly effectve, most of the time, there are many public lists available to new business from your local chamber of commerce, but postage can get expensive in a jiffy, not to mention the actual printing of the piece you are sending.

Direct mail pieces seem to be a highly effective way of bringing people in on a trial basis, especially if a first lesson free coupon or some such is attached. Incent them to get their tail off the couch and into a club. The coupon doesn't have to be limited to those pieces, it can be in any type of advertising you wish. I know that a couple of clubs here have done this and that it has been effective for both.

Also, do something crazy. (I'm not telling you to jump from a bridge with a large banner strapped to your back with Fencing - 800-888-8888) but think of ways that other people haven't tried. One fella around here has his station wagon painted red with a fencers painted on it and the number of the club displayed prominently on the side. Everybody in town knows about that station wagon now.

Basically, it takes getting and staying noticed. People might see a demonstration and say "Hey, wow, that looks cool" but forget where the club was, or whatever. If they see reminders constantly, they are more likely to think "That's cool!" and actually try it. Then, keeping them, well that's a whole 'nother issue :P

Bobby Thornton
---)-----------------------

[scarlet_woman156k]

Originally posted by lochinvar
This thread is an offshoot from "at least the USFA is solvent.

The consensus seems to be that "if we show it, they will come". I.e., when people are exposed to fencing, it sparks interest and spurs growth.

Not to start another "we need TV/we don't need TV, we need to focus on the grassroots" debate, it seems to me that fencing as an activity could benefit from some good 'ole marketing and PR work.

So who on the board has a background in marketing? I know there are engineers, computer geeks, teachers, students, mathematicians, beauticians, and the like, but who here does marketing for a living, or even as part of their living? Anybody?

Give us some input and ideas that we, the Grassroots so often mentioned, can use to efectively promote the sport at the local/Divisional/Sectional level.

See, these ideas are good...and the USFA should get together "Great Ideas to Boost and Retain Your Membership" materials, etc. for clubs, divisions, sections, etc. It's great that people like you are taking the bull by the horns and doing great things to boost membership in your club, but why is it we have to rely mainly on ourselves to figure out how to boost our clubs', and ultimately the USFA's, membership?

It just looks to me like the USFA isn't much of a leader to its fencers, but just provides the venues for national tournaments. Just my perception, not necessarily reality.

I'm not saying the USFA should "do more," but they should "be smarter" about how they use their time and resources.

[scarlet_woman156k]

Originally posted by lochinvar
This thread is an offshoot from "at least the USFA is solvent.

The consensus seems to be that "if we show it, they will come". I.e., when people are exposed to fencing, it sparks interest and spurs growth.

Not to start another "we need TV/we don't need TV, we need to focus on the grassroots" debate, it seems to me that fencing as an activity could benefit from some good 'ole marketing and PR work.

So who on the board has a background in marketing? I know there are engineers, computer geeks, teachers, students, mathematicians, beauticians, and the like, but who here does marketing for a living, or even as part of their living? Anybody?

Give us some input and ideas that we, the Grassroots so often mentioned, can use to efectively promote the sport at the local/Divisional/Sectional level.

See, these ideas are good...and the USFA should get together "Great Ideas to Boost and Retain Your Membership" materials, etc. for clubs, divisions, sections, etc. It's great that people like you are taking the bull by the horns and doing great things to boost membership in your club, but why is it we have to rely mainly on ourselves to figure out how to boost our clubs', and ultimately the USFA's, membership?

It just looks to me like the USFA isn't much of a leader to its fencers, but just provides the venues for national tournaments. Just my perception, not necessarily reality.

I'm not saying the USFA should "do more," but they should "be smarter" about how they use their time and resources.

[Rolls]

Here are some "marketing" efforts that I would like to see.

1) Better website - something MEDIA rich (i.e. lots of professional pictures and well written copy) - somewher on the website (preferably everwhere) there should be a form to fill out for recieving more information. Also, I think it is important to be able to join the USFA online

2) A generic introduction to fencing paphlet that can be sent to all divisions, sections, clubs etc. Also, I think it would be important to have at all national tournaments.

3) Marketing assistance for local clubs, divisions, etc. A lot of professional organizations do this (doctor's associations, etc) Basically generic text, pictures, and other media made available to the member organizations to help with marketing. For example, a generic newspaper ad that member organizations could fill in their contact information and put in their local newspaper. Or letters they could send out, flyers, etc.

The website is the biggest thing that I would change. I worked in a marketing dept for a printer company that recieved 75% of their sales leads from their website. I would also like to see mass email campaigns. Mass Email (spam) is one of the cheapest AND most effective methods of marketing today.

Rolls.

[scarlet_woman156k]

.

[Rolls]

Well, I think it's a hard job to do. I think they are doing a good job, but I also think they could do a better job. It can always be better.

On a seperate note, I have noticed a little waste. I never renew my USFA membership. Mostly laziness (and lack of the ability to do it online) is the reason. I ussually wait until there's a tournament and renew there. But I have noticed that whenever I get the membership package I ussually get duplicates. The package will come then a week later another one will come.

When I got my first rating, they sent me two more. I could only guess that this was becasue the information on my member card had changed. But it seemed excessive. Couldn't they just have sent a new card.

Rolls.

[danp]

I'm lucky enough to live in an area with plenty of access to fencing and some really nice coaches and competitors... However, even with all of that and a real drive to get started, it was fairly daunting to break into the scene as an adult.

Don't flame me as this is just one person's observation... but the sport seemed really focused on college and juniors. That's not a bad thing in the least, juniors are the real gems and future of any sport - but as someone who's out in the working world with money to spend, I found that getting started later in life (continuing from a college experience) was thought of as "odd"... The coaches were just more interested in the youth aspect of the sport. Adults can fence, but if you want to compete seriously the general feeling seemed to be that it was "too late" to really do anything of note. No one wants to start up in a sport when there's a perceived ceiling on performance.

I've tried to invite a number of my friends from work to try fencing and the response has always been the same: "This seems like a sport you do in college - it looks cool though".

A good (U.S.) example to look at is bicycle racing.. It can be done at a highly competitive level by many age groups. There are tons of local races for many ages, and people are able to really *live* the lifestyle well into their 40's. It generates a tremendous amount of revenue as it appeals to so many walks of life and has an easy and recognizable path up the ranks (Cat 5,4,3,2,1, Pro).

Fencing feels to me like a sport that has that cache' and potential to be huge, but perhaps is limited by it's age appeal and focus.

-Dan

[Wizardly]

I always thought of sports as a marketing venue rather than something needing to be marketed. If you go to a baseball stadium, companies spends quite a lot putting big banners next to the scoreboard and along the fences. I can't say that I've seen a whole lot of this kind of marketing at tournaments. Do you think fencing would benefit from a little corporate advertisement? How do you go to a company and ask for money in exchange for advertisement? "We have a tournament that typically 90 people participate in, and on the average 3 as many watch. Want to advertise to 300 people?" How much of his is done aleady at the USFA? At the regional/local level? Will we see and is it a good thing to see "the Remenyik Open, presented by Pepsi?"

[lochinvar]

I wouldn't mind, as long as they don't rename it The Pepsi Open.

But maybe that's part of the price tag for recruiting corporate sponsors. *shrug*

[Wizardly]

I figure if they renamed it the Pepsi Open, even if it was on the same day, not as many people would show up initially and everyone will wonder "what happened to the Remenyik!?"

[Asgaroth]

I have major in marketing and IT
All what connected with web and HI-end tech -
Brands / product promotion - via web

First of all, even in the web there are not enough well done web sites with appealing design and information.

IMHO
but Professional IMHO

[Wizardly]

Okay???

Was there a second of all (possibly fencing related)?

[Asgaroth]

All I wrote above it's all about fencing web sites I found on a web

May be someone can point me to a nice one from design point of view?

Like bmw.com or similar - I just wish to see fencing web site a little bit more noble and elite.

No offence to anyone

[lochinvar]

Asgaroth:

Are you're saying that a professional-looking website would help in promoting fencing on a local level? I believe it would, but would it be cost-effective?

Or are you talking about the USFA national website?

Explain, please.

[Rolls]

Well, to be honset I didn't really like bmw.com. It's use of frames was weird, and I found it hard to find the appropriate country site.

But as for fencing sites:
www.fencingfootage.com - I went there today and was pleasantly surprised / impressed. very professional.

www.leonpaul.com - not my favorite look by any means, but it is still well done AND it looks professional.

I have noticed that a lot of fencing retailers are updating their sites. Many of them are getting them professionally done. And while they aren't quite up to par with some online retailers. They are getting much colser.

Now, the USFA's site... Well, It could use some work. But it still provides some valuable resources. Also, do you know of any comparable organizations that have better sites. I don't

Rolls.

[Craig]

Originally posted by Asgaroth
Like bmw.com or similar - I just wish to see fencing web site a little bit more noble and elite.

Get me their web dev budget and I'll get you a very prettily designed site.