If you think that you’ve got the passion and expertise needed to generate interest in the sports stars, franchises, and leagues of today, then you should get into sports marketing. Getting into this profession isn’t necessarily straightforward, though. It takes years of devotion, a number ofdifferent skills, and, as the world of sport is so fast-paced, an appetite for continued success.
If none of this deters you and you stillfeel that sports marketing is your calling, then you should get into this profession. Here’s a guide on what you need to know and do:
Get educated
In order toland any kind ofrole in sports marketing, be it with a small startup sports magazine or a market-leading sports team or franchise, you’re going to need some education in the field. At the very least, you should have a bachelor’s degree in either advertising or journalism. On your course of study, you should take classes in everything from consumer behavior to communication methods to photography.
However, you also need to remain knowledgeable and educated in the sports you are interested in. Perhaps you are an athlete yourself; if so, this can give you the competitiveness and drive to succeed when looking after and marketing your athletes of choice.
The skills that are needed
You’re going to need to harness a number ofdifferent skills if you want to stand any chance of being successful in the field of sports marketing. A few of these skills include:
Analytical skills— You should have the ability to analyze trends in your specific sport or industry.
Communication skills— From sports stars to agents to team owners, you need to be able to communicate well with everybody you come into contact with.
Creativity— You should always be able to come up with imaginative ideas to promote your clients.
Organizational skills— You must be able to manage both your time and your budget well if you want to be able to market all of your different clients effectively.
Always be on the lookout for new opportunities
As mentioned, the world of sport is incredibly fast-paced. No matter what sport it is you work in, you’ll never trulybe able to count on anything or even anyone. You could put hours of work into a particular marketing campaign, for instance, only for the player you used as the figurehead of it to change teams at the last second and put the whole operation into doubt. In this particular case, there’s nothing worse than running outdated advertising promotions, even if they are only out by a week or so.
For this reason, you have to be on constant lookout for new opportunities. In this instance, first and foremost, you have to keep an eye on the college and youth pools of talent. Thiswill allow you to find the next big marketable sports client before your rivals get the chance to, which, when done well, will set you up for long-term success in your field. Tokeep tabs on the sports stars of tomorrow, today, the best thing is to use the ASM Scholarships athlete search tool. This kind of comprehensive database will help you to unearth the best clients before their demand skyrockets.
If you want to get into sports marketing, the following advice can help. Remember, it is a profitable career, one with excitement. It is, however, hard work and extremely competitive. Ensure you have the correct levels of competitiveness and passion when heading into sports marketing.
If you would like more information on how to get your career in sports marketing rolling, or if you own a business which would like to break into the sports industry, contact us here today. As a premier business marketing firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, Piedmont Avenue Consulting, Inc. has what it takes to boost your career or business.
