Building a Fan Profile
Picture this…
Record-breaking sales.
Repeat fans.
Fans that become brand advocates that share your message within their network.
The impact increased reach and cost per sale.
Lifelong fans pass the tradition down their family lines.
What if I told you that all of this is possible for your sports organization? Let’s break it down, shall we?
Simply put, the success mentioned above comes from establishing two-way relationships. It comes from building strong connections with the right people.
PAUSE the tape. Let’s rewind. How do you actually do that?
You can only build connections when you know WHO the person is that you’re trying to reach and WHY you’re trying to reach them specifically. Who is the audience that you’re trying to curate? What fans are in this stadium?
*Enter a fan profile*
Also referred to in marketing as an avatar, ideal customer, and persona.
The first level in the work that I do with my clients is ensuring that they have a rock-solid fan profile built out. It’s a foundational component that determines a lot of the marketing, promotional, and advertising functions within your sports organization.
Disclaimer: your fan profile should change and adjust as your organization grows. It should be adjusted based on certain campaigns. In many ways, it's “working marketing material” meaning you’re going to refer back to and edit this numerous times.
Building and enhancing your fan profile is an important step in building a relationship with them. It helps you collect information about who your fan/prospect fan is AND who they are not.
Prospect fan (d): someone who has not yet converted, they are not classified as being a fan, but they’ve taken action that would indicate that they are an ideal fit. Think about your rookie prospect, you’ve scoped out their college stats, seen them play, and you think there’s potential for them to contribute to your team.
The information that you are compiling gives your front office staff key insights into what they look for in a team, how they consume information, what social media platforms they use, the desire that’s met through being a sports fan, and more. All of this plays a huge role in speaking to them effectively, building a relationship with them, and tailoring your focus on the right people.
The deeper your staff understands who this person is and who they are not, the easier it is for them to speak directly to them in the way that resonates most with your prospect fan. It becomes as if your organization is reading their mind, answering their questions before they ask, and presenting a solution to step into the version of themselves that they are desiring to become.
Why it matters
The bottom line for every sports organization is revenue generation. Not only do you need to keep the lights on, but you also need to make a profit otherwise you aren’t going to be around for the long run.
Human beings are emotional purchasers that later explain said purchase through logic/rationale. If you are successful at speaking to them, as if you were them, you build an emotional connection.
The connection piece builds a long-term relationship that allows a fan to move through the stages of your customer lifecycle journey. The goal is to move someone from prospect to brand advocate (i.e. a loyal fan).
A company's success is dependent on its ability to build meaningful relationships with the right customers. There are particular attributes of a person that make up your perfect, ideal fan. Can a sports team have different types of fans? Yes. However, there’s going to be a particular crossover in the attributes that make up your perfect fan.
The perfect fan is the person that will act as the 11th man on the field. They will be loyal, purchase multiple times throughout their lifetime, become an advocate, and draw in an otherwise cold audience.
The more clear you get on who this person is the more you can cater to them in your messaging and marketing efforts.
The Know, Like, and Trust Factor
In marketing, three key factors contribute to a sale (repeat sales, referrals, loyal customer basis) are: know, like, and trust.
I.e. before becoming a fan (I refer to this person as your prospect fan) they need to know who your team/organization is, they need to like your team/organization, and they need to have a level of trust with your team/organization.
Let’s talk about building your fan profile and the elements that go into it. It’s important to know that you can have multiple audiences that you’re speaking to, BUT there’s typically crossover in those audiences.
They might be at different stages in their life, career, and fan journey. There are going to be similarities in the desires that prospect fans have and the challenge(s) that they’re facing (i.e. what your team/organization solves for them).
The Hurdle
Becoming a sports fan is a big commitment - time, energy, and money. There’s always a greater reason behind someone’s motivation to become a sports fan. Typically there’s a gap between where they are right now and where they want to be. Becoming a fan fills that gap, it provides the answer to their problem and gives them a solution. They wouldn’t be able to get to that point, as quickly or effectively, if it wasn’t for this solution.
Reflection questions:
What is the hurdle that this person is trying to overcome?
Why are they remotely interested in being a sports fan in the first place?
What does that allow for them, that they otherwise would not have?
Demographics
Looking at the demographics plays into identifying who the person that you’re speaking to is. These characters are going to be more surface-level and will help get the ball rolling.
Reflection questions:
What is their age?
What is their income range/bracket?
Where are they located?
What is their job title/industry?
What is their marital status?
You want to spend a considerable time focusing on going deeper into the key motivations behind these fan-making purchasing decisions.
Understanding them on a deeper level is the key - their motivations, desires, and fears.
Long-term Vision
As I mentioned, being a sports fan is a commitment. It takes time, energy, and money. Anytime there’s an exchange (whether time or monetary), there’s always a deeper reason behind the motivation.
Knowing and getting inside the mind of your prospect is going to help you powerfully speak to them. Examine the future and what it is that they are longing for.
Reflection questions:
What is their long-term desire?
If money/time wasn’t an issue, what would they have (that they currently don’t)?
What is the problem that you’re solving for them that helps them reach this desire?
What is the transformation that they experience by becoming a fan of your team/organization?
What have they tried to do to solve that problem - why has it been unsuccessful for them?
Where are they hanging out?
Meet them on their turf. As an organization, you need to know where they’re hanging out and what content they’re consuming. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be creating something that they’re interested in. And that would be a big missed opportunity.
Reflection questions:
What type of content do they consume?
What platforms do they go to consume that content?
Are there certain blogs, websites, podcasts, and stores that they visit?
Who are the people that they look up to?
Who do they view as experts?
Who do they trust?
Understanding where they help you meet them at these places. You are now able to speak to them in the location where they’re hanging out in the way that they enjoy consuming content.
Red Flags
When we nail down their objections, we’re able to address them and change the narrative before it impacts their buying journey. It helps to know the things that would prevent them from taking the next step.
There’s a saying in marketing “when you speak to everyone, you speak to no one”. The goal is to get laser-focused on this key individual. Become a horse with its blinkers on. Think of hitting the bullseye.
Reflection questions:
Why would this fan not want to buy from you?
What would motivate them to stay away from an organization?
What are the things that feel icky to them?
Why would they avoid buying a premium ticket?
That’s not to say that people that don’t fit these qualifications can’t purchase from you, they can, and some will. BUT you want to focus your efforts on the people that will bring the most to the table.
When you know who you’re talking to, you start building engaging storylines in your content. When your story is specific, engaging, and evokes an emotional response, you’ve hit a home run.
Connection piece.
How can you connect with this fan? What things will help them resonate with you? Why would they pick your team over a competitor? Why would they pick your sport over another sport?
What is the bond that you will build with this fan?
Personality
Who would you consider a dream fan? What are the characteristics that make them dream fans? What is the impact that they leave? Reflect on fans that you know and build this up from there.
The promise
If this person takes the desired action and purchases/speaks about you/becomes a loyal fan, what is the promise that they will get out of it? What is the transformation? What makes it all a slam dunk for them?
Remember that it’s a promise, so if they put in the work, what can you guarantee?
Close the gap
Look at where they currently are and where they desire to be. How does your sports organization bridge the gap and allow them to reach that point?
You can also build a profile for the person who is NOT your ideal fan. Again, understanding more about the person you are not wanting to target allows you to cater your content to the right person.
Who is the person that they become like a sports fan? Go back to the vision that they have for the future. How do they embody that person?
The Market
Who are you competing against? What makes your opponent stand out, and what makes your team different? Are you all serving the same ideal fan or are there differences?
If you’re interested in customized support to build your fan profile or to enhance your content creation to speak to your ideal fan profile, contact me.