dayton sharks professional indoor football marketing success story
TRANSCRIPT
SUCCESSSTORY A case study from DocuStar, Inc.
The Dayton Sharks are a professional indoor football team in Dayton, Ohio and compete in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). DocuStar became a strategic marketing partner for the Sharks in October 2013, launching a digital marketing and print campaign designed to drive brand engagement and achieve revenue goals.
DAYTON SHARKS
T H E C H A L L E N G EWhen preparations for the 2014 professional indoor football season began, the Dayton Sharks were just starting their second year of operations. Like most new franchises they were battling for brand awareness and consistent revenue through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. Their preseason social media presence was undersized and not positioned to help them engage their fans or drive revenue goals. In addition, their email marketing and print advertising programs were uncoordinated, making brand recognition more difficult.
By definition, the Dayton Sharks are a small business. And according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than 50% of SMBs fail in their first five years. The Sharks were facing the two-minute warning.
“ Although we finished last season with 8 wins and 2 losses, we finished near the bottom of the pack in our league in the areas of marketing, advertising, and brand development. I was well aware of the importance of brand identification and development, and the impact they have on market share and brand awareness, but suddenly I found myself in unchartered waters in the sports and entertainment arena.”
– Corwyn Thomas, Managing General Partner, Dayton Sharks
T H E C O M P A N Y
LOCATION: Dayton, Ohio
INDUSTRY: Sports and Entertainment
WEBSITE: www.daytonsharks.com
T H E S O L U T I O NDocuStar quickly launched an integrated digital campaign leveraging email marketing and social media (with a focus on Twitter) designed to attract corporate sponsorships and fans, and grow ticket sales.
SOCIAL MEDIADocuStar managed the Shark’s Twitter profile and executed various strategies to attract followers specific to the Dayton area. Posts were based on high activity times of the Sharks’ target audience. Images were designed specifically for Twitter posts to promote events and games. DocuStar posted content relevant to the Sharks’ fans, and they not only followed the profile but actively engaged with the account.
“ I agreed to meet with DocuStar, and their marketing team began to share strategic next-level proven business models in social media via Twitter, targeted e-blasts and proactive marketing creatives to capture and engage broader audience groups. I must admit I was a bit skeptical, but what did I have to lose? I was already at the bottom.”
– Corwyn Thomas
T H E S O L U T I O N
EMAIL MARKETINGDocuStar designed a custom branded template for the Sharks’ newsletter, which was sent two to three times a month to an existing list of supporters and sponsors. Emails were composed by curating existing content pulled from the Shark’s Facebook page and with guidance from Corwyn Thomas, General Managing Partner. New imagery was designed for promotions and events, which were also included in the newsletters. DocuStar tested the email design for responsiveness and layout compatibility with various browsers, operating systems and devices (including mobile) and determined sending frequency based on optimal days and times during the week.
PRINT SERVICESDocuStar provided professional printing services designed to showcase the Shark’s branding elements and sponsor participation. A variety of formats was used — postcards, flyers, trading cards, posters, car mirror hangers, etc. DocuStar also designed a new media guide to be sold at the Shark’s home games, which was posted online in a flipbook format as well.
EAT, DRINK, PLAYAND WATCH EPIC SPORTS
HAPPY HOUR Mon-Fri 4:30-7:00pm1/2 off cocktails
Ha r a Ar e na , Day t o n, O h i o
DATE TIME OPPONENT Sat, 2/15 7:30pm Detroit Thunder
Sun, 3/9 4:00pm Kentucky Xtreme
Sat, 4/5 7:30pm Marion Blue Racers
Sat, 4/19 7:30pm Bluegrass Warhorses
Sat, 5/3 7:30pm NKY River Monsters
HOME SCHEDULE 2014
STRATEGIC MARKETING PARTNER
local. mobile. personal.
P R O F E S S I O NA L I N D O O R F O O T BA L L
WWW.DAYTONSHARKS.COM
HOME SCHEDULE 2014Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio DATE TIME OPPONENT Sat, 2/15 7:30pm Detroit Thunder
Sun, 3/9 4:00pm Kentucky Xtreme Sat, 4/5 7:30pm Marion Blue Racers
Sat, 4/19 7:30pm Bluegrass Warhorses
Sat, 5/3 7:30pm NKY River Monsters
www.daytonsharks.com@DaytonSharks
- STRATEGIC MARKETING PARTNER
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW
PROFESSIONAL INDOOR FOOTBALL
Jointhe
Frenzy!
T H E R E S U L T S
» Twitter: 700% increase in followers (twice the number of last year’s CIFL champion)
» Facebook: 5,800 increase in “likes”
» Klout: 25% score increase
» Average Unique Clicks: 4.5% (31% better than sports industry average)
» Forwards: 8.6%
» Season Ticket Sales: Sales went up 38% even with season ticket price increase
» Box Office Sales: Sales went up 1,818% even with box office ticket price increase
» Group Sales: 20% increase
» Promotional Ticket Product Sales: 100% increase
» Home Opener Merchandise Sales: 166% increase
» Sponsorship: 20% increase from returning advertisers
EMAIL MARKETING
REVENUE
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook Thumbs Up CMYK / .eps
1,818%INCREASE IN BOX OFFICE SALES
700%INCREASE IN TWITTER FOLLOWERS
5,800INCREASE IN FACEBOOK LIKES
38%INCREASE IN SEASON TICKET SALES
“ I knew where I wanted to take my team but didn’t quite know how to build a proper brand to get me there. Alan See and the entire staff at DocuStar have finally given the Dayton Sharks an advertising platform where we can proudly say we have value.”
– Corwyn Thomas, Managing General Partner, Dayton Sharks
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