BY Kathy Crosett
Is your media company doing enough to help local businesses connect with sports fans? Consumer interest in local sports is exploding. Consumers follow matches, competitions and games in person or through their favorite media format, according to AudienceSCAN, from AdMall, research. All the focus on sports and sports-adjacent content gives your accounts an opportunity to get their message out to local fans through a strategic sports marketing plan.
What types of content can you sell to attract local sports fans?
Local media companies often show live local games on their .2 or .3 TV stations. High school sports fans, in particular, tune in to these programs. In addition to the live games, TV, publication and radio stations may offer other types of sports-related content such as:
- Coach interviews
- Player of the week coverage
- Fan call-in hours
These expanding media spaces also expand the advertising opportunity. Research shows that a radio station in a large market can generate $40K from a sports promotion cycle like this. For example, they may sign up a personal injury attorney to sponsor a season of coach interviews for the local high school football team.
Sports fans have favorite media formats when they are tuning into sports news. Nielsen reports that nearly 81% of women’s sports fans check TV. But 52% listen to podcasts, and 60% are checking social messages. There's been a 55% increase in the number of women who are NBA fans, according to Nielsen. Remind your accounts of the power of strategic sports marketing as they reach out to different audiences with their messaging.
Who is the audience for local sports programming?
Local sports range from high school teams to college teams to recreational sports leagues. And there are multiple types of audiences checking out the games and related content.
AudienceSCAN data reveals that around 6% of U.S. adults are Women’s Sports Fans. Your local accounts should know that 49% of this audience is male. Talk with them about buying advertising during your coverage of the local college women’s volleyball team. Vets, gyms and auto insurance providers all make good targets to prospect for women’s sports programming.
High school sports fans
Don’t assume that parents of high school students are the only fans of the high school sports-related programming. As AudienceSCAN reveals, 18-to-24 year-olds overindex as high school sports fans. These recent high school graduates have local pride and follow what’s happening with their teams. And around 43% of the audience is female.
Your advertisers will want to target the moms of current players. They may buy CTV or radio ad space. But encourage your accounts to check out an integrated package that includes social media and mobile ads. Those formats will reach younger consumers who don’t watch as much TV. This is the kind of strategic sports marketing strategy that your accounts need to develop, with your help.
Recent movers
Recent movers also make an excellent target audience for advertisers to reach during sports-related programming. According to AudienceSCAN data, around 8.8% of recent movers are high school sports fans. And 9% are minor league or college hockey fans. While these consumers engage with local sports-related content, your accounts can target them and capture some of the spending that happens when consumers move to a new area.
Who are the top prospects for local sports advertising?
As a media seller, you can pitch ad space in unique content to business owners. Here are a few top accounts for local prospecting and why they work. AdMall subscribers have access to over 400 business verticals that media sellers can target with their sport programming ad space.
| Business vertical | Angle |
| Community banks | As a local team booster, community banks can establish themselves as a business-friendly brand. |
| Insurance agents | These businesses want to build name recognition with local residents and connect with new teen drivers in the market. |
| Dentists | Dentists can target new residents who may be looking for their services. |
| Pediatricians and medical clinics | Their name familiarity will stay with parents who need to schedule sports physicals and checkups after a game-related injury. |
| Restaurants, especially pizza shops | Friends enjoy celebrating after a sporting event and the local pizza shop is often a favorite destination. |
Who are local sports boosters and why do they matter?
Many high school teams have local sports boosters. While these boosters include parents and coaches, small businesses are often part of the mix. Whether it’s a local pizza shop or an auto body shop, the business boosters make solid prospects for advertising. They want to get their name in front of more community members.
Local sports advertising can benefit boosters and local prospects by increasing their visibility across multiple local audiences. Your accounts want to be seen supporting the local high school sports teams.
Closing thoughts
Ad Age recently reported that larger brands intend to buy more advertising on sports programming in the last quarter of the year. As sports rights continue to “migrate to streaming platforms,” CTV ad buys will increase. Your accounts will want to improve their visibility with local sports fans during the busy fall season. More affordable ad space will be available after the midterm election cycle completes, giving your accounts even more reason to try strategic sports marketing on your expanded sports-related content.
Image by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.
