In a recent visit to the Boston area to conduct a USPTA Specialty Course, I wanted to share a presentation and promotional tip from Longfellow Racquet Club owner, Laury Hammel. This idea is undoubtedly not new, but from my constant travels to clubs around the country, I can assure you that only a very small percentage of facilities are doing it. The typical club promotes activities to members through flyers and posters on a front desk area and on bulletin boards. And the Longfellow Club certainly does these basics well. But they go one step further. As we all know, no matter what you put on a bulletin board, a substantial percentage of your members just don’t read it! A valid reason might be that they are not playing regularly at the club in the first place. But how about the players who are there twice a week and still don’t read the bulletin boards? They simply zip through the lobby, fly into the locker room, and out onto the court. Laury determined that there is one area where, without fail, you can get them to read something sitting down. And, no, he has not converted his on-court changeover benches into a bus stop with ads plastered all over the backs of the seats. Think about it carefully. Where do your players sit and stare at a blank wall? The answer is simple: while looking at the inside of the stall door in the bathrooms. Laury has mounted 2-3 simple plexi-glass holders on the inside of the stall doors allowing his staff to rotate messages they want to communicate to the members. And, in the men’s locker room, he even put a few on the tile wall in front of the stand-up stalls only the men get to use! Remember, member retention always goes up the more frequently your members use your facilities.
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Now let’s cover some marketing ideas that can substantially boost a club’s junior program. This first idea comes from Larry Karageanes’ Junior Tennis Programmer. We all know that headlines in letters, newsletters, and bulletin boards are the attention-grabbers that yield results. Larry lists dozens in his book, but here are five especially punchy ones that may work for you:
1. Do you want something your family can enjoy together?
2. You can give your children something for the rest of their lives!
3. If you're looking for physical activity, social development and a rewarding sport for your child, we can teach them tennis in 6 weeks!
4. If you don't want your child watching TV after school, then this information is for you!
5. How often do you hear yourself saying "I wish I played when I was younger."
And, here’s another headline in the context of a sample letter: "A little mistake that costs children a lot when they become adults." The rest of the letter could read as follows:
Dear Parent,
We know you play tennis and enjoy the benefits: exercise, being outside, meeting friends, competition, and much more. Many of you also comment on how easy it would have been if you started to play at an earlier age. Well, now you can make sure your child won't say the same thing.
Then Larry suggests inserting another more descriptive header like: "Your child can learn tennis in six weeks!"
Then the letter can go on to say: We are now offering a six-week tennis program for beginners from 7 to 12-years-old. Your child will learn tennis basics, how to keep score, and the importance of sportsmanship and fair play. All of what they learn they can use for the rest of their lives. And, by the end of the program they will have played a full game. He also suggests adding that the program is limited to a certain number of students to motivate them to act immediately.
To end the letter, Larry suggests putting a P.S. at the bottom that reads: P.S. You never saw a child more satisfied and proud after they hit five shots in a row.
Also from Larry Karageanes is the idea of a fitness ladder which is very similar to the regular challenge ladders that we see at clubs and facilities, but is different in one important way. The players are competing for positions on the ladder based on achievements in physical fitness. The categories for scoring points and thus achieving a higher position on the ladder are based upon areas like running speed, sit-ups, push-ups, running agility ladders, and anything else you can come up with.
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The final marketing tip for this issue is a fund-raising idea called "Junior Tennis Squares," and it has proven successful for junior tennis programs, high school teams, or even college teams. On a posterboard in a prominent place draw small squares. Depending upon the size of the audience or membership you may have 100 squares (10x10 squares), or up to 400 squares (20x20). The idea is to sell squares for either $5, $10 or $20 and give away as many prizes as you can organize, including free ball machine use for a certain period of time, free guest passes, a warm up, free lessons, free re-strings, a discount on membership dues, or even tickets to a collegiate event. To expand your base of prizes you may even want to consider contacting a handful of local restaurants or movie theaters. Obviously with a fund-raiser like this it’s important to list how the funds which are raised will be used. And, don’t forget that the best time to schedule the prize drawing for the fund-raiser is during a tennis event with the largest audience possible. The expenses which can be promoted can include traveling expenses to tournaments for local or regional juniors, inter-club events, or helping needy kids with free equipment and free lessons.