What if you could read your fans’ minds to find out what they wanted from a sports team?
That sounds like science fiction, but in reality fans are telling you what they want with every online interaction. You just have to find the right tool to interpret your data. Once you do, you’ll be able to answer your most pressing questions about fan behavior.
For a growing number of teams, that tool is a sports custom mobile app. Here are just a few of the questions your sports team app can answer.
Who are your most valuable fans?
Before you can understand what fans want, you have to know who they are – sports fan data from an app. App data tells you a lot about your fans. Besides the obvious wealth of high-grade demographics data, you could also gather:
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- Common interests shared with other fans: This is a huge bonus to teams looking for sponsors that speak to their fans.
- Buying patterns: See what fans buy both during a game, such as concessions, and otherwise, like branded merchandise, by offering discounts or loyalty points for scanning the app at purchase.
- Favorite social media sites: Which sites do fans connect most and least?
- Game attendance and viewing: If fans aren’t at the game, are they watching on TV? Looking up stats on the app? Sharing clips on social media?
What motivates your fans to buy game tickets?
Right now, the majority of fans report they prefer to watch the game at home. Part of this trend is cost: NFL’s Fan Cost Index, which tracks the total average cost for a family of four to attend a game, for 2016 was $502.84. The index does include parking and a selection of concessions, but it’s still expensive for families. As a result fans elect to stay home or watch at a sports bar.
Teams need to uncover what motivates fans to buy tickets so they can push campaigns that speaks to what matters. Using app data, you can find ways to build up the in-person game experience to nudge fans past the “wouldn’t it be nice” daydream into the “let’s treat ourselves” decision point.
How do apps help?
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- Tracking buying journey: Where do fans drop out?
- Identifying motivational factors: What makes fans navigate to the ticket purchase page?
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- Enriching fan engagement: At what point do fans become invested enough to prioritize attending games over other recreational activities?
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- Matching ticket purchase to actual game attendees: Who are fans buying tickets for most often? Do they come alone or with family or friends?
How do fans feel about your sponsors?
One problem all sports teams have is proving their worth to sponsors. Tracking fan engagement with your sponsor’s material proves ROI. The data shows sponsors which fans are interested in their products, as well as highlighting what users will and won’t respond to.
Data will also tells you whether your fans don’t like a particular sponsor. If the sponsor is causing negative comments and reviews, you need to take steps to protect the team’s image. Fortunately, sports app data can suggest possible alternate sponsors for the team to approach instead.
Own your data
The bottom line is this: don’t settle for third party reports. With a sports custom mobile app, you get a completely transparent look into the fan data they share with you. That data is the key to making your marketing team as effective as the players.
What questions do you need your sports app to answer? Contact FanHero to find out how easy building an app can be!
