Specialist in marketing of air sports
Airsports
Grow and retain members
The rapid changes in digital marketing and consumer behaviour has meant that marketing strategies for air sports like hang gliding, model aircraft, ballooning, parachuting and aerobatics has had to evolve.
Air sport organisations are now having to capitalise on all multimedia channels in order to soar to greater heights to meet the needs of a busy, time-poor audience.
These days, consumers are spoilt for choice, with so many different sports on offer and more media platforms than ever before. In this information-saturated world, people have become less invested in one single sporting genre, as well as having less time to commit to these sporting bodies.
It can be overwhelming for organisations to pin point where to invest their money and how to execute their messages in a clear and concise way that is easily digested by the general public. Digital and social media does require a high level of expertise, but it’s not solely about choosing the right channel. It’s also about delivering the right key messages and attention-grabbing information that influences consumers to take action.
“Sustainable Marketing Services has helped us think more strategically about marketing. Their expertise in understanding the marketing of air sports, hang gliding and our members, means that Maria and her team are able to direct our focus to the right activities that perform better- overall it means we get a better ROI.”
Why is marketing of air sports different?
Unfortunately, these volunteers typically don’t have the resources or the expert marketing, digital and social media skills to effectively elevate their sport and grow memberships.
The hierarchy of a sporting organisation usually sees the National Body taking sole responsibility to raise the profile of the sport at the national and sometimes state levels.
At a local level, individual clubs are often responsible for retaining and attracting new members. This requires a two-pronged approach, where the profile of the sport is elevated nationally and the grassroots marketing is undertaken locally, to attract people to join these clubs.
How to market “air sports”
Aside from promoting the sport as a whole, it’s also about selling the atmosphere and the environment surrounding the sport by promoting the thrill of flight, the camaraderie and the close-knit flying community.
The value consumers place on a chosen sport is usually emotional, as opposed to an economic evaluation that occurs when people buy physical products. It’s about understanding your market. They don’t see themselves as consumers, but as fans who can potentially form a lifelong loyalty, if they feel they are being looked after and spoken to directly. To target this niche audience, you need to understand what makes their heart race, what gets them excited and how you can develop the full potential of your brand, while addressing their needs.
Sustainable Marketing Services has a proven track record in the marketing of air sport organisations such as the Sports Aviation Federation of Australia (SAFA) and the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia (MAAA).
In our experience, the key success factors in the marketing of air sports are:
- Storytelling: People are attracted to stories. Thought-provoking content can capture a consumer’s attention and hold their interest. From our experience, members love to read about air sport events, human-interest and member profiles, historical articles about older members, air sport travelling and club success stories.
- Relevant topics and language: Understand what topics resonate with your members. What are they interested in reading about? Use language that their community uses, it makes them feel that they are being addressed personally. For example, in the MAAA, members often use the word “camaraderie”. This is highlighted throughout our marketing, publications and newsletters.
- Two-level marketing: Using public relations at a national level to raise the profile of the sport and the air sport body. Also, using grassroots marketing to help local clubs to attract new members.
- Modern website: An easy to navigate, interactive and modern website will help increase the profile of the sport, as well as provide members with helpful information and tools.
- Social media: Use social media to raise the profile of your brand. Digital is a powerful platform that can reach a wide, relevant audience. It needs to offer a great visitor experience. Most membership-based organisations must be prudent with members’ money, therefore social media is an affordable and helpful way to get in front of current members, as well as potential new members, daily.
- Member insights: Members want to feel like they are being listened to and that their needs and concerns are addressed. Take the time to understand your members through annual member surveys, by talking to them and by listening to them on Facebook.
The most effective air sports marketing ideas / strategies include:
- Public Relations: The power of great public relations builds brand visibility, increasing your exposure both nationally and internationally and connecting to a wider audience.
- Regular member communications: Keeping members up to date and in the loop with the sport and the industry body, will ensure they better understand the benefits of their membership fees and where their money is actually going towards.
- Facebook marketing: Facebook has become a pivotal marketing tool that can build a strong online community, creating a conversation and getting your messages and your sport out to a wider audience. Facebook can be a place where your members can share their passion for your sport daily or weekly, as well as creating interest from people who may be keen to join your sport.
- Video: Most air sports are highly visual. Video used on Facebook and websites can bring the freedom of flight to life, showcasing the pure thrill of the sport from a pilot’s perspective.
- Marketing support for clubs: To help clubs promote their wonderful sport locally and attract new members to their clubs.
What are the trends in air sport marketing?
The big trends that we are seeing in the marketing of air sport organisations include:
- A move to invest in modern websites that better showcase their sport. A consumer’s opinion on the creditability of an organisation can be based solely on the viewing of their website. Therefore, it’s important that it is interactive, informative and engaging.
- An increase in the use of PR at the national level to raise awareness of the sport to a wider audience.
- A stronger focus on building a loyal community on Facebook to extend the value offered to members.
- Increased use of videos, (including Facebook Live) to better highlight their sports.
- People want to be front row and centre and part of the action; whether that be a birds’ eye-view from a model plane or from the paragliding pilot’s perspective as they approach the perfect landing.
- People are extremely visual and Instagram has become a great platform to showcase a sport. Instagram hash tags are extremely powerful and a great way to get your sport noticed, as it makes it easier for people to find you online.
What are the challenges for air sport marketing?
Some of the challenges air sport organisations face with their marketing include:
- Growing membership, with an aging or falling membership as well as encouraging the next generation to have a go at the sport.
- How to address member concerns about the cost of membership, the perceived value they are receiving and insufficient member communication.
- How to increase their digital and social media presence .
- What content topics to write about in newsletters, digital magazines and blogs: it’s about quality content over quantity. To do this exceptionally well requires diving deep into the insights of members. This can be achieved through surveys, conversations and listening to members on Facebook.
How can Sustainable Marketing Services help?
With a team of marketing and PR specialists, we work closely with our clients to develop marketing plans, public relations strategies, digital marketing, marketing communications, social media and member surveys.
- Digital marketing: new websites and online promotion strategies.
- The writing of member communications: digital magazines, newsletters, renewal campaigns and crisis management in the event of accidents.
- Social media, including social media strategy, content creation and management of Facebook and Instagram pages.
- Member surveys that sharpen your personalisation with your air sport community.
At all times, I can now get on with doing my job as the Chief Operations Officer, knowing that I have an expert marketing team focused on elevating our sport, growing and retaining our membership.
Case Studies
Examples of some of our air sport work
- Public Relations: In 2018, we achieved national television coverage of the Paragliding World Cup for the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia. This included the hourly, leading sports bulletin on Channel 9’s Weekend Today and a feature news story on SBS WORLD News.
- Digital marketing: We have developed the digital strategy for new websites for both www.safa.asn.au and www.maaa.asn.au as well as their online promotions.
- Digital Magazines: In 2014, we introduced and (continued until 2021) to create the MAAA’s digital Wingspan Magazine. Since its inception, Wingspan received very positive feedback from members who feel they have a voice within the model flying community, as well as content that educates, informs and entertains them.
- Crisis communications: Writing communications, managing the media where accidents have occurred and creating crisis management processes and templates.
- Social media: Grew Facebooks fans from 1,450 (2016) to 13,083 (2021) for the MAAA. More importantly, the MAAA Facebook page had a high level of engagement with members (and fans) who genuinely enjoyed being part of the Facebook community. It has become an additional value added service that members enjoy.
- Member insights: To develop a deeper, more accurate understanding of its members, we undertook annual member surveys for both the MAAA and the HGFA. This ultimately helps the executive in their decision making, but we also utilise this information to refine content topics in the MAAA’s Wingspan and the HGFA’s SkySailor magazines.
Where to from here?
Feel free to give us a call, email, or use our contact form to discuss your project and how we can help you.
Call us on 07 3821 3939 or 0402 095 699.