Five ways to increase digital adoption at your club!
You have just signed up for fan facing technology which is going to be a game-changer for your club. The next step is to drive adoption. Whilst this step is crucial to realising all the benefits the technology can bring, it is also difficult. Changing old habits is hard, regardless of the improvements being made.
So, how do you do it? We have put together a list of five tactics we have seen work first hand, to help you drive digital adoption and push your club forwards.
Channel the power of influence
In our view, the most important. Yes, sending out nicely written emoji filled communications across social channels is great… but what really matters are those little chats in the pub before the game, over a bovril at half-time and around the town. If one fan asks if they can do something the old way and an influential character says it's no bother, word will spread and this will undermine the whole objective. The messaging around the club needs to be consistent 24/7.
To achieve this, take the time to ensure the committee and any influential fans understand and buy into the vision. This group are crucial and need to drive change every time they speak to your other fans. The way committee members, friends, family and fellow fans behave is an incredibly powerful tool for driving new behaviours at a club.
Incentivise your fans
An obvious one. Financial incentives are a great way to get people to try out new technology the first couple of times. After that, it is up to the product to keep them engaged. We have already seen a number of successes:
Online discount - Stevenage Football Club offer a £2 discount for any fans (excluding U12) that purchase their digital ticket online in advance of the game to promote utilising the online ticket store.
Package deals - For their Scottish Cup tie against Peterhead, Civil Service Strollers of the Lowland League boosted online sales by offering an exclusive online deal of ticket, pie and pint at a reduced rate.
Make it fun
Encourage fans to sign up to newsletters, interact with your website/social media content or whatever objectives you may have through the use of gamification. This could be something as easy as ‘guess the final score’ or you could have a little fun with a ‘crossbar challenge’ recorded during a training session then offer a prize to the winner, anything from a discount on tickets to an upcoming game or a signed shirt from the squad! Let's make it fun!
Make it easy
Do the basics right and make it as easy as smooth for fans to use your new digital experiences. Three straightforward ways to do this:
Embed/connect your new digital experiences to your website
It sounds simple, but make sure it is easy for fans to find whatever you are promoting through your website.
Make sure your links are intuitive
When promoting new digital products or services online, use the most relevant link. Want to promote a digital product on your social channels? Link directly to the purchase page a few clicks into the process rather than right at the beginning.
Use QR codes for ‘in person’
One thing that came out of the COVID pandemic was the resurgence of the QR code. We all had to use them every time we entered a cafe/bar/restaurant! It is a great way to direct fans to a new digital experience in person. You can use a QR code generator, put it on a poster and plaster them around the club, the town, in a program and anywhere else… taking fans to the correct online service in one click.
Coach the less ‘tech savvy’
Adopting digital technology can be harder for some people and the last thing you want to do is alienate those fans. We have seen clubs hold ‘training sessions’ to show how to interact with new digital services. As a club, you could invite players or management to come along and help with the session to make it a real experience for all involved. A great chance to build on the community feel of the club.
Thank you for reading! Want to transform your fan experience? Using Fanbase technology, sports teams have just one platform to manage all elements of fan engagement, from ticketing & memberships to content and everything in between. Book a demo call or get in touch today to learn more and get started.
