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What Did I Learn as a Volleyball Dad and an Internet Marketing Consultant?
As a volleyball dad and an internet marketing consultant, I’ve come to appreciate the complexities of running a volleyball club. I’ve experienced the excitement and joy that volleyball brings to kids and parents alike, but I’ve also witnessed the struggles that clubs face in effectively marketing themselves. Managing the online presence of a volleyball club is no easy feat. While many clubs are making strides, they often fail to implement best practices consistently.
The Similar Challenges Across Industries
The challenges volleyball clubs face in creating a strong online presence are not unique.
Like other industries, they deal with problems like defining their target audience, building trust, and standing out from the competition. However, being involved in the volleyball world allows me to take a more specific look at how these issues play out in youth sports. This insight highlights how clubs could better tailor their strategies to meet the needs of both players and parents.
Defining the Audience: Youth Players or Parents?
One of the most challenging aspects for volleyball clubs, and arguably the most fundamental, is defining their audience. In most industries, knowing your audience is critical. In the case of youth sports clubs, there are two primary groups to consider: the youth players and their parents.
Parents are often the decision-makers, especially when it comes to youth programs. While the kids are the ones playing volleyball and are arguably the end consumers, the parents are the ones paying the fees, driving them to practices, and making the decision about which club their child will join.
But here’s where it gets complicated: the youth players themselves are also key influencers. They’re the ones who have to be enthusiastic about the program, and in many cases, their opinion carries significant weight in the decision-making process.
So how do clubs impress both categories? How do they attract the attention of both kids and parents and, more importantly, how do they convert interest into enrollment? It’s not enough just to post a few pictures of games or list the program fees.
The Need to Stand Out
To capture the attention of both players and parents, volleyball clubs must differentiate themselves. It’s not just about being good; it’s about being better than the competition. This is where many clubs struggle. They might be offering fantastic programs, but their online presence often doesn’t reflect it.
For instance, some clubs offer a comprehensive training regime, support for athletes looking to advance to college or professional volleyball, and even specialized programs tailored to different skill levels. However, this information can sometimes be buried deep within the website, or worse, not be showcased at all. As a result, clubs miss out on convincing parents and players that they have the tools to develop young athletes into high-level volleyball players.
A well-thought-out strategy needs to be in place to communicate these advantages clearly. Highlighting success stories, explaining the benefits of the programs, and providing testimonials from parents and players can help a club stand out online.
Convincing Parents: What Makes Your Club Special?
For parents, choosing a volleyball club is more than just a financial decision; it’s about trusting a club with their child’s development—volleyball skills, volleyball strategy, athleticism, emotionally, or promoting a healthy diet. How a club presents all these online can significantly influence this decision.
To effectively convince parents, clubs need to focus on several areas:
- Safety and Support: Parents want to know that their kids will be supported, not only in improving their volleyball skills but also in their overall development. This includes (in addition to the above development areas) having supportive coaches, a safe environment, and clear communication. Yet, many clubs fail to highlight this aspect effectively on their websites.
- Player Development: Parents want to see how the club will help their children grow. For those with children aiming to play in college or beyond, it’s essential that clubs communicate how they can support those goals.
- Balanced Programs: Many parents are looking for programs that cater to a variety of goals. Some kids just want to socialize and stay active, while others have more serious ambitions. Clubs should explain how they cater to different levels, from recreational leagues to competitive rep teams.
The bottom line is that clubs need to give parents confidence in their ability to nurture and guide their children, and this needs to be visible online.
Engaging the Players: Inspiring Passion and Commitment
While parents make the final decision, players still have significant influence. Clubs need to capture the imagination of youth athletes. Posting only basic information and occasional game photos won’t cut it.
Clubs need to create content that speaks directly to the players: videos of exciting game moments, interviews with coaches or former players, interactive challenges, and perhaps even a sneak peek into the daily life of a rep volleyball athlete. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube can play a huge role in this, as these are the platforms where many youth athletes spend their time. Clubs that embrace video content, behind-the-scenes footage, and live interaction will naturally attract more attention from players.
Making It Easy for University and College Scouts
Another key audience that volleyball clubs often overlook in their online strategy is US and Canadian university and college scouts. These scouts are always on the lookout for talented players to recruit into their programs, and they rely heavily on online resources to find and evaluate potential athletes. The easier it is for volleyball scouts to find relevant information about a player, the more likely they are to follow through with their interest.
If a scout hears about a promising athlete, they should be able to easily find the relevant information about a player on the club’s website. Yet, many clubs fail to provide a simple and organized way for scouts to gather this information. Instead, they might find themselves navigating through multiple pages or sections or accounts, often with no clear way to get the details they need.
A dedicated section for athlete profiles, complete with searchable filters by team, age, or position, can make it far easier for scouts to find the specific players they are interested in. Adding highlight reels, recent performance metrics, and even coach testimonials can add significant value and increase a player’s visibility. See an example here: Volleyball Athletes website.
In today’s highly competitive sports environment, clubs that make it easy for scouts to access player details online are not only supporting their athletes’ dreams but also boosting the club’s reputation as a place that cultivates next-level talent.
Testing, Learning, and Adapting
One thing I’ve learned from both marketing and being a volleyball dad is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to attracting new athletes and their parents. What works for one club might not work for another. However, the beauty of online marketing is that clubs can test and learn in real time. They can try different strategies, analyze what works, and refine their approach based on the results.
The key is to stay flexible and be willing to adapt. Testing different approaches, learning from the results, and testing again is the only way to improve—and ultimately attract more athletes.
The Pitfalls of a Poor Online Presence
Some clubs focus heavily on their website’s functionality, while others are hyper-focused on social media awareness. Both strategies have merit, but balance is essential. A functional website is critical for parents looking for information, while a robust social media presence is where youth athletes are more likely to engage.
However, many clubs miss this balance entirely. For example, a club may have an overly complex website with hard-to-find information, causing frustration for busy parents. Others might invest heavily in social media but fail to communicate essential details like training schedules, fees, or club philosophies and values on their website.
In my experience, I’ve noticed that clubs which are growing too fast often lose focus on ease of use and accessibility. As a result, they fail to provide a user-friendly experience for both parents and players, causing them to miss out on potential enrollments.
What Club Owners Forget to Highlight
One of the biggest discrepancies I’ve noticed is between what club owners are proud of, what makes the club special and how they showcase that online. Club owners may be immensely proud of their athletes, coaches, or accomplishments, but if this is not clearly highlighted on their website or social media, how will anyone know? It’s essential to have a well-crafted online plan and implementation that showcases these elements in an accessible way.
Final Thoughts: Test, Learn, Grow
I didn’t analyze every volleyball club out there, but I have spent some time reviewing volleyball clubs in Ontario and BC. The challenges clubs face in improving their online presence are considerable, but they are not insurmountable. With the right approach, a club can engage both parents and youth players, set itself apart from the competition, and ensure that it continues to grow and thrive. The key is to test, learn, adapt, and never stop improving.
There is ALWAYS something waiting to be improved.
Do you have any questions? Contact me here.
