For decades, sports leagues and rec clubs have used email as their primary way to communicate with individuals and teams. Email is still a useful tool to send schedules, newsletters, and other materials that don’t require an immediate response, but it fails to reach people promptly.
Texting has become the best tool for sports leagues and clubs to communicate with players, coaches, or the entire organization. Texts have a 98% open rate and are read within 3 minutes of receipt, which makes it invaluable for sending important updates or schedule changes via text.
Better Engagement Through SMS
League organizers, club managers, and coaches typically send texts from their personal phones. Unfortunately, this prevents them from taking advantage of all that bulk SMS, text messaging, and two way messaging have to offer. To organize contacts, texting from a feature-rich software will deliver notifications and general communications from a centralized portal.
With texting, you can do more than send updates. It’s also an excellent tool for marketing and engaging with members. Here are some ways leagues and clubs can take advantage of texting:
1. Registration
Texting registration instructions and links make it easier for players and parents to sign up. Plus, sending a reminder prevents missed deadlines. Automatic confirmations can be sent after they register, which allows organizers to track membership numbers. Making registration simple for organizers and members ensures more people will sign up.
2. Special Events / Fundraising
Want to increase participation at special events and fund drives? Texts can be sent with specific details and links to webpages, as well as provide updates and progress reports on fundraising goals. Texts can also recruit and coordinate volunteers.
3. Automated Texts
Messages can be sent right away or scheduled weeks in advance. Set it up, and it’s done. This saves valuable time for organizers and coaches.
4. Schedule Changes
Texts are the quickest way to contact teams or the entire league with schedule changes. No one can control the weather, but text alerts can let everyone know when games or practices are canceled, rescheduled, or a change in location.
5. Scores and Standings
Keep coaches and players in the loop with the latest scores and standings. Teams can also attach pictures and videos of exciting moments during a game. This builds more engagement and can be easily shared over social media.
6. Collecting Payments and Fees
Collecting player fees and league dues can be difficult for coaches and organizers. This is easily solved by sending texts with links for online payment options, which allows them to focus on the things that matter.
7. Requesting Information
Keywords and QR Codes allow new members to sign up for information or get on a team. These can be displayed on the league’s website, social media pages, or other marketing materials that are open to the public.
A Cost-Effective Tool for Tight Budgets
Leagues and clubs are nonprofits that usually run on tight budgets, so the right tool needs to be customizable and cost-effective. Plus, it has to be used to its fullest potential in order to get the biggest ROI. All of this will benefit these organizations for years to come through retaining players and recruiting new ones.