Marketing Our Club
Hi,
We must start marketing our club more actively so we can fill all our hours of operations. I arrived Saturday morning at 9:30 and our entire space was filled with badmitton players practicing. I want Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons crowded with people before someone suggests they need our space.
Let me know what community papers and San Diego papers we should advertise in to inform people of our club. Are there Chinese community magazines to be in?
Anybody have suggestions how to get more teenagers interested in Table Tennis. Can we put on some exhibitions at some high schools? Are you watching how great the young kids from Ensenada are doing at our club events?
Please provide me your feed back. By the way, we open at 3:00 on Fridays now.
Regards,
James Kahn, Board Chairman
It would be great if an official rep/designated volunteer from the club could be there to open the club if possible.
I arrived last Friday at 3:25ish and nothing was setup, all the doors were locked, and no one was there. Unfortunately I couldn’t wait around so I just left for the day but was planning to stay for 3-4 hours.
I don’t see the club advertising on Craigslist which is free advertising. I suggest putting the ad under ping pong in addition to table tennis.
Hi James,
Do some promotional games in shopping malls like Mission Valley with guys like Earl and other youngish types.Also include in this exercise some free instructions for juniors(specifically young school children male or female) who show interest.Video these events and post them on Youtube with the appropriate links of course.
Some sponsorship wouldn’t go astray either without losing the identity of the club.I’m sure a huge corporate company like Whole Foods Market would like an association with a sport that has a wholesome image like table tennis.It could be branding on new barriers when they are replaced or simply logos on club t-shirts.A branded internal club tournament would be an attractive option as well.Trader Joe’s is another possibility.Companies these days are looking for subtle and inexpensive ways to promote their brand.Table tennis is one of the most under rated and under promoted sports in the world and yet played regularly and properly offers one of the safest ways to keep healthy and fit.If you need more ideas just talk to me.I did hold the position of national advertising manager for a large consumer electronics and white goods company back home in Australia.
I think we have plenty of new people walking through the doors, the problem is that they don’t come back. I’ve played outside the club with lots of folks who came to the club once and didn’t feel welcome and never went back. The general feeling I get is that no one wants to play with new players so they end up sitting on the bleachers for long periods of time. If want to attract new members (and have them stay) we should be more proactive to invite new folks onto the tables and to try to match them up with partners at their level.