Your athletic department brand should be strong in your school and community, and there are steps you can take to get it there.
Choose one, or all, of these ways to take action now and boost your team’s brand.
Be consistent
Consistency is one of the most important aspects of building your athletic department’s brand. Consistency builds trust and recognition, which are crucial to building a strong brand. Consistent behavior from the leadership team in your athletic department will help people trust that you’ll be there for them as long as they’re willing to commit themselves to being a part of your organization.
People will become loyal customers if they feel like you’re always delivering on what you promise—they’ll develop this positive association with your brand and keep coming back!
Engage your community beyond the game
You can boost your athletic department’s brand by engaging the community beyond the game. This is a great way to get people excited about supporting you and building your community while also giving back.
Hold a community block party or have your teams volunteer at a local charity event. Letting people know that your athletic department cares about more than just winning games will help them see what kind of organization you are!
The small things
As you begin to build your athletic department’s brand, it’s important to understand that the little things are what people remember most. For example, if a referee makes a call unfavorable to your team, your reaction matters. You can make sure your players understand this by emphasizing the importance of taking care of all the little things: respect for officials and opponents; cool heads when things don’t go well; doing what’s right even if no one is watching.
To ensure everyone is practicing these values consistently across all aspects of your program, create clear expectations around how you want people on your team to conduct themselves both on and off the field. Then, hold everyone accountable by developing systems that allow you to check in regularly with players and coaches about their behavior.
Smells like teen spirit
Pep rallies and themed weeks hosted by your department will excite the entire school. You can also increase ticket sales by promoting your home games and bringing in more fans, a key component of any athletic team. Additionally, you can purchase the right paint striping machine to ensure that your field is always branded and in top shape. Also, consider producing merch for students to purchase and support all your teams.
Your athletic department brand is important to keep up to help you and your team succeed. As you can see, there are many ways to strengthen your athletic department’s brand. The most important thing is to remember that a strong brand isn’t just about getting attention—it’s about making sure people know who you are and what your mission is. It can be a challenge at times, but if you keep these tips in mind, it will make the process smoother.
