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Scoring Big with Push Notifications: A Marketer’s Guide to Sports Event Advertising

Sports events, whether it’s the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympics, are more than just a gathering of fans and athletes. They are a goldmine for marketers, advertisers, brands, and publishers looking to supercharge their ad campaigns. 

Here is a marketing wisdom for you: go wherever your potential customers are. Sports events attract millions of excited eyes to the screens, which turns into an intense traffic flow you can benefit from. So why don’t you perceive them all as your potential audience? 

In this article, we’ll show you how to harness the power of push notifications to score big during sports events.


Why do sports events deserve your attention?

In the world of marketing, timing is everything. Here’s why sports events are great to start a campaign:

  • Global viewership: as we said before, sports events draw in a massive global audience. Whether it’s an iconic championship or a regional game, people from all corners of the world are glued to their screens. It’s like having the attention of the entire world, and that’s something every marketer dreams of. 
  • High engagement: sports fans are known for being passionate. Their focus is super-sharp during the game, and that’s when they’re most receptive to messages, especially relevant ones. Capitalizing on this engagement is a golden opportunity.
  • Emotional connection: sports evoke strong emotions. Whether it’s the thrill of victory or the frustration of defeat, these events create a unique atmosphere ripe for brands to connect with consumers on an emotional level.

Sports fans are known as one of the most active audiences, so don’t miss your chance! From our customers’ experience, Notix web Push notifications have a potential to bring up to 35% of users back to your website as well as about 1.20% CTR


Targeting, segmentation, and testing: hitting the bullseye

Before you dive into sending push notifications during sports events, you need to get your targeting, segmentation, and campaign scheduling right – in other words, best practices for push notifications. Here’s how:

Demographics 

Start by understanding the demographics of your audience. Are you targeting basketball fans, soccer aficionados, or cricket enthusiasts? Who are they and which products and services interest them? Knowing this can help you tailor your messages more effectively.

From our experience, the most relevant niches for sports fans are:

  • Media: news, and especially sports news (here is where Notix feature for audience segmentation will come in handy);
  • eCommerce: any goods relevant to the sports event, be it merchandise, tickets for upcoming events, or any other fan stuff; 
  • Health and Nutrition: sports nutrition, as well as diet tips from well-known sportsmen;
  • Video content: subscriptions, special offers, and access to the juiciest sports-related materials;
  • Software: interactive calendars or VPN and ad-blocking apps to help people get access to their favorite content with no hussle (especially useful for in-app Push notifications);
  • Games: sports simulators and arcades;
  • Lifestyle: stories about sportsmen, their successes and even some spicy gossip.

Use Notix Segmentation tool to offer users subscribe to different topics and sections of your site, so that they can choose the most relevant one and therefore – enjoy personalized experience, while you can benefit from them performing the target actions.  Plus, install the Retargeting Pixel on a chosen site page to track users’ behavior automatically, define their interests and combine them into the right audiences considering that data. 

Geographic targeting 

Different sports have different global hotspots. For instance, football matches as large as the Premier League are definitely popular in the UK and beyond. At the same time, say, cricket is extremely popular in India, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand but will hardly bring significant results in other GEOs. 

Another thing to note is that there are GEOs like Brazil or Germany, where football is a real cult, so locals usually watch matches even if their native countries are not participating. 

Testing 

According to our analytics team and our partners’ practical experience, event-related campaigns need a small audience warm-up and testing. We recommend launching a couple of tests before the event of your interest (2-3 days) to find out which GEO will bring you the best results. Our research shows that you can never guess which combination will work for your particular product.

The same works with your push notifications creatives – tailor a couple of sets with various images and texts to see which will attract more audience. 

Real-time monitoring 

Sports events are dynamic, and the game can change in an instant. Use real-time monitoring to adjust your push notifications accordingly. For example, a sudden goal could be a great moment to send a notification.


Customizing your push notifications for sports events

Now let’s look at how to craft the perfect push notification for a sports event:

  • Compelling headlines, emojis and pictures

Use attention-grabbing headlines related to the game, such as «Goal alert» or «Half-time special.» Emojis and bright icons will make your push notifications look really appealing, like this one:

Notix_sports_push_notifications_example1
  • Call to Action (CTA)

Make your CTA relevant to the event, like «Get your super bowl special now!»

Notix_sports_push_notifications_strategies_example2
  • Urgency and exclusivity

Emphasize the urgency or exclusivity of your offer. Phrases like «Limited-time offer» or «Exclusive game-day discounts» can work wonders.

Notix_sports_push_example3
  • Timing is key

Send notifications during crucial moments, like when a team scores, during halftime, or at the end of the game. This ensures that your message isn’t lost in the noise.


Conclusion

Sports events offer an unparalleled opportunity for marketers, advertisers, brands, and website owners to shine. With the right targeting, segmentation, and well-crafted push notifications, you can ride the wave of enthusiasm that these events generate. So, get in the game, and watch your conversion rates skyrocket as you connect with fans at the perfect moment.

Make sure to:

  • Know your audience and segment them accordingly to their interests so that you can deliver personalized experience;
  • Audience warm-up and testing are crucial, so start at least a week or two before the actually event to be 100% prepared; 
  • Mind the globality of a sports event and see which GEOs have the highest potential regarding the origin of teams/sportsmen;
  • Provide special exclusive offers and use original and compelling headlines + images relevant to the event. 

Now go out there and score big with push notifications during sports events!