Ulster GAA: How to promote your club

PROMOTING Gaelic games, culture and community is a central aim of every GAA club.

In today’s busy world, people have an ever-increasing range of activities and interests competing for their time. Effective promotion and communication are therefore essential to attracting new members, engaging existing members and ensuring that the club remains visible and relevant within its community.

The first step in promoting your club’s activities is to identify your target audiences.

These may include existing members, players and coaches, parents and families, potential sponsors, supporters and the wider community.

Once your audiences have been identified, the next step is to develop a strong club identity and agree on the key messages you want to communicate.

Your club may wish to promote its tradition and achievements, publicise upcoming matches and events, promote fundraising initiatives, attract new members and volunteers, or highlight the important role the GAA club plays at the heart of the local community.

Research and Planning

Having identified your target audiences and the messages you want to communicate, it is important to take time to research and understand how your club is perceived.

Clubs should be open to finding out:

l How people perceive the club

l What people believe the club does well

l How people think the club could be improved

• How effective current marketing and communication activities are

l Where there are opportunities to improve marketing and communication

l How the club could better engage with existing members, potential members and the wider community

This information can be gathered through informal conversations, surveys, focus groups, social media feedback or other appropriate methods. The findings can then help inform the development of an overall marketing and communications strategy.

Who Is Responsible?

Successful marketing and communication requires a team effort. While the Communications Officer traditionally takes the lead on promotional activities within a GAA club, the demands placed on clubs today mean that it is increasingly difficult for one person to manage every aspect of communication.

Clubs now communicate with a wider range of audiences through an increasing number of channels.

Ideally, the Communications Officer should be supported by an assistant and a wider marketing and communications working group.

This team can bring together people with different skills and interests, ensuring that responsibility for planning, creating and sharing content is shared across the club.

Promotional Tools

Traditionally, club promotion and communication relied heavily on club notes, parish bulletins, local newspapers and posters around the clubhouse and community.

Today, clubs have access to a much wider range of promotional and communication tools such as social media, websites, emails, digital newsletters, photography & video and online advertising. These opportunities are continually evolving, making it important for clubs to identify members with relevant skills and provide them with appropriate training and support.

Make sure someone is responsible for keeping social media channels updated regularly. The same applies to a club website. A social media account or website that has not been updated for several months can give the impression that the club is inactive, even when there is a huge amount happening behind the scenes.

A consistent and engaging online presence helps demonstrate that your club is active, welcoming and connected to its members and community.

Budget

Many promotional and communication platforms are free to use, but clubs should still consider setting aside a budget for marketing and communications.

Start by identifying which activities will incur a cost and then consider where your investment will have the greatest impact. This could include website development, printed materials, photography and video, digital advertising, event promotion or other promotional activities.

The key is not necessarily to spend more, but to spend wisely. A clear plan will help the club make the most of its available resources and ensure that promotional activity supports the club’s wider goals.