How to get Butts in the Seats! Part two.

This is part two of how to get people at your games. Part one explained the benefits of Word of Mouth and how important it is to go outside your circles and talk to everyone you meet about your great product you want to sell aka Roller Derby. Seriously, it is the best thing around so it shouldn't be a hard sell.  

Email Bulletin 

We started adding everyone we talk to on an email list. We also put out fan sign up lists at the merch booth and at the food/bar area at our bouts and  fundraisers and such. We send out an event reminder to the list a month before the event and then re email it a week before. We only use this list to promote our fundraisers, which we only have one a year, and our bouts. We also email this group as soon as we have our season schedule. You don't want to over use this option, people will get angry if you spam them.  Any other updates we do with our facebook pages, twitter and on our website.
This makes it easy for your fans to pass on the information in their email lists.

Your Signatures Are Worth Something 

Let your email market your event.
Add a paragraph to your email signature to let people know about an upcoming event.

Mine is

Anya Face
Forest City Derby Girls
www.forestcityderbygirls.com
www.hotacrossbuns.etsy.com
Check out Roller Derby at the Western Fair Grounds on May 29th.
Doors open at 7, wheels roll at 8pm, tickets 15 dollars, 10 and under free
email me for more details.

This way even when your just emailing friends and family, it's just a little reminder after your initial email without being all spammy.

With all these tips, if you do them alone you will get the word out, but if you implement that all of your players, refs and volunteers do the same you will reach a huge number of people!

Love Anya Face

How to get Butts in the Seats! Part one.

So you've trained really hard, and planned the bout and the bands and the after party is all set. All this work is wasted if you cant get people in the seats to see it.

My roller derby team does not like to spend money on anything. We want to keep money to put on more bouts. So I'm going to post some ways to get your fans at your event for as cheap as possible.  The key to getting people to the bouts is that every derby girl in the league should be working their butts off to get the word out. Even if you have a person in charge of promotions, she should only be responsible for contacting media to set up interviews etc. Everyone in the league should be working in their own circles and as a group to get the information out to all ages and walks of life.

Roller Derby really is a sport for everyone so don't stay in your comfort zones, branch out and meet lots of people and promote your event and your sport.

Word Of Mouth 

The first place to start is with your members, supporters and current fan base. Use your meetings, regular communications and newsletters to let them know about your event and encourage them to tell their friends and friends of friends. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful selling tools because it also comes with a reliable, credible endorsement.

Past that you can talk to people on the street, people in line at the grocery store. Make sure you have hand bills or business cards with your website listed on you at all time. Get your friends and family excited about the event as well and they will tell their friends.

Tell people at your work, at the daycare, at the doctors appointments, your kids school, your nephews school, get your family and friends to do the same.  Pretty much where ever you go you should find someone you can talk a little derby to.

Make a goal for yourself and get all the girls in the league to do the same.  Whether you have a bout or not you should tell 5 people a week, or even a day if you can, about what your league is doing, or just getting your website out there for people to get some information and see what your league is all about.

In my experience, in roller derby, people always have questions about the sport and if you know the information and are excited about it they will be interested.  If you can get them interested, give them the information, they will pass it on for you.  

Love Anya