Original story appeared in the Internet Marketing NJ blog.
Being a baseball fan and a family man I really have enjoyed our Lakewood BlueClaws. I went to a number of games last year with my family and we had an absolutely great time every time. I personally don’t think there is a better value in sports. My daughter attended a birthday party at the stadium and it really opened my eyes to what a class operation they have put together.
Howard: I think the BlueClaws have done a tremendous job marketing themselves on the internet. As a small business owner I think there is a lot to learn from. How important is the Internet to your over-all marketing plan?
Greg: It’s critical and we’ve put a larger emphasis on that in recent months. Beyond our website and email newsletter, we keep a blog, have a significant presence on Facebook and have recently joined the
Twitter revolution too. It’s all about reaching your clients in different ways.
Howard: I absolutely agree. Many business both large and small are struggling to benefit or see the value of social media. The BlueClaws seem to have embraced the internet and are comfortable communicating with it. What I found uplifting was the genuine love for the sport of baseball which is interwoven into all of the content on the website, especially in your PodCasts. This is not evident in most larger businesses websites because it cannot be manufactured, but then again you’re a baseball team which makes it a bit easier! We are talking about America’s Pastime.
How have you been able to transfer the excitement on the field into excitement on the Internet?
Greg: We try to interact as much as possible with the fans. One thing we’ve done with some success is trivia contests. We even posted on our Twitter page an offer where if someone printed out the page and brought it in we would give them a free hat. We want to give people a reason to head over to these sites without confusing it with BlueClaws.com. They’re different sites and they serve different purposes.
Howard: What is your most popular section of the website?
Greg: Beyond the basic stuff, like the schedule and the promotions, everyone seems to love the fan photos section. We put up pictures not just from games but from events and community appearances. Everyone wants to find Buster and see if they can find themselves.
Howard: Pictures tell the story, especially for a family event like baseball. I can way the fans would really enjoy that. Tools like flickr make it nice any easy for anybody to incorporate pictures into their online presence.
One of my favorite websites out there right now is Pandora which is fantastic Internet Radio. When you are not working on BlueClaws.com what other websites stand out when surfing the web?
Greg:I don’t listen to that much internet radio. I do read a bunch of blogs on subjects I’m interested in. Besides BlueClaws Blog of course, the site that I will definitely go to is Neil Best’s Media Watchdog blog on Newsday.com. I think he does a great job.
Howard: Are you planning any special internet programs for this season?
Greg: We had a BlueClaws desktop wallpapers, the winners received four tickets to a game and have their wallpaper on our website. Don’t have the details yet on the new stuff, though.
Howard: You’ll have to keep me posted on those when finalized. What special events do you have planned for the April 9th Opening Day?
Greg: The biggest part of Opening Day is the Phillies World Series trophy will be in attendance. Fans can bring a camera and take their picture with the trophy on the concourse. It’s the only time the trophy will be here this year. Also, everyone will get a BlueClaws magnet schedule for their refrigerators.
Pre-game, we’ll bring the trophy out on the field and we’ll also have a flag drag over the field before the game. It’s going to be a fun night.
Howard: My whole family is really excited about coming down opening day. We had a lot of fun at the stadium last year and are really looking forward to a new season. Thanks for spending some time with me Greg, I really appreciate it. If you want to get tickets to see the Lakewood BlueClaws you get them online on their website .
Greg: Anytime Howard.
Greg Giombarrese is the Media & Public Relations Manager for the Lakewood BlueClaws (A-Phillies)
