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Check out the Good Samaritan Hospital Flyin’ to the Hoop commercial for 2011. Sports Image® is the parent company of the Good Samaritan Hospital Flyin’ to the Hoop.
Category Archives: News
Corporate Sponsors Help Schools Finance Athletics
It’s no secret that schools are feeling the aftermath of the economy and are struggling to keep athletic departments active. For this reason, the importance of obtaining corporate sponsorships is dire in the sport industry. Sports Image® has helped schools and organizations meet their goals of not only maintaining, but improving their athletic programs by putting these organizations in touch with corporate sponsors. Check out the article below which further stresses the need for school sponsorships.
Good Samaritan Flyin’ to the Hoop Holds Successful Press Conference
Good Samaritan Flyin’ to the Hoop, a subsidiary company of Sports Image®, was thrilled to have a press conference hosted in their honor. Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio was happy to bring company founder, Eric Horstman, as well as other key figures in the community out to discuss the event. The responses of the tournament have been wonderful and it looks like this upcoming year’s event is going to be another smashing success. We cannot wait for the tournament to begin! Check out some quotes from the conference by clicking the link below:
Sports Image Awards Another Franchise to Closeout Kentucky
Dayton, OH (PRBuzz) November 9, 2010 — Sports Image® has just awarded Mr. Greg Keightley of Bowling Green, KY the 10th Sports Marketing Franchise nationwide in its first 18 months of franchising. In doing so, Sports Image®, a leader in the high school sports marketing industry, has now awarded all available territories in the state of Kentucky. In addition to Kentucky, Sports Image® now has a franchise presence in Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Florida and Georgia.
http://www.prbuzz.com/business-entrepreneur/48866-sports-image-awards.html
The Importance of Sports Marketing
Many people may wonder why sports marketing is such a big deal in today’s economy. The fact of the matter is that as schools face financial struggles, sports programs are forced to be cut or students are charged big bucks to play. Sports marketing on social media platforms with the assistance of themarketingheaven.com can not just bring financial support into the hands of players and allows schools to continue offering students the ability to play the sports they love but also help them get into the view of professional leagues, helping them make a career out of their interest.
Digital Marketing in Sports
Athletics are an integral piece of American culture and throughout the world. We live and die with our favorite teams; we dedicate hours to driving our children back and forth to practices of all kinds, and overall, sports allow us to come together and share feelings of camaraderie. For many of you, sports may even be your career choice.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a method of optimizing or improving a website’s online visibility or ranking and businesses can easily contact a SEO Agency to help them get more exposure online. When people want an answer to their query in a search engine, they type the query and press the enter key. The search engine then responds by showing the best sites on its results page. The first few sites which are displayed in the search results attract maximum attention from the viewer.
In comparison to the results displayed on the second page and the following pages, the websites on the first page have higher opportunity and possibility of selling their products and services. Thus, the websites compete with each other to appear first on the results of a search engine. Local Client Takeover helps you to building tips, and local marketing masterminds.
SEO concepts will help a website appear early on the search results of a search engine. It is therefore important to have knowledge about the SEO practices. It can affect a site’s online presence and its success in attracting customers. SEO results in higher traffic and visitors to a website. At seonexus.com website can view all the SEO related blogs and for more detail Check this site.
If sports are in fact a major piece of your livelihood, you probably work for or with an organization that needs to build awareness and that would like to consistently market their products or services. Whether you are a sporting goods store owner, an Athletic Director of a University, or a sports medicine professional, having a strong digital presence for your organization is paramount to serving your target market’s needs.
What do we mean by a “strong digital presence?” Well, it all starts with creating a responsive (mobile friendly) website & coupling it with strong Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work. Click here if you want to know more about SEO experts in Johnson City. If you are a sports organization, you also certainly need a strong social media presence and perhaps Google AdWords campaigns.
Effectively reaching your target market in today’s hyper-competitive environment involves several best practices and a holistic approach to your online tactics. If you want to have sustainable success for your sports organization, take a look at these steps below. Here you will get more about the savannah seo services.
What is SEO & Why is it Important?
First, let’s start with SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. SEO involves strategies that help improve your website’s visibility and that ultimately help it show up as a top search result. Having a website with strong SEO sports strategies will keep you competitive online. So, what exactly are these tactics that will help get your organization’s website to stand out and get on the first page of search results? Step 1 for great SEO in sports is having a professional and modern website made and optimized by a resell SEO services Professional SEO Company.
Make Sure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly
Are you a Division III Coach looking for new recruits? Maybe you are the owner of a sporting goods store, or a sports medicine physician with his or her own practice? You may even be a freelance sports photographer? Any of these careers all have something in common. You probably love sports and you probably need or have a website. If you have a website in today’s world, it needs to be responsive, a.k.a, mobile and tablet friendly and a title tag optimisation hack which comes with the SEO management to increase the searches and views of your business or product. Many of today’s consumers are looking for you on their smartphones, and if your athletics’ site isn’t functional on one, or takes too long to load, they will click a different link and forget all about you.
Do Keyword Research & Figure Out What Your Target Market Cares About
Think of your buyer persona or your ideal target…what would they be searching for? What would you search for if you were them? Think of keywords and phrases that you want to rank for and that make sense for your business or organization. For example, if you are a sporting goods store owner in Connecticut, you may want to rank for, “Mizuno baseball gloves in Connecticut,” and variations of that. Always keep your target in mind when performing your athletic organization’s SEO.
Use Those Sports Keywords To Your Advantage
Use the lineup of keywords and phrases that you created within your website’s characteristics. By this we mean include them in the title tags, meta descriptions, headers (ex. H1s, H2s, etc.) and image alt tags throughout your website.
In addition to these procedures, use the power of keywords in all your sports related content. It is a vital part of SEO in sports business that you produce regular, well-written, and engaging content. If you own a sports apparel store, write about your latest products. Not only will fresh information, stories, and blogs keep your target market interested, it will tell Google that you are still relevant.
Create A Google My Business Account
People are hungry for info. People will be searching for your travel soccer team, or, people will be searching for local sporting goods stores, or, someone may be searching for local sports doctors because of their recent knee injury. In effect, Google is the search engine you should give most of your focus towards. We recommend creating a Google My Business account and a Google Plus page. With these two accounts, you can ensure that you show up on Google Maps and your sports organization’s information will be featured at the top of local search results, complete with links to your address and phone number.
Sports Advertising: Incorporate AdWords & Social Media
By using the above SEO tips for sports organizations, you will be on your way to ranking well on Google. With that being said, these organic SEO methods take time and consistent effort to reach their full potential. A great way to get more immediate search engine attention is through an AdWords (pay-per-click) campaign. These paid ads get you a top spot and quicker website traffic to get the ball rolling. They can also be a great way to test out some keywords to see which ones you should target with your other SEO efforts.
In addition to paid efforts on Google, it is crucial for your sports organization to have a social media presence. In addition to regular and consistent posts, we recommend creating paid social campaigns on Facebook. Putting some money towards “boosted” posts and advertisements will bring further awareness to your brand.
SEO for Sports Organizations
Just like becoming a professional athlete or running a professional sports organization, building a digital presence takes hard work and dedication. Use these tips above to get your brand more awareness and always feel free to contact Zero Gravity Marketing with any questions.
Pickleball: The fastest growing sport you’ve never heard o
Because most pickleball games are played on retrofitted tennis courts, it’s quick and easy for a parks and recreation department to get the game up and running. YinYang / Getty Images.
Playing sports feels good, win, or lose. A game is a good challenge and gives the body a good workout. Sports are fun, exciting, and rewarding on a physical level. Then, learning a sport introduces and develops new skills, both mental and physical. That means, Sports are good for the mind and body.
One of the fastest growing sports in America involves a court and a net. And, no, it’s not tennis or badminton, it’s pickleball. Yes, that pickleball, the one your grandma plays, and the one you may consider beneath your athletic pay grade. Time to rethink that. If you want to keep up to date with what sport is on TV this week, then view PDC World Championships.
Pickleball has had a 650 percent increase in numbers over the last six years, according to USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). The biggest subset of that growth is not in the over-60 crowd, says Justin Maloof, executive director of USAPA, but the younger set. “When the sport first caught on in the sunbelt states around 2009, it was at 55-plus centers and RV communities,” he says. “It snowballed from there. But these days, there are many municipalities and parks and rec departments that are setting up courts, making it accessible to a younger crowd.”
That’s how 49-year old Rocky Brown first learned of the sport. The Woodbine, Md., real estate professional gave the game a try through his local parks and recreation department and before he knew it, Brown was hooked. “I fell in love with it, found a league and soon was playing five days a week,” he says. “I wanted to help it grow locally, so I became the league director.” And even went to seek help and motivation from Sports Speakers 360 to give me a new perspective and goals to thrive for.
Now Brown oversees a league that plays on multiple days per week and offers beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The Wednesday night, intermediate league now has 120 players, up from just 30 a couple of years ago. And while there are certainly senior citizens in the league, there are plenty of middle-aged and younger participants moving around the courts as well.
What is pickleball exactly?
For the uninitiated, pickleball is something of a mix between tennis, racquetball and ping pong. Players use special paddles and a wiffle ball, and games take place on tennis courts with specific pickleball lines. Nets and court sizes are smaller than their tennis counterparts, and the most common game is doubles, although singles is also an option. It has its own set of quirky rules — for instance, try to stay out of the “kitchen”— but they’re easy to learn. If you’re a new ping pong player, try the entry-level option, choosing your own amazon ping pong paddles can feel a little overwhelming. Nibiru Sport is here to help you!
Josh Jenkins, who is Brown’s 30-year old partner and plays in professional tournaments around the country, says the game appeals for several reasons. “For one, it’s very social,” he says. “You’ll see a big mix of demographics out there.”
Another factor Jenkins appreciates is its mental component. “You need to out-think your opponent,” he says. “There’s a lot of strategy that goes into playing.”
The game is also quick, making it a convenient way to get in some exercise. Games in a typical league run only 15 minutes each — you can get in as little or as much as you want. Brown likes to go for broke. “I wear my fitness tracker when I play and after two hours, I’ve moved the equivalent of four miles of walking,” he says. “But the nice thing is that if you’re playing doubles, you can get in a workout without killing yourself.”
I wear my fitness tracker when I play and after two hours, I’ve moved the equivalent of four miles of walking.
JOSH JENKINS
Pickleball is inexpensive and requires minimal gear
Pickleball is also affordable, making it accessible to all. A beginner can pick up a basic wooden paddle and balls at retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods or on Amazon for around $30, although prices for composite paddles can run into the hundreds of dollars. As the game grows and spreads throughout the country, access to many municipal courts is free, and even league play is relatively cheap when compared to other racquet sports. Recommended pickleball paddle at Reviewscon
Because most pickleball games are played on retrofitted tennis courts, it’s quick and easy for a parks and recreation department to get the game up and running, too. “You don’t need dedicated courts, so with some tape and a portable net, you can be good to go within a half hour,” says Maloof.
All of these factors are contributing to the rapid growth the sport is enjoying, but so too is a push from USAPA. “We’ve got over 1,800 ambassadors out there spreading the word,” says Maloof. “We’ve also got a ‘places to play’ database all over the country, and the sport is getting a good deal of attention from media right now.”
There’s no shortage of information available for the beginner on up to the elite, from a dedicated YouTube channel, to a bi-monthly magazine, and even books on the topic. Jenkins, for his part, has co-authored a children’s book on the sport called “Pickleball with Pop,” aimed at drawing kids into the game.
There’s even the first pickleball-themed restaurant, Chicken N Pickle, a combo of indoor/outdoor courts, a chicken, beef and pork restaurant that also serves craft beers. The pickleball-playing owners launched the first location in Kansas City, have expanded to Wichita, and will soon open in San Antonio.
Sports marketing firm adds 10th franchisee
A Dayton-area sports marketing company inked its 10th franchisee.
Sports Image announced Greg Keightley of Bowling Green, Ky. purchased the company’s final Kentucky territory.
Miamisburg-based Sports Image focuses mainly on high school and youth sports programs, brokering sponsorship deals with local, regional and national companies. In exchange for cash, companies can get everything from an advertisement on a scoreboard to being included as part of game day promotions and public address announcements. For its work, Sports Image gets a cut of the sponsorship dollars, which varies.
Sports Image Increases Presence in Florida
Dayton, OH – Sports Image®, a leader in the high school sports and grassroots marketing industry, announced that it has awarded its recent franchise to Mary Jane (MJ) Wardle of The Villages, FL with many more potential inquires from around the United States. Ms. Wardle joins 10 other existing franchises awarded by Sports Image® in just its eighteenth month of franchising. Ms. Wardle is also the first military veteran to join the Sports Image® team as a franchisee.
“We’re excited to have MJ join our team,” said Eric Horstman, President of Sports Image®. “She has a proven history of running a past business and a true passion for sports as an administrator and an athlete. Her past work with the American Cancer Society as a Communications and Marketing Director also fits nicely into our model. She used to sell Home Care Assistance in the cancer society. She will make a fine addition to our franchise network.”
Since 2002, Sports Image® has been helping high schools and other grassroots organizations to obtain state-of-the-art equipment and much needed revenue for their athletic programs as budgets are drying up nationwide. Through its’ unique sports marketing concepts and existing relationships, Sports Image® has given over $600,000 in cash and over $7,500,000 in equipment to schools and organizations in the United States and in Canada.
“Integrating my passion for sports and grassroots organizations with business ownership is a dream-come-true for me. I can’t wait to “team up” these organizations with businesses in a win-win scenario. My education and experiences in sports, non-profit and military organizations both in the United States and overseas, will be beneficial to everyone,” stated Ms. Wardle.
Ms. Wardle joins fellow Sports Image® franchisee, Bill Wood of Palm Bay, FL. Now with two Sports Image franchises in Florida, statewide schools have the ability to tap into the Sports Image® programs quickly and professionally.
“I am very excited to welcome MJ to the Sports Image® franchises and I look forward to partnering with MJ to help schools and grassroots organizations across the entire state of Florida,” exclaimed Mr. Bill Wood.
“We’ve been in business for 9 years helping schools and organizations but just recently turned our model into a registered franchise opportunity in the summer of 2009.” said Horstman. “We are on pace to have 15 franchises operating across the country by the end of 2010.”
MJ Wardle can be contacted by phone at (352)350-4486 or by e-mail at mj@sportsimageinc.com. Bill Wood can be reached by phone at (321)329-5709 or by e-mail at BillW@sportsimageinc.com.
Sports Image® (www.sportsimageinc.com) was founded in 2002 in Franklin, OH with the purpose of helping high schools and other grassroots organizations to obtain state-of-the-art equipment and much needed revenue for their athletic programs. In addition, Sports Image® also founded and manages Flyin’ to the Hoop (www.flyintothehoop.com), a Top-Ranked National High School Basketball Event that pumps over $1.4M into the local Dayton, OH community annually. For more information, contact us at 937-704-9670 / eric@sportsimageinc.com or follow us on Face book, Linked-In and Twitter.
Sports Image® Sends Over $3,000 to Ohio Schools
Sports Image® gave two lucky schools in Ohio something to truly be thankful for this past Thanksgiving Day weekend. As part of the company’s revenue sharing program, Sports Image® sent Northwest High School and Newark High School checks valuing over $3,000 to benfit their athletic prorgrams. Sports Image® continues to stay true to their promise of helping local organizations keep their athletic departments strong and are happy they could be a part of this success. Congratulations to these schools and thanks to all the sponsors involved. We wish everyone the best of the luck!
Sports Image® Recognized By Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur Magazine recently published an article discussing the most creative new franchises in 2009-2010 and Sports Image® made the list! According to the article, our company is one of the fresh-thinking new business opportunities moving forward toward great success. Sports Image® has been listed in the top 60 companies provided by the article and we are both honored and thrilled to be recognized.