What does a sports marketer do?
All sport management majors at William Woods take several business courses, including marketing — as no matter what career you choose in sports management, an understanding of the role marketing plays is an inevitable necessity.
Sports marketing as a career path is a popular choice for those interested in working in sports. Jobs are plentiful, and the work can be fresh, fun and creative. But what does a sports marketer do? And what kind of skills do they need?
Sports marketers use innovative thinking in a wide range of branding, product and team promotions, deriving techniques from fields such as advertising, public relations, and marketing.
Entry-level job titles and responsibilities may include: floater (sports league/association), account coordinator (sports marketing firm), marketing account executive, event coordinator, marketing representative (sports team), public relations assistant, and more.
According to Wake Forest University office of Career and Professional Development, sports marketing is a profession notorious for low turnover, however quick advancement through the ranks is not common. While individuals in entry-level positions work hard at these for several years, those who make the mid- and upper-level executive positions often become lifetime jobs because worker satisfaction is so high.
“Wide salary ranges for the upper-level executive positions reflect the sheer variety of sports employers, even within the specific categories covered: sports marketing firms, corporate sports marketing divisions, and sports leagues and associations,” said the site.
According to one post on the popular blog Work in Sports, sports marketing jobs require strong task management, because you may be tasked with a wide range of duties, including: advertising, printing, promotional items, digital/social media, community events, writing and more.
“As a sports marketer you will always be juggling multiple on-going tasks, which means organization becomes a lynchpin to success. You’ll need to be able to balance your tasks, prioritize your to-do list and remain high-level and out of the weeds when applicable,” said the blog.
A few other important skills include: specialized knowledge important to the sports world, writing and communication, flexibility, organization, patience, and confidence. Students at William Woods University take SMG321 – Sports Marketing, to learn these skills and understand the sports-specific ways in which they are relevant and desired.
The course also provides students with three basic components of sport marketing: the use of sports as a marketing tool for other products; the marketing of sports products; and the emerging considerations relevant for both marketing through and the marketing of sports.