Sports Coaching – in the Digital Era

Change is the law of life. The rapid rise in digital advancement and communication platforms along with the increase in human interactions has changed the face of sports coaching.New coaching needs are coming up as the requirements of the athletes are changing. Today the role of a coach is many and varied. It encompasses the job of an instructor, assessor, facilitator, advisor, supporter, organizer, motivator, and counselor all rolled into one. Coaching today is all about improving the overall experience and to connect digitally with the stakeholders.

The big question is how a website can help increase the digital visibility of a sports coach. Digital marketing helps promote a website and makes it visible during online searches. Digital Marketing comprises of techniques like blogging, social media promotion, search engine optimization, content marketing, and video marketing. Being seeing online is now an important aspect for engaging with supporters and customers irrespective of the sports a person is pursuing. With the advent of new technologies, it has become tough to advertise without an effective online presence.

The importance of a Website to build Brand Image:

• A coach can customize his website according to his needs in order to promote the services provided by him online. It is also convenient to add a photo, a photo gallery – an assortment of photographs, testimonials from customers and even a YouTube video.
• A website will help in getting online bookings as timings of sessions and other itineraries can be easily published online.
• A website provides a single platform to communicate, manage and store information about client’s database.
• A calendar marked with all the session details and schedules can be made available easily. There is also an option of sending notifications and timely reminders to clients.
• A website also allows easy tracking of players, their attendance, payment status, coaching hour completed via a simple dashboard.
• Real-time chats with clients and assistance can be made available to players, guardians all stakeholders.

Technology plays an important role in helping people to stay connected and communicate easily. It is now essential for coaches to stay connected and engage with clients using digital tools. Digital Marketing is all set to change the sporting world.

Important Digital Marketing tools are:

Social Media – Social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook can be utilized to promote exclusive content and reach out to all stakeholders. Be it live coverage during a particular sporting event, experts commenting on Twitter- user engagement is the key focus.

Blogging – Blogging by coaches can be used to motivate players and even counsel them. This is a great medium to highlight the trials and tribulations of a sportsman and bring to the forefront a more human aspect of the sport.

Brand Management using search engines – An important tool to promote is by using SEO for brand management. This is a technique where only positive listings appear in internet searches. This means that when a particular name is being searched, the first few pages will only showcase the positive or quality on brand links. The negative listings will be pushed down the result pages. This helps in creating and building the goodwill of a brand image. A sports coach can use this effectively to his benefit.

Sports Coaching is all about people, passion, and progress. A proper balance in communicating with the people with passion for the sport will bring about progress and hence build a great brand image