Sports Team Branding and How to Do It Right

Here on the ThemeBoy blog we talk a lot about marketing your sports team. Many of the measures we mention can be used very effectively to say “hey, this is us!”.

However, what if you are not entirely sure about who you are yet? What are you going to tell people then?

To address this issue, today I want to take a step back and look at what lies at the core of all of your marketing efforts: your branding.

Developing sports team branding is the process of figuring out the story, personality and image of the team that is behind the identity and messages you send out to the world.

In a previous post, we’ve touched on how to create a sports team logo, however, in this post we want to look into it in more detail.

In the following, we will talk about the importance of branding and its benefits before we move on to sports team branding specifically and how to implement it for your club.

Ready for some branding 101? Then let’s get started.

What is Branding and Why Does It Matter?

As mentioned, branding is about establishing an image of how you would like to be seen and thought of by others.

In business, those people are usually the customers. Companies want clients to think of them in a positive light so they buy their products.

As a sports team, your branding is more about your fans, sponsors, club members and their personalities and performance. You also want them to perceive you in certain way so they cheer for you, support you and have respect for you.

How can you achieve that? Well, that’s exactly where sports team branding comes in. Yet, branding is not really one single thing you do but the foundation that determines how you present yourself to the outside in general.

Among others, branding has an influence on:

• Your website design
• Your team colors and team logo
• The design of your social media accounts
• Player uniforms
• The sponsors and other partnerships you choose to work with

In short, branding is a big part of anything others see that is representative of you. It’s what they think of and feel about your team and everything you put out there should enhance this in a positive way.

(How do you know what others think about you? By doing market research for your team, of course!)

Yet, sports team branding is more than a gimmick. It’s not about constructing an image and forcing it on other people.

Instead your brand should capture who your team is at its core and be congruent with the values you stand for so you are comfortable projecting it to the outside.

Think of branding as the DNA of your organization, and what people will say about you when you aren’t in the room.

That’s why branding also extends to the small things like how you present yourself at events, how you talk to people outside of the team and everything else.

Sounds like a lot of effort? You bet it is. However, if done right, branding is worth your while.

The Benefits of Sports Team Branding

So, why go through all this trouble? Why is branding important? Can’t you just be yourself and not care about what others think about you?

Why yes, as I already mentioned the best branding is the one that fits your own understanding of yourself. Otherwise people will understand quickly that it doesn’t fit.

However, when you do present a consistent image to the outside world, the benefits are numerous.

Branding Gives Your Team a Unique Identity

Whichever sport you play, chances are high that you are not the only team playing it (I mean, there are even several Quidditch teams in real life).

For this reason and because the online space is full of people shouting at the top of their lungs, it’s easy to disappear in the noise and become just another face in the crowd.

Thus, when trying to attract new fans and players, people will ask themselves what’s special about you in particular. Why should they cheer for you and not someone else?

A clear brand can answer these questions and provide you with a personality others can relate to.

Sports Team Branding Increases Trust and Loyalty

As humans we are attracted to those who think and feel similar to us and share our values. If we can strongly identify with them, we are much more likely to feel drawn to them.

Same works for sports teams.

Sports team branding creates opportunities for people to identify with your team and feel like they are a part of it. It gives your team a personality that others can feel akin to and build an emotional connection with.

In your personal life you probably care more about those you feel connected to than those you feel indifferent about, right?

With sports teams it’s the same deal. Thus, if you give others reasons to care about you, you will be rewarded with trust and loyalty from (potential) fans, players and club members.

This can also extend to the pitch. With a congruent and positive team identity, players will be proud to play for your team and be motivated to play well.

A Congruent Brand Increases the Perception of Value

In business, branding is used to make products more desirable by making them seem valuable. The same can work for sports team.

With a consistent image and branding across all communication channels (including your uniforms) you make yourself appear more professional and credible.

This type of thing can come in handy when searching for a sponsor for your sports team. By being perceived as a high-value team, others are more likely to invest in a sponsorship deal as they will feel more comfortable that it will be worth their time.

In addition to that, opponents might also have more respect. A professional sports team branding makes you look like you have your stuff together. If you have the confidence to position yourself like that, just imagine what your playing skills must be like.

Branding Pays Off Over the Long Term

Many marketing measures for sports teams are short term and meant to make your team known to more people here and now.

Branding, on the other hand, is a long-term investment. Over time, as people become more familiar with your brand and start to recognize it, it will get easier for you to win over new fans, attract players and sponsors.

By having a well-recognized brand, you get a lot of advance trust and doors will start opening more easily for you.

Sports Team Branding – How to Do it Right

Now that you have a better idea about what branding is, let’s talk about how to integrate it into your own marketing activities.

The good news: technology has made it much easier and more affordable even for smaller teams to brand themselves like professionals.

You also no longer only have to rely on your hometown and local area to find fans, players and sponsors. Instead, the Internet gives you access to reach a much larger audience.

The bad news: the bar is also much higher. Since everyone can market themselves online, there is a lot more competition and lots of bad examples of sports team branding.

Therefore, it’s important that you differentiate yourself from the masses and be the exception to the rule.

Sounds like a tall order? It doesn’t have to be. Here are a few ideas how to create a top brand for your sports team.

1. Think About What You Want to Be Perceived as

The first thing about creating a brand for your sports team is to define it. For that, you need to get down to the nitty gritty of who you are or aspire to be.

As mentioned earlier, this is not about putting a thin layer of paint on yourself and making yourself look like something you are not. It’s about finding an image for yourself that you are comfortable representing and can identify with.

For that, the first step is to think through your values. Just like when creating a sports team logo you need to define the core of who you are as a team.

What do you represent? What is your message? How do you want to be thought of by people? Professional or cavalier? Disciplined? Confident? Strong?

Branding is about standing for something that no one else stands for. The image you create is bigger than success and loss on the field and will endure through the ups and downs of the lifetime of the team.

It will be the guiding principle behind all your communication measures, so don’t hesitate to spend some time on it and brainstorm with other club members.

2. Translate Your Ideas Into a Brand

Once you have an sense of your desired identity, it’s time to implement it as a brand. One of the first steps to do that is to design a logo for your team.

Your logo encapsulates your team’s essence and is one of the main focal points for your team identity. That’s the reason why many teams go through repeated logo redesigns to keep up with their development over time.