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How you can help WWFC in the next week or so

At the Fans Council meeting last night I brought up the Rochdale game at home on Tues 23rd October (7.45). WWFC do not appear to have the resources to adequately promote this game.

Why this game? Because it falls in the middle of schools’ half-term. Kids that aren’t allowed normally to go to midweek games because of school next day can go to the Rochdale game.

Therefore it is a great opportunity to get a bigger-than-usual midweek attendance for an important league match. There will be a lot of parents out there who bring their children to 2/3 games per season who might jump at the chance of having something to take them to in half-term.

However, I fear many will not even know the game is on until they read the result in the following morning’s paper. So that’s where ardent WW regulars need to act as the club’s salespeople. Let as many friends, neighbours & work colleagues know there’s a game on at Adams Park during half-term. Putting more bums on seats is the easiest way to raise income for WWFC and help stabilise the club’s finances.

Ok team - get selling!!

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Comments

  • Andy A good way to promote the game to a wider audience is as an event on Facebook. Will the club or Fans Council be starting this off for fans to share far and wide?

  • @AlanCecil The Facebook event is a very good idea. I think it would be helpful for this to be started via the WWFC Facebook page and then get the Fans Council & other social media sites to share it. Needs to be done very quickly to make it work as the game is in 11 days time.

  • The club does seem to lack focus on 'selling'. Although both the Media & Marketing Manager and General Manager have elements of this in their job, it's not their primary focus. We have never replaced Mark Austin who, as Director of Sales & Marketing from 1992-2004, did a really good job of selling and promoting the club.

  • Just look at what proactive selling can do... Leyton Orient are doing cheap tickets on international week-ends to attract people who normally watch Premier League or Championship sides. This Saturday v Hartlepool at Brisbane Road they have nearly sold out. And that’s Non-League. If the will is there it can be done!

  • edited October 2018

    (https://www.facebook.com/events/1694808270629371/)
    Click on this event and help spread the word.

  • So what exactly is the Media and Marketing Manager doing if he or she is not promoting such matches and ideas? We surely should have been targeting schools by offering free tickets etc as we did in Mark Austin’s days.

  • Kids tickets are free every game!

  • Done. Although it all depends what time I finish work as to whether I go..?

  • Andy I am not a marketing guy, you are but I am a little puzzled by your strategy. Presumably your aim is to attract long term customer.

    It must be assumed surely that people who already go regularly on a Saturday with their kids are already aware there is a game on Tuesday (whether they normally attend on weeknights or not). Presumably this is not who you are targeting.

    So I presume you are targeting those who don't currently go regularly. Why in that case would you choose a night game as your focus against probably the least glamorous team in the league where night games are likely to have the lower attendances and consequent atmosphere and hence experience to tempt those you target to come back again and probably for most a harder sell on a Tuesday night after work than a Saturday.
    Wouldn't an effort for the previous Saturday against Scunthorpe or the next weekend game after against Peterborough be better targeted. there will be plenty of space in all three games.

    Don't get me wrong, your initiative can only be positive and hence welcomed. I am just genuinely a bit puzzled by your marketing logic in targeting that game. I wonder of you could explain.

  • It's a great idea to try to get people to bring their kids along during the half-term.

    It would have been nice to try to support it by getting my kids to invite a couple of mates along. Unfortunately, we don't live in Buckinghamshire and half-term isn't the same all across the country. My kids will be at school the week of the Rochdale match and won't be attending, although they most likely would have done if it was their half-term.

  • I understand that Uncle T, but then you are not the target market for Andy's initiative - you already go and are well aware of the game. I don't understand his targeting.

  • When Andy raised this, the General Manager immediately said that under-12s are free, but didn't go on to say that we could do a special push for the Rochdale game, to get 'first timers' to come, with their parent(s)/carer(s).
    I don't think that the Media and Marketing Manager was in the room at that point, but it seems to me that initiatives like this are maybe falling between two stools, or no stools. I would like to see an old stool back, a Commercial Manager.

  • @DevC It’s not a “marketing strategy” as such. It was a simple response at last night Fans’ Council meeting to the club not doing anything about it. Anyone who’s had kids to amuse during the holidays realise it’s a constant battle to find things to do. Week-ends tend to be easier to fill than midweek.

    The comment last night was that midweek games see a 14% drop on Saturday attendances. For some reason the EFL used to schedule a midweek game in the week before half-term. Rather than do nothing I thought it’s time to be proactive. The club has no marketing budget to promote things per se. Surely this is where Trust members / season-ticket holders can help out but sharing this Facebook post. The club could help by publishing a daily update on ticket sales in the Family Stand.

    Your comment about the Scunthorpe game is very valid. But why not introduce a 2 for 1 ticket offer for the two games? There seems to be an absence of drive and enthusiasm which I am attempting to rectify.

    I asked last night if the investment plan fails is there a plan B? The only plan B the Trust can offer is “carry on as before”. Not possible - it’s got to be far more dynamic & proactive than that.

  • Fair enough Andy.

    I am never sure 2 for 1s work by the way. Huge commitment for those not intending to go every game (target market) so doubt if you would raise more revenue. meanwhile you lose the revenue from those who were going anyway but now get a freebie. kids prices (even over 12) are so low that freebie on just the kids price unlikely to make a difference to many peoples intentions.

    nevertheless, while I can quibble at the detail, genuine chapeau for actually doing something.

  • Personally I have always found evening games more atmospheric than Saturday afternoon games regardless of the lower attendance.

    As a kid (many many years ago) I always found the look, smell and feel of Laokes Park under the lights so much more exciting beforehand than a Saturday afternoon.

    So I see nothing wrong with any initiative for a midweek game

  • Have you considered running for the trust board Andy? I think you'd be a valuable addition

  • I would take my kids and i'm sure many would even if their ticket was no longer free but cost £5. Somehow by making every game free for kids I feel we are missing out (not only on revenue). Getting a free ticket and having it in your hand was quite exciting as a kid at the end of a WWFC run community soccer school and that's what got me to Adam's Park in the first place. Now, with every game free it doesn't seem like such a special thing for kids to want go along to a game.

  • Two potentially conflicting things in play I suspect. We like something to be free, but we don't necessarily value it or take it as seriously. Not 100% true of football, but I suspect a nominal charge might be better. Others with more marketing sense might be better placed to comment.

  • @Baldric you expressed exactly what I wanted to get across but in a more helpful way!

  • Be good to get behind people having ideas and give something a go rather than assuming it will fail.

  • It seems worse to assume things will succeed. It’s better to identify potential problems and address them in advance than to blunder forwards just hoping.

  • @peterparrotface said:
    Be good to get behind people having ideas and give something a go rather than assuming it will fail.

    The Gasroom, where bloke who never goes to a game snipes at someone who travels miles up and down the country to go to games for having ideas about how to get more people to go to games

    I reckon most readers should be able to weigh up between Dev and Andy whose contribution is worth more

  • Ideas are dangerous. I've seen the spreadsheet.

  • @Chris said:
    It seems worse to assume things will succeed. It’s better to identify potential problems and address them in advance than to blunder forwards just hoping.

    Who is assuming things will succeed? Do you have any ideas for increasing attendances at Adams Park?

  • how sad. Can social media really not be better than this. really Eric do you not tire of having nothing to say beyond the same old tired personal attacks? ho hum.

  • Not personal in the slightest

    If it was anyone else making such consistently awful posts I'd say exactly the same

  • @Chris said:
    It seems worse to assume things will succeed. It’s better to identify potential problems and address them in advance than to blunder forwards just hoping.

    "blunder forwards"?? Wtf are you on about? He's suggested that we let our mates know we've got a game on and try to get them to come along

    I know you've set yourself up as chief defender of Dev but get a grip

  • Poster A has idea to try and drum up some extra bums on seats for Tuesday night game.

    The Gasroom Responds:

    1) Great idea. Poster A. Perhaps we can include a Facebook post...
    2) Not sure it will work, but you never know...
    3) Why aren't the club's so called marketing team doing this?????
    4) This idea is naive and a waste of all of our time!!!!!! Prove it will work! What are you trying to achieve with your stupid idea Poster A???? Have a look at yourself...

    Football and fan forums...you gotta love 'em.

  • Social media conversation
    I like apples
    So you are anti- pears
    No I just prefer apples
    So you hate pears
    I never said that
    Fucking pear hater
    I don’t hate pears
    Yes you do, you make me sick, pearist scum

    Pub conversation

    I like apples
    Do you like pears
    They’re ok.
    Fair enough, fancy a cider

    I don’t see why social media has to be like that. Witless personal abuse is invariably tedious. Don’t go down Eric’s route, Wendover, you can be more interesting than that. Eric was once.

  • edited October 2018

    Witless personal abuse? I'm not sure what point you are making that isn't the same as the point I just made so I'm ignoring it.

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