- CIMSPA has launched an interactive tool to help people working in sport and physical activity gain insights into how others in the sector are using digital marketing
- Designed to help people in all types of organisation to benchmark their own digital plans and capabilities
- Based on the results of a recent Sport England study, conducted by the Digital Marketing Institute
- Launched to promote the CIMSPA Digital Marketing Hub, a free platform for on-demand digital training, webinars and mentoring
10 January 2022
CIMSPA has launched a new interactive online tool to help people working in sport and physical activity gain insights into how others in the sector are using digital marketing. Based on recent research from Sport England, conducted by the Digital Marketing Institute, the CIMSPA tool helps people in all types of organisation – from self-employed to large employers – to benchmark their own digital plans and capabilities.
Click here to view the interactive tool.
After the disruption of the last two years, attracting new participants in 2022 is a clear focus for almost everyone who responded to the Sport England survey, with 95% rating this as moderately, very or extremely important. Engaging with current participants is also seen as essential, with 37% of respondents using digital channels to communicate with their existing audience.
However, the research shows that, despite this almost universal desire to attract new people to use their services or join their clubs, only 37% of people in the sector have a plan for how to achieve this.
Social media is viewed as the most important digital marketing channel, with 71% rating social media as very or extremely important to their organisation’s success. Next up is their website and search visibility (61%) followed by online content (46%) and email marketing (44%). Advertising is seen as the least important, with 35% of people reporting that it is “not at all important” to their future success.
In line with those findings, social media is the digital marketing channel that people in the sector are most interested in learning more about: 73% are very or extremely interested in developing their social media skills, followed by website visibility (64%) and email marketing (56%).
Bridging the digital skills gap
Sport England data shows that physical activity rates have fluctuated over the past year, with widening inequalities across different audience groups, and it’s up to everyone in the sector to inspire more people to get active.
Digital marketing can be a great way to reach new audiences, regardless of the size of organisation or budget. This might mean shifting to digital booking software, producing regular content for your website, or finding ways to engage people through social media.
To help people in the sector to develop a plan that’s right for them, and to learn new digital skills, CIMSPA has worked together with Sport England and partners including the Digital Marketing Institute and Google, to launch the Digital Marketing Hub.
This platform (free to anyone working or volunteering in the sector in England) is full of on-demand digital training, webinars, mentoring and other resources. Whether you are a club volunteer, self-employed professional or work for a larger organisation, the Hub has lots to offer, helping you to harness the power of digital marketing to get more people feeling the benefits of sport and physical activity.
Anyone interested in applying to join the Digital Marketing Hub can apply here.
