Case Study: Rhode Island Surf Soccer Club

In the fast-paced world of youth soccer, Rhode Island Surf Soccer Club sought to streamline their tryout process and improve their player recruitment strategy. Over the course of three months, our team implemented a comprehensive digital marketing campaign to enhance their online presence and optimize their lead generation efforts to revamp their recruitment process and ensure every team spot was filled. Here’s a detailed overview of our strategic approach and the results we achieved.

Month 1: Setting the Stage

What We Did:

1. Tailored Landing Page Creation: We designed a dedicated landing page optimized for tryouts, complete with a form built in HubSpot to capture interested players’ information.
2. Strategic Social Media Planning: Collaborating with the Rhode Island Surf Soccer Club team, we established content pillars and best practices for their social media strategy moving forward. 
3. Lead Generation Initiatives: Implemented lead generation strategies directly on the site and conducted weekly list pulls to keep the team updated on potential recruits.
4. Localized Outreach: Launched a geo-targeted campaign to enhance visibility and engagement within the local community. 

Challenges Overcome:

• Access Delays: Obtaining access to critical platforms like Meta proved time-consuming, but our persistence paid off.
• Form Fluctuations: Frequent alterations to the lead form on the tryout page presented challenges, but we adapted our strategies accordingly

Month 2: Expanding Reach

What We Did:

1. Strategic Ad Campaigns: Launched targeted Google Ads and Meta campaigns to expand reach and attract potential players.
2. Audience Optimization: Utilized their email marketing contact list to create lookalike audiences, ensuring ads reached relevant prospects.
3. Enhanced Website Engagement: Implemented a homepage pop-up via Hubspot to direct visitors to the tryout page and boost engagement.
4. Analytical Insights: Identified significant drop-off rates from paid efforts on the tryout page without the 1st step registration form on the page, prompting a reassessment of lead capture strategies.

Challenges Overcome:

• Lead Capture Resistance: Despite drop-off insights, reluctance to add a lead form persisted, requiring alternative solutions.
• Delayed List Utilization: Weekly lead lists were underutilized until later in the campaign, affecting timely follow-ups.

Month 3: Fine-Tuning and Success

What We Did:

1. Comprehensive Lead Capture: Introduced website forms across all pages to ensure comprehensive lead capture.
2. Innovative Page Cloning: Cloned the tryout page to work around the client’s means for the page. We added a pop-up form to the cloned page and redirected our paid efforts to this page for enhanced lead generation and engagement with the leads that were dropping off. 
3. Targeted Email Campaigns: Leveraged their marketing email platform for targeted email outreach after pop up form submissions to provide the leads with more information about coaches, tryouts, etc. 

Results:

• Record-Breaking Recruitment: Rhode Island Surf boasted a staggering 1,080 players, filling every team spot for the season.
• Lead Generation Surge: The implementation of the cloned tryout page resulted in 20 new contacts, effectively nurtured through marketing email campaigns.

Challenges Overcome:

• Strategic Timing: Despite late-stage optimization, our strategies proved instrumental in achieving maximum recruitment success.
• Client Collaboration: Overcoming initial resistance and delays, our collaborative efforts yielded exceptional outcomes.

Conclusion

Through a strategic blend of digital marketing initiatives and adaptive strategies, Rhode Island Surf’s recruitment process underwent a remarkable transformation. Our relentless pursuit of innovative solutions, coupled with effective lead capture mechanisms, ensured every team spot was filled for the season. This case study underscores the pivotal role of digital strategy and implementation in achieving unparalleled success in youth sports recruitment.

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