A website is a great way to build credibility and trust amongst your clients and prospects.
Think about a time where you were looking for information and ended up on a questionable website – one with little information, no photos, hard to read text, and unclear navigation. You probably went back to the search page and looked for another website that would make it easier to find what you were looking for.
Now, think about a time where you went to a website that had a great experience – it was well-designed, thorough, easy to navigate, and ultimately easy to find what you came for.
Much better, right?
When it comes to building your presence online, having a website as a source of information for your sports training academy is a great way to get your programs and your brand in front of people.
Whether you’re just starting out, or you want to give your website a refresh, here are 6 things to include to increase your conversion rates and expand your brand.
6 Things to Include on your Sports Academy’s Website
1. An overview of your brand
One crucial element on your sports academy’s website is an overview of your brand. While we’ve listed this as one element, it can take a variety of forms across your site, from the type of training you offer to the level of athletes you work with. This establishes a clear and consistent message about your business and your competitive advantage. And, it helps your prospects and clients determine if they are the right fit for your programs.
As we mentioned, your brand information should be present across your entire website. Here are a few areas or landing pages to include brand information:
Share the history of how your business came to be through an About Us page.
Ensure you are attracting your target demographic by sharing “Who We Work With.”
Highlighting “Our Programs” to make it easy for potential clients to quickly identify which programs are most relevant to their needs. (this is especially important if you offer a variety of programs for different age groups, skill levels, and goals.)
Ultimately, you should use this as an opportunity to humanize your brand. Share your story, share your background, and share your mission. This will help your prospective clients learn more about you and your business. By connecting with your audience and sharing what drives you, you’re able to create a sense of purpose and build a loyal community of clients.
2. Coach & trainer spotlights
In addition to highlighting your brand, your website is a great place to share information about your coaches and trainers. This provides you an opportunity to showcase their expertise and build credibility. Here are a few things that can be useful to include:
Qualifications and certifications: List the certifications and qualifications that your coaches and trainers have earned, such as coaching licenses, first aid certifications, and sports-specific training. This information helps to demonstrate their level of expertise and commitment to the industry.
Professional background and experience: Share the professional background and experience of your coaches and trainers, such as their previous coaching and playing experience, their record of success, and any notable achievements. This helps to build credibility and showcase their expertise.
Areas of specialty: Highlight the areas of specialty of your coaches and trainers, such as working with a specific age group, training athletes for a specific sport, or working with athletes with specific needs. This information helps to demonstrate the diversity of your coaching staff and the level of expertise that they bring to the table.
In addition to highlighting their expertise and building trust, highlighting your coaches and training staff will help you differentiate your sports academy from your competition, thus establishing your business as a leader in the industry.
3. Links to sign up for your programs
At the end of the day, your website should make it easy for clients and prospects to do business with you. So, it is critical that you facilitate the registration and scheduling processes. One way to do this is to include links to register for your programs via your website.
With Upper Hand’s sports scheduling software, it makes it easy to insert links beneath buttons on your website. Each “event” you build out in the software has its own unique URL, which allows you to direct athletes or their parents directly to an event landing page. From there, they are able to view more event details, schedule or register for the event, and make a payment to reserve their spot. This also helps you control your client experience by making it easy for them to find and sign up for the programs that are right for them.
Bonus tip: While you are able to have this level of granular control over sharing your programs and offerings, you may also opt to direct people to your sports scheduling software to browse through all of your offerings.
4. Client testimonials
Another great way to build credibility for your business is through sharing client success stories or testimonials. Quotes or short stories from satisfied athletes can help to build trust with potential clients. Hearing positive experiences with a brand increases confidence with working with you themselves.
Client testimonials also demonstrate your impact. They help you tell a story of results, and what athletes have been able to achieve as a result of training with you. By sharing “real life” examples of how your academy has made a positive impact on your athletes, you are able to demonstrate the value of your programs.
Because of this, testimonials are a great way to build social proof – the idea that people are more likely to trust the opinions and experiences of others. Including testimonials on your website will help you establish your academy as a leader in the industry, thus attracting new clients who want to achieve similar results or become the best.
5. Contact information
Another element that it is important to include on your website is business contact information. Having clear contact information helps to establish credibility and trust that you are a legitimate business.
An up-to-date address and phone number will help clients and prospects interact with your business, from asking questions to showing up to your facility to train. As a result, you are able to build rapport and encourage communication that fosters positive relationships.
Beyond connecting in person, or via phone or email, you can also incorporate your social media channels as a way to connect with your business online. Including links to your various social media platforms will make it easy for your clients and prospects to connect with your business.
Overall, including contact information on your sports academy’s website is essential for building credibility, fostering communication, and providing information that empowers clients to make informed decisions. As a result, you’ll see increased engagement, and stronger relationships that will lead to increased success for your business.
6. High quality photos & videos
One more element that is a “must have” on your sports academy’s website is high quality photos and videos. By making your website more visually appealing, you are able to give your clients and prospects a clear idea of what your business looks like and what you have to offer. Show your coaches and athletes in action. If you operate out of a facility, highlight your spaces. Help prospective athletes visualize themselves training at your academy by providing a visual representation of your business through multimedia.
In addition to building your brand perception, including photos or videos on your website also build credibility. By sharing photos, you are able to demonstrate that you are a legitimate and trustworthy business. And, it helps give potential clients a better understanding of what they can expect when they work with you.
Lastly, going back to the scenarios we painted at the beginning of this post, including photos and videos on your website can really help you enhance your overall user experience. This can help keep visitors engaged and make your website more visually appealing and user-friendly. Failure to create a visually appealing website will result in decreased engagement, reduced credibility, and prospects ultimately leaving your website to take their business elsewhere.
Looking to the future
Having a well-designed and interactive website is essential for a successful sports academy. By including the six elements we’ve outlined above, you can effectively communicate the unique qualities and benefits of your academy to potential clients. By taking these steps, you can attract new clients, build trust and credibility, and provide an excellent user experience for visitors to your site. By continuously updating and improving your website, you can stay ahead of the competition and give your business the upper hand. In many cases, your website is the first point of contact potential clients have with your sports academy. So, it’s important that your website accurately reflects the quality of your training and leaves a positive impression.
By investing in a sports management platform like Upper Hand, you can save time on tedious administrative tasks such as scheduling or tracking down payments and focus your energy on building your brand.
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