How are you marketing your events?

With so many options available, it can be difficult to choose the best way to promote your swim meet, open water swim or clinic. Many coaches are seeking innovative and cost effective ways to promote their events.

Traditional methods include distributing flyers at the pool and local businesses where athletes are likely to gather. Many newspapers offer free space in the community sections of the paper. Additionally, setting up a booth at a triathlon, road race or health fair can bring in participants. Depending on the budget for your event and how many participants you can count on, hitting all these may help grow your event. Large vinyl banners are inexpensive and, strategically placed in the community, can be helpful as well.

Many coaches have also included electronic mediums, such as a websites, email blasts, Facebook and Twitter. All of these can spread the word quickly and widely about your upcoming event.

Another innovative approach is to partner with an online registration service, such as Club Assistant, IMAthlete or Active.com. These services include event promotion on their national websites and reach targeted audiences.

Active.com’s new Schwaggle program makes it easy to market your event to thousands of swimmers. The Schwaggle team of marketing experts will do all of the work for you, so your deal will be emailed, viewed, "Liked", and tweeted by thousands of their swim-focused subscribers. Coaches who have partnered with Schwaggle get results because it's the most targeted offering in the market. Coaches also love that there’s no upfront cost. If you want to supercharge your marketing efforts and sell out your next event, consider partnering with Schwaggle. For more information, visit Active’s Schwaggle site.