Get Involved and Grow Your Business

How attending and hosting community events can promote your cheer gym.

By Erin Skarda - Article and Photos courtesy of CBN Aug/Sept 2010

When Michele Mastrianni, owner of Champion All Stars in Danbury, CT, decided to make it part of her gym's mission to support a young boy who's battling childhood brain cancer, she never imagined that a service effort she felt so personally connected to would be a catalyst to growing her business.

In October 2006, Mastrianni's then-18-year-old daughter, Marli, was hit by a drunk driver, causing [mild but] irreversible brain damage. As the family struggled to cope with and adjust to Marli's new reality, Mastrianni found herself building a close friendship with Kim Reed, the mother of 9-year-old Jaxxon Reed, who was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma (a form of childhood brain cancer). As the mothers bonded over their children's diagnoses, Mastrianni realized that while Marli was able to continue living her life within the limitations of her disability, working in the gym as both a coach and assistant cheer director, Jaxxon might never get such opportunities.

With this in mind, Mastrianni wanted to do something special to celebrate and support Jaxxon and help his family pay for the treatments that could possibly save his life. She created Team Jaxx TV Stars, a junior traveling team dedicated to him. The team commits the majority of the gym's fundraising efforts to the Jaxxon Reed Fund by hosting events throughout the year.

Since Mastrianni began hosting these events, not only has Champion raised more than $12,000 to benefit Jaxxon, but their overall business has grown from just three teams in June 2009 to five teams in October 2009, before finally expanding to 10 teams in April 2010—a growth that Mastrianni directly attributes to the program's visibility within the community. "This service had nothing to do with building my business; it just had to do with Jaxxon," she says. "But it's definitely turned into something different, where we've now created an exhibition team for kids to get their skill levels up, so they can try out for Team Jaxx [next season]."

Like Mastrianni, many cheer gym owners often don't consider the positive effects that getting involved in the community can have on their businesses. Whether you're looking for direct publicity or want to contribute to a cause that aligns with your gym's mission, participating in and hosting community events is a great way to spread the word about your program and all the benefits it offers your athletes.

Kim Gaskin, owner of the marketing consulting firm Gaskin Associates and coach of the Burlington Township HS cheerleading squad in New Jersey, says that event marketing can not only get gyms involved within their communities, but also helps create mutually beneficial relationships between the businesses and community organizations, while providing a positive outlet for the athletes. "If an all-star organization's goal is to be present within the community, then it's a good idea for the gym to be a place where kids not only learn competitive athleticism and skill sets, but also how to be good citizens, community volunteers and leaders," Gaskin says.

Read on for tips on how to spread awareness about your program through effective event marketing and planning.

Create a Plan and Set a (Reasonable) Goal

Just as gym owners decide which competitions to attend and where to travel, they should also plan which types of events they want their program affiliated with and what they hope to get out of each appearance. It all comes down to determining which organizations, events and causes most closely align with the purpose and mission of your business and finding opportunities to connect with people who share the same mindset and might be interested in your services.

Gaskin recommends that before attending any events, gym owners come up with a tagline or short statement about their program, verbalizing the value of the gym as it relates to the athletes. "However you want to phrase it, that tagline is something that everyone in your gym should understand," she says. "That is the mission of the program, and the people from your gym who are at these events, whether they're parents, coaches or athletes, should spread that message and become spokespeople for the gym."

When first getting involved with events, Gaskin recommends partnering or supporting existing community organizations to decrease the upfront expenses. "Some of these organizations get great publicity, both locally and sometimes even nationally," Gaskin says. "This way you don't have to invest a lot, but you can still be part of an event that has media coverage." Additionally, it's important that gym owners get their athletes and parents excited about helping at these events. "Your cheerleaders and parents are great advocates for the gym, so wherever you participate, if there's an opportunity where the kids can [perform] or do something fun, [take advantage of that]."

Develop Your Event Strategy

After your gym participates in its first event, other organizations will likely take note and start asking for your athletes to attend their events. This is what happened at SubZero All Stars in Buffalo, NY. In 2009, owner Michele Ziegler formed a community outreach program called Elly's Angels, named after Ellyce Kausner, the sister of the gym's program director Laura Kausner Voigt (Ellyce had lost her life in a tragic plane crash that February). "We wanted to take the tragedy that happened and give our athletes the opportunity to participate in events that they might not have otherwise," says Ziegler. She contacted Roswell Park Cancer Institute to see if the gym could get involved in an upcoming event, and Elly's Angels has been participating in one or more events per month ever since. "The response has been great," Ziegler says. "I think people saw how serious we were about wanting to extend above and beyond ourselves and lead by example. It took just one event, and since then, people have been contacting us."

While Elly's Angels focuses primarily on community service, there are also many opportunities for cheer gyms to market themselves by performing at bowl games, parades, store openings and local sporting events. Christy Cowell-Rinkol, owner of All American Cheer & Stunt in Kansas City, MO, says that her athletes have been approached for a variety of events, but she always considers the cost, time and audience before deciding whether it's an appropriate fit for her gym. "I do feel that [events] are good PR, as well as give the cheerleaders a place to perform for fun without paying for competition or travel costs," she says. "However, if it's very costly or there's not an audience for our team to perform for, I'll turn down the invitation."

Planning Your Own Event

Once you're comfortable attending events and building relationships with other members of the community, consider going the extra mile by hosting your own event, whether it's purely promotional or to support a cause. Mastrianni hosts three events per year, each with a different intention, but none without a focus on Jaxxon. One of the events is a Star Performer Night, where families and community members come together to watch Champion and other local teams perform. "This is the only event we do that's intentionally promoting the gym," says Mastrianni. Admission to this event is free, but they also have a 50/50 raffle and donation buckets that benefits the Jaxxon Reed Fund.

The second Champion event is the Jaxxon Reed Fundraiser, which was started in 2006 and has grown exponentially since then. For the past two years, Mastrianni has called on her friend Robin Norko, owner of Connecticut Spirit in Hamden, CT, to help out. Together, they've built an event that's half exhibition, half competition and hosted at a neutral location, such as an athletic center. The last event is Champion's Gym Show and Fair, which was created more than six years ago as an exhibition where family members could watch their kids perform but has grown to be a large community event. Hosted at Champion's gym, this event includes a $2 admission at the door, with half the proceeds going to the gym and half going to Jaxxon. Additionally, the Champion staff puts up tents in the parking lot with concessions, face painting, games and more. Each team performs, including a parent team, a parent and child team and stunt groups.

FAME All-Stars in Virginia Beach, VA, also hosts a show day at their gym, which benefits the American Cancer Society. "This is definitely a team effort," says Phil Logan, co-owner of FAME. "The entire program gets involved [in everything] from donating raffle items to helping at the concession stand." For FAME, this event not only serves as community service, but also as a positive way to promote the gym. The staff uses social networking, word of mouth, fliers and e-mails to market the event, as well as contacting local news outlets. "I truly feel that our program does enjoy giving back," says Logan. "Plus, parents and children [who attend] get an opportunity to experience all-star cheerleading, when they might never have seen it before."

Assessing Your Success

Whether you're participating within the community or hosting an event at your gym, the most important part of marketing is the follow-up. "Once the event is done, you need to follow up and get your name out there," says Gaskin. "It's really a two-way street. You want the event to be something where the kids and parents get value, and the organization is then coming to you first for things they need in the future."

For community events that you're participating in, Gaskin recommends sending a note or an e-mail to the event organizers thanking them for allowing you to get involved, but also don't be shy about asking if you can provide them with some of your gym materials, whether it be a logo for use on their website or brochures for them to hand out to their members. Another way to develop an even deeper connection, Gaskin says, is to invite the organizers to see your teams compete at a local event or visit the gym. If the organization is something you feel especially connected with, you could also become a member. "This keeps you connected with the community, which is really what it's all about," she says.

Tips From a Pro

Kim Gaskin, owner of the marketing consulting firm Gaskin Associates, shares some secrets to being a successful event marketer.

Don't spread yourself too thin. Doing one or two events well is better than doing many poorly.
All the athletes don't need to be at every event. Coordinate who's going to what, but stress the importance of being involved in the community to your athletes.
Join a community board. This way you can find out about upcoming events and will have a stronger presence within the community.
Host your events before pre-enrollment. This gives people the opportunity to check out your program before tryouts.
Determine who your customers are, then find them. Depending on the location of your gym, this can be important to maintaining a competitive advantage.
Ask for letters from event organizers. Make sure each athlete receives a letter stating which event they participated in and for how long. These are critical for college applications.