Digital baseball in-game promotions are taking ball games for a turn. Upping the game.
A summer day of baseball at the ballpark is one of the most coveted American pastimes. Generations have been raised on hot dogs, peanuts, and home runs.
But it’s not just what happens on the field that makes the experience. There are always fun and engaging experiences in-between the pitches and hits that can help your team drive participation and excitement with fans.
Today, we will dive into a few ideas to help your team capture fan attention during breaks in the action to drive more engagement and even more sponsorship revenue on game day in your ballparks.
Gone are the days of only having bobblehead giveaway items, autographs, and other free merchandise. If the past few years have taught us anything in regard to baseball, it’s that digital makes fan engagement easier.
What Are Digital In-Game Promotions In Baseball?
Digital in-game promotions in baseball help take what we’ve seen in ballparks for years and allow fans to fully participate with them through their smartphones. They have opened up a new experience allowing every fan to join in a feel a part of the action.
It follows the shift that we see today between digital marketing vs. traditional marketing, especially when you are tying a corporate sponsor to the promotion.
Usually, they are presented during breaks in the action (in between innings, etc.) to keep the excitement of the games flowing and make sure that fans don’t flock to their social media feeds as they sit and wait for play to resume.
Baseball In-Game Promotions That Work for Major or Minor League Baseball Teams
We’ve put together a diverse list of in-game baseball promotions below that not only will keep your fans engaged, but also can help you drive more digital sponsorship revenue in the process. These between-inning contests are a surefire way to raise engagement while opening new revenue streams through sponsorships.
Let’s dive in.
4th, 5th, 6th Inning Win
Nothing better than tying a team or sponsor offer to an outcome in the game. Fans will feed off the excitement of each inning as they watch in hopes that their prediction is correct.
You can harness this excitement with a promotion like SQWAD’s 4th 5th 6th inning win. Fans simply on their phones try and predict which inning your team will score a run in; the 4th inning, 5th inning, or 6th inning.
As they watch the game, they sit on the edge of their seats when their inning comes up. The excitement grows when a player gets to 3rd base. Will he make it home so I can win my prize?
When your team scores in the inning they picked, elation ensues. That score which may be meaningless in a blowout is the most important moment in the game for them. Win or lose, they are tied to it every game.
Through our system, fans receive their sponsor offer via email for easy redemption in the stadium or at home to make the experience even sweeter. This activation is a must-have in your ballpark.
Make the Call Ticket Promotion
It’s always great to get your ticket staff involved on game day to help build relationships and sell more tickets.
Have fans call into a ticket salesperson’s direct line to make the call on a certain stat in the game. Have the ticket salesperson take down the pick, name, & phone number.
If correct, the ticket salesperson can call or email the fan directly to get them their prize, creating a great moment for them to upsell tickets to future games and build a relationship with the fans.
Scoreboard Trivia
Fans love to put their team knowledge to the test. We constantly are to prove that we in fact are the most knowledgeable fan in the stadium.
Scoreboard trivia allows them to do just that during the long breaks in the action for your team.
During a break in the 4th inning, fans see the question and possible answers pop onto the scoreboard. They scan a QR code to answer for themselves on their phone.
During the game, they can see where others have answered to contemplate their decision.
At a moment’s notice, the answers are revealed. If the fan is correct, they win a prize sent to them directly via email for easy redemption.
Trivia is a perfect way to keep fans engaged during a long inning swap or pitching changes.
Check out our scoreboard trivia activation for more details.
Bongo Cam
Fans LOVE to get on the scoreboard. It’s their 3 seconds of fame. It can make their entire game day experience.
But we can push them to do more than just wave at the camera or give a thumbs up. We can make it even more memorable for them.
Enter the Bongo Cam.
It’s a simple but effective way to get fans out of their seats and engage with your scoreboard. As fans see the bongos they try and play to the beat. It’s best to add some great music as you run this promotion that has a funky bongo groove to it.
On the team side, all you have to do is add an overlay to your scoreboard video, and BOOM! You have an engagement that will be memorable long after fan embarrassment fades off.
Add a sponsor to the experience (logo on the bongos, etc.) and you’ll be able to tie their brand with the fun and unique experience.
Hat Shuffle
Nothing beats a good hat shuffle. Reminiscent of the hidden ball games we sometimes see from street performers, fans watch as a baseball is hidden underneath a cap.
The hats start in a flurry of moves. The fan struggles to follow which hat has the ball underneath it. In an instant
In the past, fans only yelled out the answer with no reward if they were correct. But today, you can digitize the experience on the fan’s phone.
With SQWAD’s Hat Shuffle digital activation, we give fans the power to guess right on their phone which hat the ball is under. If they are correct, they win a prize that is sent right to their email.
The best part is the cheers, and groans, as the answer is revealed. Don’t worry, you can send a prize home with fans who aren’t correct as well to keep everyone happy.
A Hat Shuffle is a perfect activation to play in between your innings while keeping them engaged and focused on your sponsor.
Bark in the Park is Popular for Minor League Teams
Most sports fans LOVE their four-legged companions. Many will dress them in team attire to mesh the passions of the team and the fan’s furry, four-legged companion.
This leaves the perfect opportunity for a great promotional night for sports teams.
Simply make one of your game days a Bark in the Park themed game where fans can bring their dogs to enjoy the park.
To digitize the experience and get maximum reach, have fans post a photo of their dog on social media with a hashtag around the event. This is a great way to pull engagement and create some FOMO for the fans at home.
Scratch & Win
Let’s face it, fans LOVE to win things in your stadium. Nothing beats a baseball giveaway in your ballpark.
You can hand them sponsor offers on game day, but a prize won feels so much better than a prize given.
Enter Scratch & Win. A simple but exciting game that turns coupons into excitement much like a lottery scratch-off does.
Fans open their digital scratch & win and receive digital cards to, yep you guessed it, scratch with their fingers to reveal team and sponsor prizes.
You can add in bobbleheads, signed apparel, cash to use in the stadium, and sponsor offers for them to redeem as they head home. Each fan receives their offer via email for easy redemption in the ballpark or at your sponsor’s location.
Have an opening in the 4th inning that you need to fill? Put a QR code up on your scoreboard and watch as fans rush to scratch their way to great prizes.
Moment of the Game Photo Challenge
Sometimes the best content comes directly from the fans on game day.
Have fans take photos throughout the night on their phones of their angle of the field, a play, and even the food they have. Add a social media tag of #[teamname]momentofthegame.
At the end of the night, have your sponsor pick one of the photos to feature in-stadium and on social media post-game. Add a sponsor prize to the winners to make it even more valuable.
Mascot Race
Maybe it’s a hot dog, or a baseball, or even some delicious pierogies! Mascot races have been around since the inception of baseball.
Fans watch as mascots (really your interns in mascot suits) race around your warning track as fans cheer on their favorite character. Mascot Races help build a connection with your team, sometimes it is the thing that keeps them coming back each game.
When you digitize this experience, you can 10x the value of the in-game promotion. As with the hat shuffle, when you give fans the ability to choose which character will win before the race you bring participation into the experience which bonds them closer to the promotion.
When fans can pick their favorite character you set up a situation where they start to fall in love with a particular one. They are more bought into whether they win or lose.
With our Race activation, fans can select the character they think will win before the race begins right on their phone. From there, they watch on and cheer with more conviction than ever.
If their pick is correct, they can win a sponsor or team prize that is sent right to their email for easy redemption.
This is a fan favorite for both major and minor league baseball promotions and a must if you want to electrify your crowd on game day.
Foul Pole
A great way to keep fans engaged throughout the game comes with those yellow poles that decide if there is a home run celebration or a groan from the crowd.
Before the game starts have fans comment on a social media post with #RightPole or #LeftPole. If in the game a baseball hits the foul pole, one lucky fan will go home with a great prize.
Tag the sponsor on the post for even more sponsor value.
Digital In-Game Promotions Help You Close More Sponsorships
Not only are these activations great for engaging fans, but they are also great for upselling sponsors.
Today, sponsors don’t want to just “be seen” by fans. They want to connect with them in meaningful and measurable ways. No longer is an outfield sign sufficient enough to close the big sponsorship deals.
Digital In-Game Promotions help your sponsors do more than being seen. They drive fan participation, which in turn increases recall, builds brand affinity, and can show measurable returns far better than your sign and scoreboard reads.
If you have a sponsor on the fence, look to add more digital in-game promotions like the above into their packages and watch as they increase their investment and spending with your team.
