SportsDigita's Angelina Lawton Talks Modernizing #SportsBiz Sales

Best Of... Angelina Lawton of Sports DigitaEpisode 38 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast

Episode 38 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast featured founder and CEO of Sports Digita, Angelina Lawton, discussing digital enhancement and analytics-based streamlining of sales in sports

What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to the full podcast on iTunes or DSMSports.net

@njh287; DSMSports.net

Angelina's career path

Attended Arizona State and then worked in the finance industry doing corporate communications/advertising/branding for an international money manager → Then ran corporate communications for Tampa Bay Lightning for 3 years

“There I was responsible for anything that had their brand on it --- radio ads, TV ads, in-game presentation, sponsorship decks, ticketing campaigns...anything that came out with their logo on it went through our department.”



“(The media) was very traditional at that point...When I was trying to source ot someone to help me with digital, there was nobody...I wanted to find someone working in sports and there was no one I thought could do the job and that's when I had (the idea for Sports Digita).”

“Knowing there was that niche out there that no one was going out there and that (inspired) Sports Digita.”

Prior to Sports Digita – “[Teams] had graphic designers on staff, but to have developers on-staff...were in the minority. Pushing the envelope to digital was the right call.”



Sports Digita's initial business approach

“Basically, we are trying to help teams do two things: sell tickets and sell sponsorships...Ticketing renewals had been arriving in people's mail boxes and the reach of that was less than half of what it could be if going into your (email) inbox...Getting your message out on the ticketing side in a digital way through a product like our e-brochure, (allow fans) to share...going digital. On the sponsorship side, it was helping teams pitch sponsorships through a digital platform. (Instead of) a Powerpoint stapled together...we have all the features of our digideck.”



“When I look at a franchise, I look at all the verticals. You've got the ticketing side, the sponsorship side, digital media, fan engagement...there are four portals into a franchise...

What typically happens is we go in through one vertical, we end up in 2-3 of them...It's not an all-in-one, but that is not how we get in, typically.”



On digital vs. phone ticket sales:

“We do a lot of personalization and integrate with Ticketmaster...The e-brochure is a one-stop shop. You can view your account and seat online, seat viewer...we got out and shoot these venues from every seat in the stadium and we can do a 360 panel and get the true experience. You can't get that on a piece of paper.”



Helpful Tool: Google Fonts

Angelina: “Teams are pretty strict on brand guidelines and we pride ourselves on keeping within that...we have a great library (of fonts to fit) all the teams.”



On the value of having staff at Sports Digita with pro sports experience

“We understand what they're looking and what kind of ROI they're looking at is going to make sense for them. They don't have to educate us. Just about everyone here has worked for a pro team (previously)...Because we worked at these teams, we know how to help these teams.”

Angelina notes that they are in all 5 major pro sports leagues, over 100 teams, and now beginning to get into the college and minor league and international space



Sports Digita in a nutshell

[Based in Minneapolis, MN]

“We are a digital agency, a marketing agency, but we have really turned into a software company...Because of the success of (Digideck)...we are turning that into a (new) model...I like to think of ourselves as a graphic design agency-slash-software platform company with two main products: the e-brochure on the ticketing side and the Digideck on the sponsorship side.”



“The Digideck is something we're most proud of that is really bringing these big pitches to life. It has many different features and a back end with a lot of analytics that are really shortening the sales cycle...we're showing (potential sponsors) exactly what (all the assets) are going to look like...

Digideck has spun off into its own. We're actually going to (venture) into the B2B world...it's a natural progression for us to move beyond into the other verticals.”



“We're providing a one-stop shop you can send people to...A lot more integration (with CRM)...Continually adding features to the Digideck that is helping sales people sell...Our biggest competitor is Powerpoint. We're going against PowerPoint and we're winning...We're ahead of the game...

People are preferring our (product) because it's allowing them so many more capabilities. Bringing things to life off paper is so critical to sell.”



On Digideck and analytics

“The first thing we want to know is 'did they open the presentation?'...We use it ourselves (on our proposals)...There are so many analytics that are allowing us to shorten the sales cycle.

We have a great back-end admin...For franchises, especially, and sponsorship...they have hundreds of assets to sell. And for them to know what asset, the client is interested is (huge). It really does shorten the sale.”



Shareable Stat:

In the 48 hours comprising the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day big six college football bowl games, there were ~ 4 million tweets sent about them, comprising ~ 70% of all tweets related to TV programming in that time [per ESPN PR]



On Digideck and adapting to mobile

“We're focusing on tablets with the Microsoft Surface...We can't do the full presentations on a (small device)...Tablet is great (for our products) and (sales people) can walk around the stadium with it...”



“If there is a specific part of a potential partnership, we build custom slides...Whether it's video or slides or trying to bring that to life.

Teams are understanding the importance of being able to monetize mobile (content)...Trying to integrate (there) as much as we can...We're also focusing now on (venue) WiFi (as an asset).”



On working across different sports

“They're all the same. They all have tickets to sell and sponsorship to sell...[Angelina talks about developing a close relationship with MLBAM] It's interesting, just beyond the five leagues. Anyone that has a ticket to sell and sponsorship is fair game and (can use) the Digideck...

Even when you get down to college and the minor leagues, they all have the same objectives.”



On competition for Sports Digita clients

(Besides PowerPoint) “If we're going up against an agency...we'll go against (those) with clients like the Vikings and United Health Care and Best Buy and Target. That's a lot of education on the agency part on (the sports industry) when they're serving all of these (other) industries.”



On templates vs. custom designs for different teams and what teams want

“Some teams like what someone else has...Every team is different. Some are going to want to look like someone else, some will want to look totally different.”



On helping a team transform from traditional to digital sales techniques

“Teams are struggling with whether they want to be traditional or digital...when they have really progressive sales guys, others have more traditional, so we really have to educate that sales process...It means coming together as an organization [cites example of Blain Skinner with the LA Lakers]...Everyone wants a great sales tool...Most of the time, they want something different...(they have) great stuff. We can just make it come to life.”

Angelina tells a great story about the American Airlines Center staff being truly grateful for the new sales tools from Sports Digita helping them do their jobs better



The moment Angelina knew Sports Digita could be a viable business

“When the teams started calling us (in year two)...I knew it was a good niche that not really anyone was addressing...”



The sport that is the 'toughest' to sell

“I don't think it's the toughest, I would say the sport that is toughest to work in is Major League Baseball, because there a lot of requirement...They all have great campaigns and sponsorship assets...For me, sports is never a tough sell. It's such an emotional connection.”



Room to evolve, still, in the way products are sold digitally?

“I think this is the fastest growing asset category at a franchise. It is so important to hire the right person to run this team at a franchise...I think to have the right leader (in pace) is so critical to success.”



The in-house vs. Sports Digita question

Economies of scale...[for example, with the Lightning] there was no way I was going to get a budget approved for a development team. It is critical you don't try to do it yourselves. It is a lot of back-end and QA that is expensive...

We are filling a need. There are a lot of savvy design people, though, at teams and they are always great to work with.”



Angelina's favorite team logo/look

“It's a really hard question...”

“Growing up, for me, probably the Minnesota North Stars. My husbands played for them. I used ot watch them with my dad growing up. It's a classic.”



The most memorable team tagline or slogan that stands out

“The one I like the best is the one at the Lightning that we came up, which was “Together We Will.” hat was a big year for us when we brought that out with [Steven] Stamkos and Victor Hedman and Vinny Lecavalier. We really wanted to have that whole concept throughout the fans, with the players, with the community. We just had new owners, so we were trying to come up with something (that included) everybody.”



The most memorable team digital holiday cards/videos from the 2014 holiday season

I definitely give this award to the Minnesota Timberwolves (not this year)...We did a great spoof of holidays around the world because there were so many different nationalities on the team...We shot it one day after practice and Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio were great. But what really stood out was [Nikola] Pekovic. We asked all the players what their favorite food was and he said 'meat' and he held a piece of meat, like a big drumstick. It went crazy social media-wise...I went to a game a month later and there were people wearing Pekovic t-shirts and it said meat (on them) with a picture of a drumstick.”



Angelina's favorite sports venue she's been

The AT&t Stadium. That is amazing. I've been all over the country...but that stadium is unreal. We had full access everywhere to all the clubs, locker rooms...What I liked the most is the press room looks out into the bar area, so people can actually watch how the press conferences are going...obviously the best scoreboard.”



The one food everyone needs to have when they visit Minnesota

I'm going to say Walleye. The walleye is amazing here. And, freshly caught, it is amazing. All the different ways that Minnesotans love to do Walleye is great.

Angelina's favorite method of preparation: Beer-battered



Angelina's Social Media All-Star to Follow

Alicia Jessop @RulingSports - Works with Sports Digita, teaches at Florida State, writes for Huffington Post Sports and Forbes

“I love that she's a woman. I love that she's in sports. She's very savvy and she's very in-tune with what's going on at all times.”



Where to find Angelina and Sports Digita on digital/social media

www.SportsDigita.com and @SportsDigita on Twitter

@AngelinaLawton to find her on Twitter



http://www.SportsDigita.com/

Thanks very much to Angelina Lawton for sharing her experience, knowledge, and personality with us on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

For more, visit www.dsmsports.net and follow me, Neil Horowitz, on Twitter @njh287



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SportsDigita's Angelina Lawton Talks Modernizing #SportsBiz Sales