Getting an angler to buy a ticket and fish at your club is a great first step, but what happens after they’ve enjoyed their day on the water? Are they just a one-time visitor, or can they become a long-term member of your angling community?
A lot of time and effort goes into getting an angler to make that first purchase, so you need to make that effort worthwhile and keep them coming back for more. Imagine the potential business from just one angler if you keep them engaged and interested in your club.
But how can you keep anglers engaged with limited time and resources when you’re all volunteers trying to manage a fishing club in your free time?
Let’s explore how you can transform a casual angler into a loyal member of your fishing club.
Look After Anglers, and They’ll Look After You
Every time an angler buys a day ticket and never returns is a missed opportunity. To stop this from happening, you need to concentrate on nurturing them. Giving anglers useful information, support, and ongoing engagement helps them stay connected to your club. By leveraging technology and automation, you can engage anglers, making your venue their first choice when they’re ready to fish again.
How to Keep Anglers Engaged with Your Fishing Club
Tracking and managing this process might seem daunting without the right tools, but it’s simpler than you think. Tools like Clubmate’s email automation and sales funnel allow you to follow each angler’s journey with your club, from their first interaction to their latest session. This system helps visualise their experience and identifies potential moments where they may lose touch. Automated communications can encourage further participation and purchases without the extra work.
The Ideal Angler Engagement Funnel
Capture Angler Data
The first step is to capture information from anglers when they show interest in your club. This can be done through sign-up forms on your website, social media engagements, or in-person interactions at your venue. Collecting basic contact information and preferences will help tailor future communications.
Encourage Angling Participation
Once you have their data, encourage angler participation by sending targeted messages. Share information about upcoming events, fishing conditions, and club news. Personalised communication keeps anglers informed and makes them feel valued, increasing their likelihood of returning.
Offer Day Tickets
Promote day tickets as an easy, accessible and low-commitment way for anglers to fish at your venue. Make the purchasing process simple and convenient so that you don’t lose them at the first hurdle. Using an online system is a great solution here because anglers can purchase a ticket and head down to your venue to fish straight away. Don’t be afraid to offer promotions such as ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ or ‘take a friend fishing.’ If it works in retail, it can work for you too!
Encourage Membership
After an angler has made a few trips to your club, begin to introduce the idea of membership as a better value option for them. Highlight any member-only benefits and showing the value of membership can convert occasional visitors into more committed members. Many anglers might pay £10.00 for a day ticket, when a seasonal membership can cost as little as £30 to £40; meaning anglers get a great deal and the club get more support – and hopefully more volunteers.
Spotlight Member Achievements and Success Stories
Share the success stories and fishing achievements of anglers at your club. Whether it’s a record catch, a memorable day on the water, or participation in club events, celebrating these moments fosters community. Featuring anglers on your website, social media, or newsletters can motivate others to join and share their stories.
Many fishing clubs are doing some fantastic things and it’s worth highlighting these to encourage new members: free junior sessions, charity fundraising, litter picking and, of course, catching fish! The more you demonstrate this, the more members you’ll get. A great opportunity to highlight the benefits of angling and support a bright angling future!
We all know angling is facing challenges at the moment and in the last few years rod licence numbers have decreased but knowledge is power! Most clubs want to increase membership, invest more in projects, and help more adults and young people alike get into angling. Capturing the right information means this can be done by intention rather than luck.
Clubmate is the go-to fishing club management software trusted by nearly 100,000 anglers and 1500+ fishing club committee members and bailiffs. We’ll help you remove unnecessary paperwork, increase revenue and take back your spare time with our simple-to-use, cloud-based system designed specifically for fishing clubs and fisheries. Book a 1-2-1 demo with one of our fishing club experts or see what people have to say about working with us.
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