Sports Marketing Machine Podcast

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Jeremy is joined by Sam Goldfeder and Andy Milovich to recap the MiLB Business Summit in Louisville. They cover what teams are doing well right now, how AI is being used to improve marketing and promotional planning, and why minor league baseball is becoming far more intentional about pricing, messaging, and community connection.
The conversation centers on two big shifts: teams are moving from broad, one-size-fits-all promotions to more targeted, data-informed strategies, and they are using technology to better understand what actually motivates fans to buy. Along the way, they talk about affordability, single-game buyer retention, and how community-first storytelling still sits at the heart of the business.

Key topics
In this episode, Andy Milovich highlights promotions that are tied to local identity, like the Albuquerque Isotopes’ Native American Heritage Night with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Sam Goldfeder explains how teams are using AI to help fans visualize themselves in experiences like birthday parties in suites or sponsor activations on the concourse.
The group discusses how minor league baseball is shifting away from viral-for-viral’s-sake promotions toward more meaningful, repeatable campaigns.
Andy shares that data is now driving more decisions around ticketing, marketing, and promotion performance, especially as ownership groups expect clearer ROI.
Sam notes that teams are asking more specific questions about incremental lift, such as the true value of Friday fireworks or other recurring promotions.
The conversation digs into the balance between premium experiences and affordability, including value-added tickets, discounted theme nights, and low-cost offers like $5 Tuesdays.
Jeremy and Andy discuss how teams are getting more sophisticated about audience segmentation, moving away from spray-and-pray email and promotion tactics.
Andy explains that better data can help teams tailor messaging for different fan motivations, from families to premium buyers to casual groups.
The trio talks about resource constraints and why AI is drawing so much interest as a way to increase output without adding headcount.
They close on the importance of community connection, storytelling, and being active locally as the foundation that technology should support, not replace.

Timestamps
00:00 - Opening the MiLB Business Summit recap

00:38 - Promotions tied to local culture and community

01:47 - Storytelling and AI-powered fan visualization

03:54 - From viral promotions to meaningful repeatable campaigns

05:54 - Measuring the incremental value of promotions

06:51 - The push to convert positive sentiment into ticket sales

08:19 - Data, ownership expectations, and attendance pressure

10:59 - The affordability challenge and premium pricing tradeoff

13:22 - Using fan data to segment value, experience, and premium messaging

15:18 - Why spray-and-pray marketing no longer works

17:45 - AI as a force multiplier for resource-constrained teams

20:19 - AI uncovering unexpected group targets

21:12 - Predictive models, weather forecasting, and offer timing

22:14 - Tracking channel performance and marketing attribution

24:59 - Intentionality across all functional areas

26:50 - Storytelling, content creation, and the changing social landscape

29:01 - 125th season of minor league baseball and the AI outlook

29:30 - Filling seats, leveraging data, and the coming opportunity

30:29 - Community fabric, face-to-face connection, and the role of technology

32:16 - Closing remarks and how to follow up

Notable quotes
“We’re in the memory-making business; we’re not in the baseball business.”

“Everybody’s looking for that easy button, as you know, but there is no such easy button.”

“The intersection of building those memories and then connecting those memories and reaching the people that they’re built for is really what’s gonna drive the next generation of success.”
Questions or Thoughts: email Sam, Andy, or Jeremy 
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If your GM handed you $1,000 for Facebook and Instagram ads to drive group sales, would you boost a "book your group outing" post? In part two of this group sales series, Jeremy Neisser walks through the exact plan he'd run instead: pick one group buyer, build three ads around three real reasons people book, run one lead generation campaign, follow up the same day, and judge the whole thing on booked outings and revenue. You'll walk away with a campaign you can launch this season and a scorecard your CFO will actually care about.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
- Why group sales ads need a different approach than individual ticket ads: you're looking for one organizer, not 50 single-ticket buyers
- Why the first step happens before you open Ads Manager: choosing one group buyer category to focus a $1,000 test
- How to mine 15–20 real group sales inquiries, emails, and call notes to find the motivations behind bookings
- Three ad concepts for company outings, built on staff appreciation, easy planning, and bringing people together, with sample headlines and copy
- Why you should test different reasons to book, not different photos of the same message
- How to structure the campaign: one leads objective, one ad set, three concepts, and a broad local audience
- Why targeting people who like baseball (or relying on Meta job title targeting) can miss the HR director who books the outing
- How to split the budget: roughly $35 a day over four weeks, $800 for prospecting and $200 for retargeting only when the audience justifies it
- Why a Meta instant form is the simplest starting point, and the five fields worth asking for
- How to build a follow-up process before launch so leads get a same-day response that matches the ad they clicked
- How to measure the right numbers: inquiries, qualified leads, booked outings, revenue, and cost per booked group
- How to time group ads around your buyers' planning cycle and use what you learn to sharpen outbound sales emails and calls

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – Why this episode is about group sales only: one organizer for 50, not 50 single-ticket buyers
[01:57] – Recap of Episode 184 and Eugene Schwartz's five stages of awareness
[04:21] – Step 1: Pick one type of group buyer before you open Ads Manager
[06:42] – Step 2: Mine customer language from group sales emails, forms, and call transcripts
[08:04] – Step 3: Turn three buyer motivations into three ad concepts
[09:00] – Ad concepts 2 and 3: "Planning a group outing shouldn't feel like a second job" and bringing coworkers together
[11:21] – Step 4: Build one Meta leads campaign with one ad set, and why you're testing reasons, not photos
[12:44] – Why a broad local audience beats interest targeting for group buyers
[13:38] – The HR director might not be a baseball fan, and the limits of job title targeting
[15:05] – Step 5: About $35 a day for four weeks, with $800 prospecting and $200 retargeting
[16:01] – When to skip retargeting, and how retargeting ads can get more direct
[17:27] – Step 6: Where to send clicks so the message stays consistent
[18:09] – Why a Meta instant form is the best starting point, and the five fields to ask for
[20:30] – Step 7: Sales follow-up matters as much as the ad
[20:59] – Who gets the lead, how fast, and what happens if there's no reply
[22:49] – Making the first follow-up match the reason the buyer reached out
[23:19] – Step 8: Measuring inquiries, qualified leads, bookings, and revenue
[25:06] – A hypothetical walkthrough: $1,000, 5 booked groups, $3,750 in tickets, and why that isn't profit
[26:32] – Reviewing results with the group sales team to learn what buyers care about
[27:26] – Would you run this all season? Taking results to your CFO
[28:56] – Timing ads around the group sales planning cycle
[29:53] – Using the awareness framework as the season gets closer
[30:21] – Meta supports outbound sales, it doesn't replace it
[31:45] – The $1,000 plan recap
[33:10] – Why group sales advertising deserves more attention than individual ticket ads
[34:39] – Jeremy's challenge and a free group sales planning session

CALL TO ACTION
Want help building your own $1,000 group sales campaign? Jeremy is offering a free 30–60 minute planning session to map out your audience, messaging, and ads with you. Email jeremy@sportsmarketingmachine.com to set it up.

QUOTE PULLS
"We're not trying to find 50 people who want to buy one ticket. We're trying to find one person who might organize an outing for 50 people." — Jeremy Neisser

"When you're speaking to everybody, you're speaking to nobody." — Jeremy Neisser

"We're not testing three photos. We're testing three different reasons someone might organize an outing." — Jeremy Neisser

"The HR director we're trying to reach might not be a baseball fan. That doesn't mean she won't organize a baseball outing." — Jeremy Neisser

"The ad only starts the conversation. Your sales team turns it into a booked outing." — Jeremy Neisser

Links mentioned:
https://revelocitysports.com/podcast/episode-185/

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Most sports teams post "Book your group outing" and assume they're doing group sales marketing. They're only reaching people who've already decided. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Jeremy Neisser applies Eugene Schwartz's five stages of awareness to group sales and shows how to write messaging for HR directors, church administrators, team moms, and business owners based on why they'd actually book. If you're about to spend money on Meta ads for groups, start here.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
- Why a "Book your group outing" post only speaks to buyers who have already decided, and misses everyone else
- The difference between promoting the product and promoting the reason to buy
- What an HR director is actually thinking when her boss asks her to plan a company outing (cost, families, fun, and workload)
- How to connect your ballpark or arena to a need buyers already have instead of creating one
- Eugene Schwartz's five stages of awareness from Breakthrough Advertising, explained in sports terms
- Sample ad copy for each stage, from "Your employees deserve more than another pizza party" to "Request available dates"
- Why many people in your market know your team but don't know you offer group outings
- Why Meta can't target by awareness stage, and how to use the stages as a messaging framework instead
- Four buyers, four motivations: staff appreciation, church fellowship, end-of-season celebrations, and client entertainment
- Why five graphics that all say the same thing are still just one message
- How to turn group sales calls, emails, and website form submissions into ad copy with Claude or ChatGPT
- Where "Book your group outing" posts still belong in your broader group sales strategy

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – Part 1 of a two-part series on using Meta to sell more groups
[01:35] – Who is your "Book your group outing" post actually speaking to?
[02:34] – Promoting the product versus promoting the reason to buy
[03:01] – Inside the head of an HR director with 75 employees
[04:27] – Connecting your ballpark experience to a need buyers already have
[05:18] – Eugene Schwartz and why Breakthrough Advertising matters to sports marketers
[06:16] – The five stages of awareness: not every buyer is at the same point
[07:13] – Stage 1, Unaware: planting the idea before she's been asked to plan anything
[08:29] – Why people know your team but don't know you offer group outings
[09:48] – Stage 2, Problem aware: "Planning a company outing shouldn't feel like a second job"
[10:43] – Stage 3, Solution aware: helping buyers picture the night at the ballpark
[11:40] – Stage 4, Product aware: the details buyers need when evaluating your venue
[13:04] – Stage 5, Most aware: dates, pricing, and availability
[14:47] – Why awareness matters for your Meta advertising
[15:14] – The first job of an ad: getting someone to care enough to pay attention
[17:24] – Four potential buyers, four different motivations
[18:52] – Same venue, different messaging: copy examples for each buyer
[19:20] – More creative doesn't mean more messaging
[20:36] – Your group sales staff is sitting on your best customer research
[22:04] – Turning call transcripts, emails, and forms into ad copy with AI
[23:30] – Where "Book your group outing" posts still fit
[24:30] – Your next group buyer may not be looking for tickets at all
[24:56] – Preview of Part 2: how to spend $1,000 on Meta for group sales
[25:23] – Homework #1: audit your last five social posts
[26:17] – Homework #2: build stage-by-stage copy from real customer conversations
[27:10] – Closing and listener rating request

CALL TO ACTION
Do the homework before Part 2 drops. Pull up your last five social posts and ask whether they give people a reason to organize an outing or just remind them group tickets exist. Then gather two weeks of group sales call transcripts, emails, and form submissions, and use them to write copy for each of the five stages. When Part 2 walks through the $1,000 Meta plan, you'll have the messages ready to test.

QUOTE PULLS
1. "Posting about group tickets and creating interest in group outings are two very different things." — Jeremy Neisser
2. "HR directors don't use the words 'group tickets.' They're thinking about doing something for their employees." — Jeremy Neisser
3. "You've created five different pieces of creative. You haven't created five different messages." — Jeremy Neisser
4. "The stages of awareness are a messaging framework, not targeting categories you can select inside of ads." — Jeremy Neisser
5. "Your next group sales customer might not be looking for baseball tickets. They might be looking for a way to recognize their employees." — Jeremy Neisser

Mentioned in the Episode:
https://breakthroughadvertisingbook.com/breakthrough-advertising/
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Jeremy Neisser takes a week off the tactics to ask the question underneath all of them: what business is your sports team actually in? A sideline conversation with a Chick-fil-A owner — McDonald's is in the burger business, Chick-fil-A is in the community growing business — becomes the frame for a complete rethink of what a ticket transaction really is. 
This is a solo episode recorded in the days after Jeremy lost his father-in-law, Tom, and it connects that perspective directly to how you write campaigns, read your database, and treat the people on the other side of the report. If you have been in sports long enough to feel the grind of the season, this is twenty minutes worth giving it.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
- The two-lens test that determines every idea your team greenlights, borrowed from a conversation with a local Chick-fil-A owner
- Why "we're in the sports business" and "we're in the entertainment business" are both accurate and both limiting
- The case for the memory making business — and what changes operationally when you accept it
- What a family is actually buying when they buy four tickets, and why the per cap doesn't capture it
- How the same game gets bought four different ways by a family, a date night couple, a company outing, and a fifteen-year season ticket holder
- Rewriting a generic "$12 tickets, buy now" promo into a message about the experience the game makes possible
- Why your segmentation strategy improves when you stop asking how to get someone to buy and start asking what they want to experience
- Reading a lapsed-buyer list as five hundred life changes instead of five hundred churn events
- How to send the win-back email without treating the recipient as a transaction to recover
- The career question worth sitting with: what will you actually remember from this job in twenty years
- The cost of an industry that treats long hours as a badge of honor, and the memories it can quietly charge you
- Why the places that feel like community to your fans usually have no idea they do

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – Why this episode breaks the weekly pattern, and why it's about perspective instead of tactics
[00:45] – The personal loss behind the episode and how grief resets what looks important
[01:30] – The daily grind every sports marketer recognizes: promo calendars, budgets, and 200 more people through the gate
[02:00] – The question underneath all of it: what business are we really in?
[02:25] – A sideline conversation at a nine-year-old's soccer game with a local Chick-fil-A owner
[03:15] – "McDonald's is in the burger business. Chick-fil-A is in the community growing business."
[03:45] – What changes when you see yourself as selling product versus growing a community
[04:52] – The sandwich becomes the vehicle for something bigger — and so does the ticket
[05:30] – Why that owner's idea meeting looks nothing like the one down the street
[06:09] – The answer for sports teams: we're in the memory making business
[06:45] – Four tickets, a $60 transaction, and what the family actually bought
[07:06] – The grandparent taking a grandchild to a first game, and what that child will remember
[08:04] – A July Dodgers game with Jeremy's daughter and father-in-law that became a lifelong memory
[09:30] – Why you never know which night in your building is the one that lasts
[10:00] – "But this is a marketing podcast" — how perspective actually improves your revenue work
[10:28] – Rewriting a $12 ticket promo into a message about the experience
[11:53] – Four buyers, four motivations, one ticket: family, date night, company outing, long-time STH
[12:30] – Asking what a fan wants to experience instead of how to get them to buy
[12:52] – 2,500 season ticket holders, 40,000 emails, 500 lapsed buyers — and the person behind each record
[13:30] – The real reasons people stop attending, and why you'll never know which one applies
[14:00] – Send the win-back email. Just remember who's opening it.
[14:17] – Why the strongest organizations are places where people feel like they belong
[14:34] – Twenty-five years in sports and the question of what you'll actually remember
[15:30] – The campaign that generated $25K versus the relationships you'll carry
[16:25] – Long hours as a badge of honor and the season's real cost
[17:00] – Building memories for everyone else's family and missing your own
[17:34] – The Habit Burger story: eighteen years of a routine that was never about burgers
[19:00] – How many families have a tradition at your ballpark that you'll never hear about
[19:57] – The closing question for ticket sellers, marketers, GMs, and external relations directors
[21:24] – A final reminder: call someone you love, take the picture, make the time

CALL TO ACTION
Take one ticket campaign you're about to send and rewrite it around the experience instead of the price. Then review your fan segmentation with a human lens rather than a revenue lens, and see what changes.

QUOTE PULLS
"I think we're in the memory making business." — Jeremy Neisser

"You're still selling chicken sandwiches, but the chicken sandwich becomes the vehicle for something bigger." — Jeremy Neisser

"The best sports organizations aren't just places where people go to watch games. They're places where people feel like they belong." — Jeremy Neisser

"If we're not careful, we can spend so much time creating memories for everybody else's family that we forget to create them for our own." — Jeremy Neisser

"There are real people on the other side of those transactions. People who might be creating memories they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. And you get to play a small part in making that happen." — Jeremy Neisser

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The last episode set the size of your marketing budget. This one decides where every dollar goes — because you can have exactly the right number and still spend it in all the wrong places. Jeremy breaks a sports marketing budget into three buckets (top, middle, and bottom of funnel), lays out a 45-30-25 starting allocation for a balanced live-event team, and shows why most teams are closer to 80-15-5. 
If 80 cents of every dollar is chasing people who have never bought a ticket, the problem isn't the size of your budget.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
- Why setting your budget and allocating your budget are two completely different problems — and why solving the first one doesn't fix the second
- The three jobs your marketing money has to do: get attention, convert interest, bring buyers back
- Exactly which channels belong in top, middle and bottom of funnel, with real examples from billboards to automated journeys
- The 45-30-25 starting framework for a balanced live-event marketing budget, and when your team should deliberately break it
- What a $100,000 budget looks like split correctly against a $400,000 single-game revenue goal
- How to spot the imbalance that actually matters — and why 80-15-5 is a finding, not a rounding error
- Why "we email our past buyers all the time" isn't the same as investing in your database
- What real database investment looks like: segmentation, automated journeys, tested offers, and retargeting buyer lists on paid social
- Why the cheapest fan to acquire is the one you already acquired, and what that should do to your budget
- How the same Meta budget can serve all three funnel stages depending entirely on who you target
- Why not every dollar should be held to the same 4-to-1 return, and what to measure at each stage instead
- Why first-party data is a structural advantage sports teams have over almost every small business — and how most teams waste it
- The free Marketing Report Card that grades your current allocation and shows where you're over- or under-invested

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – The question a right-sized budget creates: now where does it go?
[02:02] – Recapping the 4-to-1 return as a starting point for budget conversations
[03:25] – The three different jobs your marketing dollars have to do
[05:10] – Top, middle and bottom of funnel defined, with the channels that live in each
[08:32] – The 45-30-25 starting framework — and why it's a starting point, not a rule
[10:54] – Running the math: what $100,000 looks like allocated correctly
[11:42] – Why "we email our buyers all the time" doesn't count as investment
[13:23] – The cheapest fan to acquire is the one you already acquired
[15:05] – Why you still have to keep filling the top of the funnel
[16:33] – Channels don't automatically belong to one bucket — the Meta example
[18:21] – Stop asking what channel. Start asking what job.
[19:18] – Why not every dollar should be measured against the same return
[21:14] – First-party data as a sports team's structural advantage
[23:30] – Acquire, convert, return, grow — instead of acquire, acquire, acquire
[24:24] – How to audit your own allocation this week in under an hour
[25:46] – What the free Marketing Report Card does and how to read the grade
[28:08] – Final takeaway: spend with a job in mind, not just a channel

CALL TO ACTION
Take every marketing dollar you spent last season — or plan to spend this one — and run it through the free Marketing Report Card at revelocitysports.com/report-card. Put in your channels and your spend, cash and trade, and it sorts everything across the funnel and grades your allocation. It takes a few minutes and it will tell you whether you need more money or a different plan for the money you already have. If you want to talk through what it shows you, the 30-minute conversation is free too.

QUOTE PULLS

"You can have the right amount of money and still have the wrong marketing plan."
— Jeremy Neisser

"The cheapest fan to acquire is the one you already acquired."
— Jeremy Neisser

"Don't ask what channel you're spending money on. Ask what job that channel is doing."
— Jeremy Neisser

"We're telling people we exist. We're not inviting them to the game."
— Jeremy Neisser

"The bottom of the funnel deserves real budget. Not leftovers."
— Jeremy Neisser

"Before I ask for another $50,000, I want to know whether we're getting everything we can out of the $100,000 we're already spending."
— Jeremy Neisser

Take the FREE Marketing Report Card 
Episode 181 - How much should you spend on Marketing? 
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