Master Fan Monetization with Apps: Grow Your Sports Brand’s Revenue

Mobile apps are a fantastic way to interact with your fans. 

Today you can build a high quality fan app at a fraction of the cost, without coding, and offer engaging content even on autopilot. Apps have also been proven to grow stickiness and loyalty with the brand.

Still, from a business point of view, the ability to generate revenue directly is perhaps the most appealing aspect of mobile apps.

There's a variety of app monetization models that an app owner can choose from, and we’re going to discuss them in more detail in this blog post.

You can also use our App Monetization Calculator to assess your revenue opportunities, and compare them with app costs – for which you can find a calculator in the same Google Sheet template as well.

Let’s dig into monetizing your fanbase with apps!

This blog is an excerpt from a 34-page eBook on Growing Digital Fan Engagement and Revenue

Fan Monetization Features and Revenue Generation Models for Apps

In apps, there’s a multitude of options available for monetization.

Inject them into your app as a part of engaging content, as upgrades, relevant ads and products, and you’ll be able to make your app a well-oiled machine that generates constant income.

Here are some examples of features and monetization models that you can use:

Sponsor visibility

There are many ways to give major visibility for sponsors in your app. For example, you can start by giving the main sponsor logo visibility on the opening screen.

Sponsor banners

Showcase your sponsor with distinctive banners or videos.

Sponsored features

You can also sell sponsored engagement features, sections, or buttons.

Ticket shop

Easily integrate your ticket shop into the app, and give easy access to purchase.

Merchandise store

Sell merchandise within your app.

Premium subscription

Offer paid subscriptions to exclusive fan content.

Digital products

Sell digital products like fan NFT’s with in-app purchases.

Mobile payment at your venue

Give fans an easy way to pay for products sold at your venue or physical shop – using their app.

Grow fan registry

Generate 1st party data for your newsletter and promotions with draws or other engagement features.

Succeeding with Fan Monetization with Apps: Short Checklist

All of the examples above are common for sports brands.

Follow up by:

1. Picking the most fitting monetization models for your organization
2. Running a cost-benefit analysis on your app – you can use our calculator for assessing expected revenues and costs
3. Making sure the features are placed prominently in your app
4. Consistently promoting your app, and engaging users

The steps are clear-cut. Key points are making educated estimates when starting out, and then making sure the app will be run on a consistent basis. Here are some tips on running your app effectively in your day-to-day work.

Driving the Revenue of a Football Tournament with An App: Case Helsinki Cup

Helsinki Cup is the largest junior football (a.k.a. soccer) tournament in the Nordics. Helsinki Cup has been using an app built with Choicely since 2020.

During this time the app has become the most important communication channel for the tournament, according to a post tournament participant survey.

Indeed when you’re hosting a football tournament for over 20 000 junior players, their families and fans, there are a lot of moving parts. In that setting, a mobile app comes in handy.

The app is also an important sales channel. Let’s explore the monetization methods Helsinki Cup is using:

Registrations

The app is an important communication tool around the year for the Helsinki Cup team. New content is published once a month at minimum. 97% of Helsinki Cup attendees have used the app which means many of them have it installed on their phones. Before next summer’s tournament, the Helsinki Cup team sends news about registrations and early bird offers through the app, which drives sales.

Paid Stream

The Helsinki Cup app has a paid stream which has an affordable price. For many tournament attendees – like the parents of the players – paying for the stream is a no-brainer as it gives them the opportunity to follow their children’s matches, and for example explore the city of Helsinki for the meantime.

Sponsor Activations & Banners

Helsinki Cup makes a good use of sponsored campaigns around the year. Sponsors have banner visibility in their app, and Helsinki Cup also publishes engaging sponsored polls and ratings. These activations are related to the sponsors’ products and often involve some kind of a random draw.

"We at Helsinki Cup have been extremely satisfied with the mobile application. In my opinion, it is straightforward, customer-friendly, easy to use and convenient to update."

-Kirsi Kavanne, CEO, Helsinki Cup

Conclusion

Using monetization features are critical for your app’s success. When your app can generate revenue on its own, it makes sense to keep it and develop it on the long term.

Apps are a natural way to monetize fans too: your most fanatic and loyal fans are more likely to buy tickets, merchandise and other branded products; and use your app.

By using fan monetization features in your app, you can:

• Grow your revenue
• Give the fans an easy access to purchasing your products and services
• Increase the value of your app
• Give value to your sponsors
• Increase engagement time with the app
• Grow 1st party fan data

Good luck on your app journey. Get started by trying out Choicely app builder for free. Build your app and start paying only when you're set out to publish your app.