Expansion team looks to grow their fan base

Until recently, Minnesota United’s lead generation relied heavily on sales emails – often jam-packed with attachments and links – and direct mail collateral. These approaches provided information prospects needed to make a purchase, but they couldn’t generate the level of engagement and excitement that drove sales.

Minnesota United needed a new solution – something attention-grabbing that would effectively reach and engage audiences while keeping costs down.

Familiar platform with a new twist

The Minnesota United sales team was no stranger to LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Bryant Pfeiffer, Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategy, had previously worked at the MLS head office introducing LinkedIn Sales Navigator to teams across the league. “Clubs really embraced social selling tools like Sales Navigator to accelerate growth and results,” says Pfeiffer, “and it seemed it could help here, too.”

Right away, Sales Navigator helped Minnesota connect with new leads. With LinkedIn PointDrive, a platform included in Sales Navigator Team and Enterprise editions, Minnesota United discovered the perfect tool for getting leads excited by content, rather than overwhelmed by content. It was email with a twist.

Results driven by PointDrive

PointDrive helps the team pack their most critical sales materials – videos, stadium renderings, seating charts and other key event details, into a well-curated landing page that culminates in a strong call-to-action. “Since many of our buyers – especially our corporate clients – are so busy, it’s critical that our content be clear and concise,” says Horton. “PointDrive creates a leaner, more unique way to share information, so it hits harder.”

Minnesota United also uses PointDrive to track how prospects are engaging with each campaign. With PointDrive, the sales team gains visibility into how the audience is consuming content. “We can actually see what our buyers looked at, so we have a better idea what they care about,” says Horton. “Those insights help us better prepare for future conversations...pushing us that much closer to a sale.”

Visit http://bit.ly/2eJ2J2c to view Minnesota United’s PointDrive in action.

Results

The reps at Minnesota United created a game plan. Each of their PointDrive campaigns are focused around organizational milestones; 2018 season ticket deposits, announcement of Allianz field. They focused nearly 30 sales people to share PointDrives on their personal networks referencing and promoting these milestones. The intent was to have each rep post around these meaningful business-centric events, all leveraging PointDrive. They had a specific time frame for each campaign, seven days that incorporated multiple touch points. There was a call to action, which made their efforts actionable. All announcements were posted on LinkedIn and reps follow up via LinkedIn InMail and Message to viewers who expressed interest. The key was “Striking on the days that we had important milestones and capitalizing on the timeliness of the news,” says Pfeiffer.

And the sales team is discovering that this increase in virtual engagement is leading to real gains in revenue. On average, each campaign – which spans just seven days – has generated almost $10,000. And that’s trending upward, with each successive campaign generating more than the one before. The most recent blitz led to over $20,000 in new season ticket revenue.

Team members are also seeing the benefits of using PointDrive in conjunction with Sales Navigator to engage with individuals. For instance, Horton recently used Sales Navigator to connect with the COO of a major local law firm. “He’s just a casual soccer fan, but after looking at our PointDrive presentation, he got his company season tickets – and even purchased some for himself.”

And that’s only the beginning. Horton says that, with results like these, Minnesota United will increase their use of PointDrive in upcoming sales blitzes. It’s the perfect tool for helping an expansion team expand their audience.

About Minnesota United

Minnesota United Football Club is a Major League Soccer team based in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Nicknamed “The Loons,” the club began play in 2017 as the league’s newest expansion and is currently building roots in Saint Paul, with the construction of a new stadium.