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One team grew social reach from 7 million to 12+ million impressions.
Engagement exploded. Video views were up.

ROAS? 7–8x.

And yet… single-game ticket sales stayed flat.

In this episode, Jeremy breaks down why awareness alone doesn’t create growth, the difference between monetizing demand vs. multiplying it, and how to structure your funnel so reach actually turns into repeat buyers.

Key Topics

• Why a strong ROAS can still hide a growth ceiling
• Monetizing demand vs. multiplying demand
• The 3 Ad Buckets every sports team must use
• Why frequency problems get mistaken for awareness problems
• The overlooked “Game 2 Strategy”
• Database growth as a revenue multiplier
• Why timing sales ads to 24–48 hour buying windows matters

The Core Lesson

This team didn’t hit a wall.
They hit a ceiling.

Their ads worked.
Demand exists.

But their funnel wasn’t engineered to move fans from awareness → intent → repeat behavior.

The 3 Ad Buckets Framework

Every ad must live in one of three buckets:

1. Audience Building - Build familiarity and retargeting pools.
2. Buyer Warming - Reduce friction and drive traffic.
3. Buyer Ready - Sell tickets.

If every ad says “Buy Now,” none of them function like true sales ads.

Platforms optimize for engagement — not wallet behavior.

They’ll find people who:

• Watch
• Like
• Comment
• Share

They are not automatically optimizing for:

• Selecting a date
• Bringing a family
• Buying multiple games

That behavior must be engineered.

This team likely:

• Re-activated past buyers
• Sold to an existing pool
• Improved efficiency

But didn’t expand the buyer base.

That’s a frequency problem — not an awareness problem.

5 Layers That Unlock Growth

1. Capture Before Conversion – Own the relationship early.
2. Retargeting Discipline – Structured audience building.
3. Separate Content Tracks – Entertain and sell.
4. Game 2 Strategy – Opening Day is marketing. The rest is sales.
5. Group Data Capture – 50 tickets sold ≠ 1 contact captured.

Database growth = revenue growth.

The Timing Insight Most Teams Miss

Most single-game tickets are purchased within 24–48 hours of the game.

If your conversion ads aren’t strongest during that window, you’re fighting buying behavior.

Align your ads with when fans are ready to act.

Timestamps

00:00 – Massive reach, flat sales
01:16 – The 7–8x ROAS breakdown
03:30 – Monetize vs. multiply demand
05:14 – The 3 Ad Buckets
08:16 – Engagement vs. buyer behavior
12:57 – 5 growth unlocks
19:43 – Ceiling vs. wall
20:20 – Timing matters
21:52 – Self-audit questions

Episodes mentioned:

Episode 125 - “I Saw Your Ad—But Didn’t Buy”: Fixing the Fan Follow-Up Funnel

Episode 111 - Building Your Marketing Budget Like a Funnel: Awareness to Action

Episode 132 - The 35,000 Visitor Problem: Why More Traffic Can Tank Your Profits

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If you're still running one “hero ad” and hoping it scales, you're already behind.

In this episode, Jeremy breaks down why Meta’s evolving algorithm has made single-creative campaigns obsolete—and why sports teams must shift from building one good ad to building a creative system. You’ll learn how to structure multiple angles around one game, how to think in buyer motivations (not demographics), and how to create a “creative menu” that actually drives ticket sales.

Key Topics Covered

• Why “What’s the best ad format?” is the wrong question
• The myth of the one perfect ticket-selling ad
• How Meta’s reduced targeting options change everything
• The “menu problem” most teams don’t realize they have
• 5 psychological ticket-buyer motivations for the same event
• Why frequency spikes and CPM increases aren’t budget problems
• How to build 8–10 creative variations from one game
• Using ChatGPT to generate angles, hooks, and copy faster
• Why warming ads matter (AIDA framework explained)
• The difference between boosting posts and building strategy

Timestamps

00:00 – The myth of the “one killer ad”
02:40 – Why buyers aren’t all motivated by the same thing
05:50 – The ice cream shop analogy (creative variety explained)
06:11 – 5 angles for the same Saturday Night Fireworks game
08:30 – Why Meta won’t scale one message anymore
10:44 – How to practically build multiple creative angles
11:51 – The AIDA framework and warming ads
13:00 – Simple 4-step creative system for teams
15:19 – Stop boosting. Start building a creative menu.

The Big Idea: You Don’t Have a Targeting Problem. You Have a Creative Problem.

Most teams run:

• One graphic
• One hype video
• One caption
• One boosted post

That’s vanilla ice cream.

But your fans don’t all buy tickets for the same reason.

Some buy for:

• Family memories
• Social nights out
• Date nights
• Corporate hosting

When you run only one angle, Meta finds one pocket of people, frequency climbs, CPM increases, and performance plateaus.

It’s not a budget issue.

You ran out of angles.

The Creative Menu Framework

For one game:

1. Write down 5 reasons someone would attend (motivations, not demographics).
2. Create 2 angles per motivation.
3. Make sure visuals are different (faces, scenes, tone, format).
4. Let Meta run long enough to optimize (not 48 hours).

That’s 8–10 ads from one event.

That’s scale.

Jeremy references the classic AIDA model:

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

Not every ad converts immediately. Some warm. Some build trust. Some create demand.

If you shut off non-converting ads too quickly, you kill the top of your funnel.

Call to Action

If this episode helped shift your thinking, share it with someone on your marketing or ticket sales team.

Because the teams that move from one creative to a creative system are the teams that will scale ticket sales in 2026 and beyond.

Links mentioned:

Sports Marketing Machine powered by Revelocity Sports

AIDA Framework vi

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If you’re spending money on Meta ads but don’t fully trust the numbers… you’re not crazy. In this episode, Jeremy Neisser breaks down why Meta’s reporting often doesn’t match ticketing reality—and what sports teams should track instead. You’ll get a simple, no-nonsense framework for measuring marketing performance using real revenue, not modeled guesses.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Meta’s reports and your ticketing software rarely line up
• What Conversion API (CAPI) actually does—and what it doesn’t
• The difference between optimization data and reporting truth
• Why your ticketing system and bank account are the real scoreboard
• A simple framework to track marketing without attribution drama
• New Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC) explained for sports teams
• How Average Order Value (AOV) and Revenue Per Buyer reveal buyer quality
• Why judging ads every 48 hours leads to bad decisions
• How to evaluate marketing weekly (and ROI monthly or by homestand)

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Why teams don’t trust their marketing numbers
• 02:16 – How this episode connects to Meta strategies & budget planning
• 04:37 – How Meta actually matches purchases (and why it breaks)
• 06:57 – CAPI helps optimization, not reporting accuracy
• 09:18 – Meta is better at finding buyers than explaining them
• 11:36 – Why attribution falls apart in real fan journeys
• 12:04 – A simple, spreadsheet-level tracking framework
• 13:58 – Measuring ROI the way owners and GMs actually understand
• 16:11 – NCAC: the metric that removes attribution arguments
• 18:31 – AOV vs. Revenue Per Buyer (offer strength vs. buyer quality)
• 20:40 – What to stop over-obsessing about immediately
• 23:00 – Final framework: delivery engine vs. scoreboard

Core Framework (This Is the Money Slide)

Use Meta as a delivery engine.
Use your ticketing system as the scoreboard.

Track:

• Real ad spend (including agency fees)
• Real ticket revenue
• New Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC)
• Average Order Value (AOV)
• Revenue per buyer
• Repeat purchase behavior

Ignore:

• Platform-specific ROAS arguments
• Modeled attribution fights
• Day-to-day emotional decision-making

Call to Action

If this episode helped you, share it with someone on your team. The fastest way to kill “marketing isn’t working” conversations is getting everyone to agree on one scoreboard—your ticketing data.

Links mentioned:

Sports Marketing Machine powered by Revelocity Sports

Episode 135 - Simplest Way to Justify Your Marketing Budget

Episode 147 - Meta Ads Strategies That WORK in 2026

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Performance Max (P-Max) is showing up in more agency proposals—but most teams don’t fully understand what they’re buying.

In this episode, Jeremy Neisser breaks down what P-Max actually is inside Google Ads, why it sounds so attractive to sports teams, and how it’s often used to hide weak or undefined marketing strategy. You’ll learn when P-Max can help, when it hurts, and the critical questions teams should ask before letting automation take the wheel.

Key Topics Covered

• What Performance Max really does (in plain English)
• Why P-Max is an execution layer—not a marketing strategy
• How messy data causes P-Max to optimize for the wrong wins
• The danger of blended audiences and lost message control
• How agencies use P-Max as a reporting smoke screen
• When P-Max actually can work for sports teams
• Why segmentation and funnel clarity still matter in an AI world
• How to spot red flags in agency P-Max proposals

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 – Why Performance Max keeps showing up in agency proposals
• 02:47 – What P-Max actually is (and how it works)
• 05:36 – Why automation without strategy is dangerous
• 08:58 – How P-Max steals credit and inflates “conversions”
• 11:49 – When Performance Max can make sense for teams
• 14:39 – Strategy over automation: the real takeaway

Key Takeaways

• Performance Max is often used to mask weak strategy, not enhance strong ones.
• Automation simplifies execution—but it doesn’t replace thinking.
• P-Max is only as smart as your data (and most teams’ data is messy).
• Blended audiences lead to blended messaging—and wasted spend.
• If you can’t explain who’s buying and why, P-Max is a blindfold.
• P-Max works best as a supporting channel, not your entire plan.
• Clear funnel logic beats “AI will figure it out” every time.

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In this episode of the Sports Marketing Machine podcast, Jeremy Neisser discusses the often-overlooked aspect of lead generation in sports marketing. He emphasizes the importance of allocating a portion of the marketing budget to grow the fan database, rather than solely focusing on immediate ticket sales. Neisser outlines effective strategies for lead generation, including involving sponsors, creating compelling offers, and implementing follow-up plans. He also provides insights on budgeting for lead generation and the long-term benefits of building a larger audience.


Takeaways

• Most teams allocate 80-90% of their budget to single game ticket sales.
• Lead generation should be a key focus for sports teams.
• Growing your database is essential for long-term success.
• Lead generation is about capturing fan information, not immediate sales.
• Involving sponsors can enhance lead generation campaigns.
• High perceived value offers attract more participants.
• Follow-up is crucial after lead generation campaigns.
• Budgeting for lead generation should be a priority.
• Teams should think strategically about audience building.
• Lead generation is an investment in future ticket sales.

This episode makes the case that lead generation isn’t optional—it’s a core revenue strategy. Teams that dedicate real budget to list growth lower future ad costs, stop burning out their database, and give sales teams warmer leads to work. Whether sponsor-powered or self-funded, the key is high perceived value, simple opt-ins, fast follow-up, and intentional segmentation. Teams that treat lead gen as an investment—not an expense—build momentum that pays off all season long.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Lead Generation in Sports Marketing
02:35 The Importance of Growing Your Database
05:52 Lead Generation Strategies and Sponsor Involvement
08:42 Creating Compelling Offers for Lead Generation
11:54 Follow-Up Strategies for Lead Generation
14:37 Budgeting for Lead Generation in Sports Marketing
17:51 Key Takeaways and Action Steps

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Meta ads didn’t “break” — they evolved. In this episode, Jeremy explains (in plain English) what actually changed inside Meta over the last few months and why the old playbook of tight targeting, lookalikes, and lots of small campaigns no longer works. If you’re trying to sell more tickets in 2026, this episode gives you a clearer, simpler framework built around creative, behavior, and momentum — not guesswork.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Meta Platforms knows less about fans — and why that’s not a bad thing
• How privacy changes permanently weakened interest targeting and lookalike audiences
• The shift from labels (sports fan, parent, local) to behavior-based learning
• Why creative now does the targeting — not audience checkboxes
• How too many small campaigns quietly kill performance
• Why fewer campaigns + more creative = better results
• The real minimum budgets Meta needs to learn and optimize
• How sports teams can let fans “self-identify” through engagement

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 – Why Meta ads feel broken right now
• 01:03 – What actually changed inside Meta
• 03:28 – Why interest targeting is fuzzy (and always will be)
• 05:49 – Why lookalike audiences are slower and less predictable
• 08:03 – The biggest shift: Meta learns from behavior, not labels
• 10:14 – Creative as targeting: showing moments, not audiences
• 12:14 – Campaign structure mistakes teams keep making
• 14:24 – The new Meta mindset: clear beats clever
• 15:39 – Homework, next steps, and final takeaways

Tactical Takeaways

• Stop asking “Who should we target?” — start asking “What moment are we showing?”
• Let Meta learn from scroll-stopping content, not assumptions
• Consolidate campaigns so Meta gets enough data to optimize
• Feed the algorithm with real fan experiences, not generic graphics
• Clarity sells tickets better than cleverness

Call to Action

If this episode helped clarify where Meta ads are actually heading, share it with someone on your team who’s frustrated with paid ads right now.
And if you want to pressure-test your current Meta setup, head to the website and book a quick call — even if it’s just to sanity-check what you’re running.

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Marketing predictions are everywhere—but most don’t help sell tickets. In Episode 146, Jeremy Neisser shares 13 practical marketing predictions for 2026, filtered through one question: does this sell more tickets, or is it busy work? This episode focuses on controlling the buying moment, personalization, signal-based marketing, and why the revenue loop replaces the funnel.

Key Topics Covered

• Personalization as a ticket-sales differentiator
• Creative as the new media buyer
• Signals over pixels (Buyer data)
• Saves, comments, & DMs as buying intent
• Zero-click checkout & social selling
• Data reclamation from marketplaces
• First-click ownership as a revenue KPI
• Warm audiences vs. cold acquisition

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:08 Personalization
04:31 Creative as Media Buyer
06:51 Signals Over Pixels
10:34 DMs as Soft Leads
12:56 Zero-Click Checkout
15:15 Social Selling
18:04 Data Reclamation
19:58 First-Click Ownership
21:26 Warm vs Cold
23:49 Per Persona Campaigns
25:10 Marketing as Inside Sales
26:35 Revenue Loop

Supporting Links

https://www.jonloomer.com/meta-advertising-changes-2025/
https://www.jonloomer.com/understand-meta-advertising-8-episodes/
https://www.jonloomer.com/interactions-post-engagement/
https://www.emarketer.com/content/social-commerce-2024
https://www.insiderintelligence.com/insights/social-commerce/
https://www.brightedge.com/resources/webinars/owning-the-first-click
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/search/brand-vs-non-brand-search/
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/secondary-ticket-market
https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate
https://baymard.com/blog/checkout-usability
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/03/02/retargeting
https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/146787991656572?id=561906377587030
https://hbr.org/2016/07/ending-the-war-between-sales-and-marketing
https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2c-marketing-and-sales-alignment/
https://www.meta.com/business/help/1438417719786914

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In this episode, Jeremy Neisser reviews his previous predictions for sports marketing and fan engagement for 2025, assessing where he was right, where he was wrong, and what the implications are for 2026. He discusses the impact of AI and personalization, the shift towards membership models, the rise of short form video, the importance of user-generated content, and the challenges of holistic attribution. He also delves into the complexities of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in sports, donor engagement strategies, and the significance of focusing on fan quality over quantity.

Key Themes Covered

• AI & personalization (where it works and where it doesn’t)
• The continued shift from season tickets → membership models
• Short-form video becoming the backbone of ticket marketing
• Why creative is now the targeting
• The messy reality of attribution
• NIL’s impact on ticket sales and sponsorships
• Donor engagement at scale
• Why fan quality matters more than fan quantity

Takeaways

• AI and personalization are crucial for sports marketing success.
• Membership models are replacing traditional season tickets.
• Short form video has become essential for engaging fans.
• User-generated content builds trust and engagement.
• Holistic attribution is challenging but necessary for understanding marketing impact.
• NIL has complicated the landscape of college athletics.
• Donors seek meaningful engagement beyond transactions.
• NIL platforms need to simplify for small market teams.
• Focusing on fan quality leads to better outcomes than quantity.
• Auditing marketing strategies is essential for future success.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Self-Audit of Predictions
01:01 AI and Personalization in Sports Marketing
03:54 Membership Models and Fan Engagement
05:46 The Rise of Short Form Video
08:04 User-Generated Content and Micro Influencers
09:28 Holistic Attribution Challenges
13:11 Navigating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)
16:31 Donor Engagement and Experience
18:54 NIL Platforms and Market Scaling
20:20 The Importance of Fan Quality Over Quantity
22:13 Conclusion and Advice for 2026

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Episode 95 – 12 Marketing & Fan Engagement Predictions for 2025
• 80/20 Principle (Pareto Principle)
• Sports Marketing Machine Strategy Call

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