I have some roots in East Tennessee. With family living in Jonesborough, and relatives who attend ETSU, I’ve spent countless summer evenings in Johnson City. When I started researching digital strategies for baseball organizations, the Johnson City Doughboys immediately came to mind, not just because I’m a fan of the team, but because the opportunity is so clear.
Summer nights in Johnson City offer no shortage of options. You can hike Buffalo Mountain at sunset, grab a beer at Yee-Haw Brewing, float the Nolichucky River, or bike the Tweetsie Trail. It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise.
But there’s another option that thousands of families, students, and baseball fans overlook every summer: the Doughboys at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.
This isn’t about what the Doughboys are doing wrong. It’s about a methodology any summer collegiate baseball team can use to systematically capture local entertainment searches and become the go-to answer for “what should we do tonight?”
I’m using Johnson City as the example because I’m a fan, I know the market, and the opportunity is particularly visible in college towns with strong outdoor recreation cultures.
This post explores how summer collegiate teams can identify and capture their local market opportunity through strategic digital positioning.
Understanding the Summer Collegiate Baseball Market
Summer collegiate baseball occupies a unique space in the sports landscape. You’re not selling current major league talent or championship stakes. You’re selling something else entirely:
Affordable, accessible, family-friendly entertainment in a community setting.
The Johnson City market illustrates this perfectly. The city has approximately 70,000 residents, with East Tennessee State University adding 14,000+ students. The broader tri-cities region (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol) brings the metro population to around 500,000.
These aren’t tourists looking for activities. They’re local families asking: “What should we do tonight?”
The Competition Landscape
In a tourism market like Daytona Beach, minor league baseball competes with theme parks, beach activities, and major attractions. The Doughboys face different competition:
Outdoor Recreation:
- Buffalo Mountain Park hiking
- Tweetsie Trail biking
- Watauga River tubing and kayaking
- Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park
Local Entertainment:
- Downtown breweries and restaurants
- Hands On! Discovery Center
- Local festivals and events
- Movie theaters
Home Entertainment:
- Streaming services
- Backyard activities
- Swimming pools
Your competitive advantage? You’re the only affordable, outdoor, family entertainment option that happens nearly every night from June through August.
The Search Opportunity: Local Intent vs. Tourist Intent
Most summer collegiate teams think about marketing in traditional terms: social media, email lists, community outreach. These matter. But there’s a digital opportunity most teams miss entirely.
Every month, thousands of people in your market are searching for entertainment options:
Local Entertainment Searches:
- “things to do in Johnson City tonight”
- “family activities Johnson City TN”
- “what’s happening in Johnson City this weekend”
- “date night ideas Johnson City”
- “kids activities near me”
These aren’t hypothetical searches. They’re happening right now, from people within driving distance of your ballpark.
The Key Question
When a parent in Johnson City searches “family activities tonight,” does the Doughboys game appear in the results?
When an ETSU student searches “things to do near ETSU,” does your stadium show up?
When someone searches “date night Johnson City,” are you part of the conversation?
For most summer collegiate teams, the answer is no. And that represents thousands of dollars in missed ticket revenue every season.
The Local Market Advantage Framework
Here’s how to think about your digital opportunity:
1. Geographic Radius Matters
Unlike tourism markets, your audience comes from a defined radius:
- Primary market: 0-15 miles (Johnson City proper, ETSU area)
- Secondary market: 15-30 miles (Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, Jonesborough)
- Tertiary market: 30-45 miles (Regional families for special occasions)
Your digital strategy should prioritize reaching people in these zones, particularly the primary market where you can build repeat attendance.
2. Intent Timing is Different
Tourism searches often happen weeks in advance. Local entertainment searches happen:
- Same-day: “things to do tonight” (mobile, high intent)
- Weekend planning: Thursday/Friday searches for weekend activities
- General discovery: “fun things to do in Johnson City” (building awareness)
Your digital presence needs to capture all three timing patterns.
3. Decision Criteria Shifts
Tourists evaluate activities based on uniqueness and experience. Locals evaluate based on:
- Convenience: How easy is it to get there?
- Value: What does it cost vs. other options?
- Consistency: Can I trust this will be a good experience?
- Community: Do I feel connected to this organization?
Your digital content should address these decision factors directly.
The Student Market Opportunity
One advantage Johnson City has over many summer collegiate markets: a major university with summer enrollment.
East Tennessee State University represents a unique demographic:
- Summer students taking classes June-August
- Local college-age population looking for affordable entertainment
- Student organizations planning group activities
- Campus families visiting students
This demographic responds to different messaging:
- “Best date night in Johnson City under $30”
- “Things to do near ETSU campus”
- “Student discount nights”
- “Group packages for student organizations”
Many summer collegiate teams overlook this audience because students aren’t “traditional” baseball fans. But they’re looking for social activities, they’re in your primary market radius, and they respond well to affordable group experiences.
Building the Local Entertainment Content Strategy
Here’s where most teams miss the opportunity: they create content about baseball, when they should create content about local entertainment.
What NOT to Do or Rely On
Generic Baseball Content:
- “Tonight’s Starting Lineup”
- “Player Spotlight: Meet our Shortstop”
- “Join us for Baseball!”
This content speaks to existing fans. It doesn’t capture new audiences searching for activities.
What WORKS
Local Entertainment Content:
Title: “15 Best Family Activities in Johnson City This Summer” Content: Comprehensive guide to family entertainment, with Doughboys games featured as one option alongside Buffalo Mountain Park, Tweetsie Trail, Hands On! Discovery Center, etc. Why it works: Captures broad “family activities” searches, positions you as part of the summer entertainment landscape
Title: “Things to Do in Johnson City Tonight: Your Complete Guide” Content: Daily/weekly entertainment options with your game schedule prominently featured Why it works: Captures high-intent “tonight” searches from locals looking for immediate activities
Title: “Best Date Night Ideas in Johnson City Under $30” Content: Affordable date options with Doughboys games + dinner packages highlighted Why it works: Positions baseball as affordable dating option for students and young couples
Title: “ETSU Student Guide: Making the Most of Your Summer in Johnson City” Content: Comprehensive guide for summer students with multiple entertainment options Why it works: Captures student demographic during your peak season
The Integration Strategy
Each piece of content should:
- Provide genuine value – Be actually helpful to locals searching for activities
- Position baseball naturally – Include Doughboys games as one option among several
- Include clear next steps – Link to schedule, ticket information, group packages
- Update seasonally – Refresh content to stay current and maintain search rankings
The Practical Impact: What This Looks Like
Let me show you what this strategy accomplishes:
Scenario 1: The Spontaneous Family
It’s a Wednesday evening in July. A Johnson City family of four searches “things to do in Johnson City tonight” on their phone.
Without this strategy:
- They see restaurants, movies, maybe the Discovery Center
- They don’t think about baseball
- They stay home and stream a movie
With this strategy:
- They find your “Things to Do Tonight” page
- They see there’s a game at 7pm with $2 hot dogs
- They recognize the affordable, convenient option
- They buy four tickets ($32) plus concessions ($20)
- Total revenue: $52 that wouldn’t have happened
Multiply that by:
- 48 home games per season
- Even just 5-10 families per game discovering you this way
- That’s $12,480 – $24,960 in additional revenue annually
Scenario 2: The Student Organization
An ETSU student organization treasurer searches “group activities Johnson City” in May planning summer events.
Without this strategy:
- They find typical options: bowling, escape rooms, restaurant groups
- They don’t know about group packages at the ballpark
- They book elsewhere
With this strategy:
- They find your group sales page
- They see packages designed for student organizations
- They book a group of 30 students ($240)
- With concessions, that’s $400+ revenue
If you capture just 5 student organizations per summer:
- That’s $2,000+ in group revenue you weren’t getting
Scenario 3: The Regional Family
A Kingsport family searches “family activities near me” on a Saturday morning.
Without this strategy:
- They default to familiar options
- Maybe they drive to a bigger city for entertainment
With this strategy:
- They discover your “Family Activities” guide
- They learn about theme nights and promotions
- They plan a trip for a fireworks night
- They become aware of you for future visits
This family might only come 2-3 times per season. But if your digital presence captures 20 families like this, that’s 40-60 additional ticket sales per year.
The Compounding Effect
Here’s what makes this strategy powerful: it compounds over time.
Year 1:
- You create local entertainment content
- You start appearing in relevant searches
- You capture some new attendees
Year 2:
- Your content has built authority
- Search rankings improve
- You capture more attendees
- Some become repeat visitors
Year 3:
- You’re the established local entertainment option
- Your content ranks consistently
- New residents discover you through search
- Your repeat attendance base grows
The team that implements this strategy first in their market builds an advantage that’s difficult for competitors to overcome.
Common Objections (And Why They’re Wrong)
“We don’t have budget for content creation”
You don’t need a content team. You need one person who can write 8-10 comprehensive guides over the off-season, then update them annually. Many teams already have someone capable of this on staff.
“Our fans already know about us”
Your existing fans do. But the ETSU student who just moved to Johnson City doesn’t. The family that relocated from Knoxville doesn’t. The couple looking for a date night doesn’t. This strategy isn’t about existing fans, it’s about the audience you’re not reaching.
“This seems too focused on non-baseball content”
That’s exactly the point. People searching for “baseball in Johnson City” are already aware of you. People searching for “things to do tonight” aren’t. You want to appear in both searches, but the latter represents your growth opportunity.
“We’re too small for this to matter”
You’re exactly the right size. Larger markets are more competitive, making it harder to rank for local searches. In a market like Johnson City, a well-executed local SEO strategy can dominate entertainment searches within 6-12 months.
Getting Started: First Steps
You don’t need to implement everything immediately. Start with these priorities:
Week 1-2: Research
- Use Google Keyword Planner to identify local search volume
- Search your top keywords and see who’s ranking
- Audit your current website for local optimization
- Review Google Business Profile setup
Week 3-4: Foundation
- Optimize Google Business Profile completely
- Ensure website is mobile-friendly
- Add schema markup for events
- Fix any technical issues
Week 5-8: Initial Content
- Write “Things to Do in Johnson City Tonight” guide
- Write “Family Activities in Johnson City” guide
- Create “ETSU Student Summer Guide”
- Develop group sales landing pages
Month 3+: Expansion
- Add more seasonal content
- Create specific promotional landing pages
- Build partnership content
- Monitor and optimize
We’ll cover the technical implementation, content creation, and partnership strategies in upcoming posts in this series.
What’s Next in This Series
The remaining posts will build on this foundation:
Post 2: Technical Foundations for Local Search Dominance – The specific technical optimizations that help you rank for local searches
Post 3: Group Sales Strategy for Community Organizations – How to build landing pages and outreach that convert local groups into regular attendees
Post 4: Content Marketing for Community Engagement – Building year-round content that keeps your team top-of-mind
Post 5: Social Media Strategy for Local Engagement – Platform-specific tactics for building community around your team
Post 6: Partnership Development with Local Businesses – Creating co-marketing relationships that expand your reach
Post 7: Email Marketing & Fan Retention – Building repeat attendance from your local base
Post 8: 90-Day Implementation Roadmap – Putting it all together with realistic timelines and success metrics
About Base Path Media
Base Path Media helps baseball organizations improve digital performance through technical optimization, search strategy, and content implementation. We focus on practical, measurable improvements that teams can implement with existing resources.
