The Digital Revolution

Engaging Your Audience in New and Interesting Ways

How Social Media Is Changing The Sports Marketing Industry

The goal of any sports franchise is to have an active, engaged fan base. Thus, it’s been an absolute no-brainer for professional sports teams to adopt social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to deepen and widen their relationships with fans. There are several important ways that social media enables this to happen.

Develop new storytelling platforms for teams

Ultimately, social media is a storytelling medium, and it’s here that it has been so successful in helping sports franchises market themselves to the wider public. Social media can be used to tell the story of an underdog, to share success stories when a team is doing well, and to heighten the rivalries with certain teams. While TV has always been good about showcasing certain natural rivalries – such as Yankees vs. Red Sox – social media adds a whole new dimension by being able to document real fan stories and then present them to a much wider audience in a way that feels authentic.

Create one-on-one connections with star athletes

What has changed the most in the sports marketing industry is the ability to establish very direct relationships with marquee athletes who are using their own personal social media accounts. Fans will certainly tune in to a Facebook Live broadcast with their favorite athletes or check out what their favorite players are posting on Instagram.

These days, every major athlete has his or her own Twitter feed, and there is a surprising amount of give-and-take between these professional athletes and their fans (especially if these fans happen to “own” them in fantasy sports leagues). It’s now often the case that players who are active on social media can become fan favorites and help to shape narratives appearing in the mainstream media.

Amplify the passion of fans

Any time an underdog team starts to become a contender, or any time a team pulls off a huge upset, there is going to be a groundswell of passion and pride. In the past, it might have been hard to harness all that passion and pride – but now it’s possible to amplify the passion of fans on a game-by-game basis. As new hashtags become popular – such as the #whodat hashtag of the New Orleans Saints – they can be quickly distributed across all social media platforms very quickly. Trends that once took weeks to build and develop now seemingly happen overnight.

Create interactive, real-time experiences that involve the fans

Given the real-time nature of social media platforms such as Twitter, it’s now possible to use them to create new types of interactive experiences. During rain delays, for example, the Boston Red Sox will engage with their fans via Twitter, asking them to submit suggestions for music to play while they are waiting for their team to re-take the field. Other professional sports teams use Twitter to conduct blitz polls. It’s all in the name of creating a better fan experience.

Overall, social media has had a significant effect on sports marketing. The industry continues to change and evolve, constantly finding new ways to use social media to widen and deepen relationships with fans. The dream of any sports franchise is to capture the passion and interest of an invested fan base – and social media makes it much easier to do so on a year-round basis.

social media hq

How Social Media’s Impact on Sports Will Continue to Grow

When professional sports teams first started using social media, it was primarily as a marketing and communications platform to engage existing fans and amplify marketing messages being sent out to fan bases. Since that time, social media has become an important tool for discovering new audiences and creating new opportunities for direct engagement between fans and their favorite players. So how will social media’s impact on sports continue to grow over the next few years?

Fan loyalty and personal brands

Not only are engaged fan bases following their favorite teams, but also they are following their favorite athletes on social media. In the case of some superstar athletes, the total size of a single athlete’s fan base may exceed that of an entire team. Moreover, it’s now the case that a player straight out of college might have a sizable personal brand that can be leveraged immediately in a variety of different ways by professional sports organizations.

The rise of personal brands has led to some remarkable developments in the ability of sports teams to pack in a full house and attract large viewing audiences every night they play. For example, in the past, fans were loyal first and foremost to their home team. Now, they may be loyal first and foremost to their favorite athletes, each of them with their own social media brands. If your favorite team is playing on Channel A, but your favorite player is playing on Channel B, which one do you watch?

As a result, it’s no longer the case that “small market teams” can not compete with “big market teams” (i.e. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago). What matters now is not population density but social media density. If your team’s social media accounts are big enough, it can overcome physical limitations imposed by geography or demography.

Athletes as influencers

Social media has given professional athletes a much bigger platform to influence broader debates taking place across society. With a single tweet, a star athlete can weigh in on racial issues and influence how people view certain social, cultural or political issues. Thanks to the amplifying effect of social media, we’ve reached a point where an athlete like Colin Kaepernick is extremely relevant, even if he never touches the football or ever plays another down in an NFL stadium.

More broadly, star athletes are using social media platforms to become culture influencers. For example, the Wall Street Journal recently highlighted how LeBron James has become one of the most important wine influencers in the world. With a single Instagram post detailing which wine he is drinking, he can influence which wines will be ordered at restaurants around the nation. And don’t forget about the world of Hollywood, where social media has made it much more likely that athletes with sizable social media followings have the chance to become the next Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Digital marketing innovation

Perhaps most importantly, social media is accelerating the pace of digital marketing innovation. Ideas and trends percolating in one part of the social media world inevitably are picked up by professional sports teams as part of their overall marketing and branding strategy. Just think of how podcasting and livestreaming have become mainstream within the world of sports, or how some technologies – such as virtual reality – are now viewed as possible audience development tools. At one time, the only place to watch sports was on traditional TV. Now it’s possible to watch a live stream on Twitter or Facebook on your smartphone.

Final Thought

Going forward, it’s clear that social media will continue to have a huge impact on the world of sports. In some cases, it will mean the rise to prominence of new sports (just think of how ESPN is experimenting with e-sports), and in other cases, it will mean the rise to prominence of teams in smaller markets such as Cleveland. But one thing is certain: social media will continue to make sports “must-watch” programming every night of the week.

Forbes

The Growing Impact of Social Media On Today's Sports Culture

During the past two decades Social Media has evolved quite drastically both in how we utilize it and how prominent it is within our culture. From what was once chat rooms on AOL AOL +0%, Instant Messaging on AIM and glittery profiles on MySpace is now 140 characters on Twitter TWTR +0% categorizes by hashtags and personalized communities on Facebook. The Social Media landscape has evolved dramatically and is now woven deeply in our social culture.

The growth and evolution of Social Media has likely impacted your business or industry as well. I've worked in the Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) industry for over 10 years and the importance of a focus on Social Media has been in a rapid upswing for the past several years. So much so that if you are not minding your Social Media presence than you are not fully branding yourself.

Social Media can be the catalyst for success by empowering people and fueling ideas. We have all seen the good and the bad that can come from Social Media. But regardless if you are a casual user, have your mobile device attached to the hip so you can instantly access your social media profile(s) or don't use social media at all, there is no denying the impact that Social Media has had on both our culture and on industries around the world.

The way that Social Media has impacted the Sports Industry has been profound. This year one fifth (20.5%) of internet users in the US are expected to have Twitter accounts. This number has grown from 15.2% in 2012, and is projected to rise to 24.2% by 2018. Over a third (37%) of Twitter users will buy from a brand they follow.

Almost every team, league and sports association has a social media profile on Twitter. From the pros to the minors and from the high school athlete to the retired athlete, social media has been a force in the sports industry landscape. According to Navigate Research, sports fans are 67 percent more likely to use Twitter to enhance their viewing experience compared to non-sports fans. Essentially, Twitter is the virtual sports bar that fans flock to before, during and after the games. So the behavior of a team or an athlete on Social Media can directly influence a fan's perception of that team or athlete. While most of the fans who responded to my above poll indicated in their vote it did not influence their opinion of an athlete, many of them elaborated that there are conditions.

There are some teams and athletes that really excel at using Twitter. Some teams engage with fans and in some instances other teams.

And the influence of Twitter has been picking up momentum in the past few years. During 2013 50% of Tweets regarding TV in the United Stated, a total of 492 million Tweets were about sports events. Sports events comprised 12 of the Top 20 Most-Tweeted-About TV broadcasts during the year, according to Nielson.

The behavior of Twitter members when discussing sports is interesting, just have a look at the numbers.

A great example of the popularity of sports talk on Twitter would be NBA Free Agency, which kicked off on Wednesday. Most of the trending topics leading up to and gaining momentum after it's official start has been NBA Free Agency. Throughout the day 3-4 of the Top 10 trending topics have been NBA-related and a simple search of the hashtag #NBAFreeAgency on Twitter will give you a perfect example of how popular the conversation is.

And just like NFL Free Agency, Pro League Drafts, Trade Deadlines and Playoff & Championship games, these trends have staying power.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been tagged with a popular #BecauseItstheCup hashtag the past few years and it has been almost a tradition for hockey fan discussion during the Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final.

Almost every sports related show or event has a hashtag associated with it and it is displayed, on screen, during the event or show. It drives engagement and creates a relationship with the audience that had not been possible several years ago.

Social Media is a powerful vehicle that drives sports talk today and the way fans interact with teams, players, personalities and fellow fans. It's a powerful source for getting news, engaging in topical discussions and empowering brands.

Social Media has impacted the Sports Industry and that impact will continue to evolve in the years to come.

Using Social Media (Correctly, Appropriately, to Great Effect, etc...)

Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks

LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Cubs

Carolina Panthers

Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings

Brands who use social media most excellently

SEC Officiating Twitter 1

SEC Officiating Twitter 2

SEC Officiating Twitter 3