Sports fanatics are revelers and enthusiasts who tend to rush towards stadiums, donning their team’s colors and shouting slogans in any possible rows they could manage to get. However, the enthusiasm has been mitigated, and such scenes are occasionally observed after the COVID pandemic. Despite the lockdown and no-audience sports events, the spirits and fervor of the avid sports fans could not be dampened. They have switched to online platforms to share their craze of sports.
However, sports marketers are always on the lookout for means to increase online sports engagement and audience number. This could be tricky, but there is always a silver lining. For instance, the Greenfly app streamlines digital content sharing for marketers, athletes, and other team ambassadors. Additionally, this article will talk about tips that can increase sports fan engagement online.
Covered Topics
1. Use Diverse Platforms and the Right Content
It’s a universal fact now that every platform requires a certain type of content to lift audience engagement. Textual posts can work well on Facebook (Meta), but the same is not ideal for Instagram. Now you don’t have to create content from scratch for every online platform; merely some adjustments will do the job. Add a slighttweak to the post or image to adjust to the platform’s criteria.
Also, Read: Best Growth Tactics to get more Instagram Followers
2. Create Content for Sharing
Content that could be shared on other platforms can prove to be the Holy Grail for online engagement. It not only increases your reach but also attracts potential followers and expands your network. Shareable unique videos targeting the agenda have a higher sharing rate than static images or textual posts, so bear this in mind.
3. Offer Exclusive Experience
Video highlights of the matches are proven popular online content; the audience tends to share it more often. You can increase the interest and anticipation a notch up by giving backstories, interviews of the players, their pre-match prep, and the effort involved in making the sports event a success. A behind the scene video where the audience can personally connect with the players is another idea of an immersive experience. Some other ideas can be a VR and 360-degree online broadcast.
4. Offer Rewards
Not only the high-end sports franchises are capable of offering rewards for their followers; anyone can do that considering the magnitude of the event. You can conduct online competitions and offer winning prizes such as head-on experiences with the ace players or free merchandising. You can also ask the followers to volunteer for social causes and help raise funds for local communities and charities.
5. Engage with Fans
The topmost effective means of increasing engagement is to communicate with fans. Let them share their two cents on the event on online platforms and respond to them. Instead of only posting videos, news, and images and holding competitions, allow them to submit their content, invite them to participate in both real-life and online events, hold polls, post-fan-made videos, and content. This way, they will feel valued by being backed up and a part of the sports campaign.
Although communication and participative modes with online fans are evolving, yet these forever-effective and motivational methods can surely boost your online fan engagement.
