Industry Insights

3 Tips on How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Sports Organization

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By LeagueApps
July 19, 2016
4 min

Like a tree, social media grows with a little attention

Nearly two-thirds of all adults are using social media today, according to this Pew Research report. That number isn’t too surprising considering how hard it is to buy a pair of shorts without bumping into at least three people staring at their phones.

There’s no stopping the tidal wave of social media. In fact, a main focus of our partner day last month was how some of our basketball partners are leveraging social media to expand their reach.

So, is your sports organization using all the tools to your advantage? We have three tips that can help you better use social media to get the results you want.

Another tidal wave of posts!

Check out why social media is so important to your sports organization.

Consistency is King

One of the best and easiest ways to grow your following and increase engagement is to simply just be there. Posting at least once a day on each of your social media accounts lets your audience know that you are relevant. This could be anything from a well thought out blog to pictures from your most recent tournament.

This doesn’t mean that you have to pump out that perfect update or status every day. Engagement is a great way to maintain consistency. Users are constantly posting their content so that someone can enjoy and like it. Why not your organization?

Don’t be afraid to comment once or twice. Not only will the user really appreciate the time you took to make a comment, they will most likely comment on one of your posts and they’re 401% more likely to follow you!

Make sure to respond timely to any questions, comments, or concerns directed to your home page. This is how trust is built.

Know Who You’re Talking to And Deliver the Right Message

Posting consistently is a must. But if the right people aren’t being addressed, then what’s the point of updating your juicy status?

Each of your social media accounts should be similar, but there will be some small differences between each depending on our audience. Going through all the demographics and statistics can be exhausting. If you’re looking to save some time or a place to start, check out what the Pew Research Center has to say about the average user for each social media platform.

Among other conclusions from that demographic report, it’s clear that younger users are more likely to use Twitter and Instagram, while everyone is most likely to use Facebook. So what does that mean?

It could mean several things for your organization. It might mean that the best way to communicate with coaches and parents is through Facebook, while posting through Twitter and Instagram could be more for fun.

In any event, considering that there are over 1.2 billion users on Facebook of all ages, it’s highly, HIGHLY recommended to have a Facebook page. Not only will Facebook make registration easier with the LeagueApps Facebook plug-in, but the social media networking site is almost assuredly used by most of your coaches, players, or parents.

 

Learn more about how Facebook can grow your organization with LeagueApps.

 

Plus, Facebook makes it really easy to find the data on your audience. Simply click on the “Insights” tab on your home Facebook page above your background photo. This should narrow down what to post and how to say it.

To collect audience data, just click on “Insights”

Make Simple Hashtags for Your Events

Social media is all about forging new relationships and curating new ones. There’s no easier way to make new friends than to share stories. Enter the hashtag.

Some social media platforms, like Facebook, aren’t particularly ideal for the use of hashtags. Others, like Instagram, are perfect breeding grounds for the former pound sign. But when should they be used?

Weekend events make for perfect hashtag campaigns. Don’t over complicate it. Make it nice and simple to remember.

Make the hastags nice and simple, and never more than four in a row.

Users can then import their favorite pictures, videos, and comments all into one place. Did a parent just capture the greatest goal of all time? A simple caption with your endorsed hashtag campaign makes it easy for anyone at the event to see it.

Make sure to let your users know ahead of time. You can do that with a simple email. Or, better yet, make a post informing your users of the event, and then incorporate your hashtag. Two birds, one stone!

Let people know ahead of time for events by using hashtags

Using these tips should give you a nice head start towards achieving your social media goals. Pretty soon, you’ll start to see your organization expand its reach and your users engaging with you quite often.

Got any other tips? Let us know! Now, start posting!

 

Like these tips? Then check out what our friends at Four Kicks Marketing had to say in our guest blog.