Engaging fans off-season
Gday dear reader. It is that time of the football season where leagues are winding up their business for the 2023/24. Our elite league is already in off-season and at regional level we are approaching that period. Does that mean we totally forget about the clients of the beautiful game (the fans)? Definitely, no as the industry doesn’t want to loss them as they are the consumers of the product (football). It is significant for the football teams not to loss this important stakeholder. That is where fan engagement comes in. This is the act of providing an end-to-end experience for sports audience in their journey; before, during, and after an event, game, or match. It is about the relationship between a club and its fans.
During this period, we are tasked keeping the conversations going on social media. During the off-season, stay active on social media by listening to what your fans are talking about and engage in the conversation with them. This will help you understand what your fans care about, which in turn makes it easier to develop a solid marketing strategy. The fans may dread the off-season, but this time of the year presents a unique opportunity to connect with fans. The ultimate goal is to create a more personal connection with the fans. Fan engagement is more than making sure the services are good, it’s mainly about engaging fans, about making sure that they can interact with the team every time they want; it’s an evolution from the idea of relationship to the idea of engagement.
Obviously, fan engagement is related to benefits for the team, but it’s more than that. Every team wants to have highly engaged fans, but sometimes highly engaged fans can also be detrimental because of the continuous criticism, some disruptive behaviour, negative on social media, and all that. Understanding consumers is one of the things that is important. Shaping the fans behaviour is also an important thing, but mainly the idea is to create a two-way communication process. Using past accomplishments and great moments from matches is one way to keep your fans engaged; but there are few more tactics that you can try to stay top of the mind with the fans.
OOD
Some fans may only wear your team’s merchandise during the season, but some may wear it year-round to show their dedication and support for their favourite team. Use everyday moment to be on lookout for fans wearing your gear and snap their photo. You can then share the photo on your social media platforms and surprise them with a pair of free tickets for the season ahead. The fans will be more than willing to pull their replicas on and stand a chance to win a pair of free tickets. This will not only get fans engaged, but it will also give you free marketing.
In a similar fashion, you can ask local business, especially those you’d like to partner with, to send photos of their company staff wearing your team colours, gear, or using any of your other merchandise. Post their photos on social media and surprise them with a delivery of their lunch, a basket of fruit, or bagels paid for you by your team.
Another great way to stay on top of the mind and pique interest in potential new recruits is to get involved with school spirit week. Try to arrange a visit for your team and talk to students about the benefits of being physically active and involved in sports; share training strategies, as well as advice on monitoring progress. You can also try to establish a connection between sports and science to engage participation even from students who are not yet sports fans. Another idea is to discuss on topics that may not be directly related to sports but do offer guidance that will help students navigate life a little easier. Till next week, football for all and safe life for all!