– ESPN miniseries ‘The Last Dance<\/em>‘ was the subject of over 1.5 million tweets during its finale episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – WWE\u2019s Wrestlemania scored a staggering 13.8 million social media engagements across all platforms in April (in spite of a WrestleMania event being moved to its Performance Center).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The takeaway? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fans are chomping at the bit to talk about their favourite teams. They will continue to seek out the content and communities that allow them to do just that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In many ways the social media rubicon was crossed way before the pandemic in the states, with the NBA earning $350m in 2019 via social – a huge 19% of their overall revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a global business however, we see teams across the globe who have been caught with their pants down – their \u2018traditional\u2019 sponsorship assets rendered ineffective and revenues damaged as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As teams & leagues resume something resembling normal, social media\u2019s role in sports will continue to be the centerpiece. Rights holders can instantly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Keep fans up-to-date on team news (think: player signings, contracts, league announcements).<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Provide fans with opportunities to engage with teams and sound off (think: caption contests, Q&As).<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Highlight team-related community events and news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s get to the brass tacks, and talk about some recent trends for social media in sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following trends and best practices are proven ways to engage your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, let\u2019s give emphasis on real-time updates and \u201clive\u201d content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of what makes sports so buzz-worthy for social media is the fact that games happen in real-time. As on-demand inexorably replaces live events, it is only news and sport that are capable of generating such intense and focused conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And so anything teams can do to capture and encourage those real-time engagements is a plus. Some popular tactics for doing so include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Live Tweeting events such as games, press conferences or drafts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Providing fans with a team or game-specific hashtag to publish to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Gathering fan feedback via polls or Q&A sessions on Instagram or Facebook Live.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n As always though, creativity rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For social media in sports, that means constantly exploring new avenues and opportunities for fan engagement. It also means emphasising the social as well as the media (the clue is in the title). In short, make your account feel like it\u2019s being run by a true fan rather than a corporation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no denying the potential disconnect between athletes on big-money contracts and the average fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A huge function of social media in sports is the ability for players to show their human, more personal side. Consider the following ways that teams and athletes alike can use social media to connect with fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBe Live. Be Social.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBe Human<\/strong>.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"Fan](\"https:\/\/sportskred.com\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG_2198CAA9DAB9-1-473x1024.png\")