Keep your fans engaged on AND off the field with championship-winning creative
We have some great tips to get fans excited about your team!
It’s a difficult environment for sports teams to succeed. Between the continued impact of COVID and rising ticket prices, it’s no longer easy for teams to rely on packing their stadiums each and every game. Besides that, even the largest stadiums in the world have a limit as to how many seats they can fill.
Because of this, sports teams need to rely on a much broader outreach to keep fans entertained: creating fun, memorable content so fans can stay engaged even when their favorite team isn’t on the field.
Fans are no longer content just going to games or watching their team on TV: they want to be part of a culture and cheer for their team with pride. Take soccer for example: did you know that the top 10 sports teams by social media followers are ALL soccer teams? This is what teams need to figure out for themselves: how to create a culture among fans and keep them engaged well after the final whistle.
How can teams achieve this type of success off the field? Here’s a few tips:
- Tell a story: It’s not enough to just display the score on your jumbotron, plaster your logo all over the stadium, or post boring score updates on your social media pages. Teams need to be able to tell the story behind the team. This can be achieved with unique social content, interactive experiences for fans at the game, and exciting logo animations like this one from the Yankees’ minor league team. (Did I mention that we made that??)
- Find your voice: To forge a connection with fans, it’s important that ALL of your content – social, website, stadium – has the same voice and message. Teams need to pay close attention to the words they use to relay the same message across all channels. How do you think soccer teams were able to explode on social media? They were able to get fans to buy into the team culture by offering a unified and positive message. Take a look at Liverpool’s Twitter feed – their message of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” shows that all fans are welcome. They also feature lots of videos to make you feel like you’re part of the team. That brings me to my next point…
- Utilize video as much as possible: We love showcasing the importance of having video on your website and socials – see Exhibit A and Exhibit B – but the same holds true for sports teams. They should fill their social feeds with fun videos and create highlight reels for fans who didn’t get to see the full game.
- Promote your mascot!: Fans love a good mascot – just look the Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers new mascot. The Flyers have done an incredible job of turning Gritty into an unforgettable cultural icon, with his own Instagram and Twitter handle. Teams should use their mascot in all marketing materials – from featuring them on social media to creating animated versions to use for in-stadium entertainment.
Check out some of our favorite examples of what teams are doing to keep their fans engaged:
- The Carolina Panthers made waves when they debuted their new mixed-reality experience in their stadium. A giant animated panther leapt across the stadium, garnering “oohs” and “ahhs” from fans who felt their mascot come to life right in front of their eyes.
- If you know us, you know we love our Jersey roots. That’s why we’re huge fans of what Jersey’s Team, the New Jersey Devils, have been able to do with their social media. They’ve developed a relatable persona that allows them to connect with their Jersey-based fans and poke fun at their rivals any chance they get.
- Sometimes the best way to keep fans engaged off the field is to let them contribute to your content! That’s exactly what the Atlanta Braves did in the last game of their season – they used the hashtag #BravesTwitterTakeover to allow fans to contribute photos, videos, gifs, and more to Atlanta’s Twitter page. This was a great way to give back to the fans that had supported them all season long.
Need some help getting your fans engaged? We’re here to PINCH hit for you and help you retain your audience by creating fun, intriguing video, animation, and social content. Need a new logo animation for your jumbotron? We can do that. How about a hype video to get your fans excited about the new season? Yep, we got you covered. Need someone to dress up as the mascot for a few games? Sure, why not! Regardless of your team’s needs, Pinch is here to help. So what are you waiting for? Are you ready for a slam dunk marketing partnership with Pinch?