As the game of football evolves, it has changed off the pitch. In particular, football clubs and social media have become closer than ever. For that reason, we have put together an article that explains how football clubs can engage with fans on social media and why they would. Let’s dive in.
Reply To Comments
A great way for football clubs to engage with fans on social media is to reply to comments across the board. Clubs never used to reply to anyone on social media, instead deciding to be more professional with their approach, but times are changing.
Now, a club will reply depending on the nature of the post and the platform. For example, clubs make plenty of light-hearted banter posts on TikTok, usually at the expense of another club, and will reply to all the fans who humorously mock them.
We also see similarities between Facebook and Twitter, where a club may reply to a fan who is moaning. They do this to lighten the mood or generate more engagement. We saw this with Fort William FC in the Highlands recently.
Some clubs will even announce new signings on social media by replying to fans. There are usually many tweets from fans when the rumors of new signings appear, and clubs will use this to generate a viral post of some kind. Otherwise, clubs will create smart and engaging content that people will want to see.
Run Competitions
A great way for clubs to build up more interaction through social media, and help fans to feel more connected, is to run a competition. There are so many ways that a football club can run a competition. The classic way of doing this is to offer up a prize via Twitter and inform individuals that a retweet is a way to enter. Of course, this builds engagement by getting more and more people to see the tweet. The more people that enter, the more people will end up seeing the post, boosting engagement. Of course, it’s also worth remembering that it’s not just the engagement the club is doing the competitions for; they do it to give a fan something they will enjoy.
Now that you understand the potential benefits of running a competition for a football club, it’s worth thinking about the prizes. You just have to open up Instagram or Twitter to see the prizes on offer. They come in the form of tickets a lot of the time, as these are easy enough for the club to provide, and they can give some fans an experience they otherwise may not be able to afford.
Another way a club can provide a prize is through a signed shirt or match-worn gear from players of some kind. Fans love to enter competitions and win prizes, especially if it’s to do with their football club. Football fans also love to gamble, which is why many fans also gamble via online casinos. Fans can visit onlinecasinos to help themselves find the best sites to play on. This allows them to play on the sites that suit their interests and win potential cash to spend on things they want to enjoy.
Get The Players And Coaches Involved
Football clubs that want to engage with their fans more should be doing all they can to get more players and coaches involved in their content. This means recording videos with the players and getting them to talk to fans more, either at the stadium or online.
Some clubs will let a player take over the main club’s social media account and let them answer some questions for a short time. They could either do this with just a written reply or be more interactive and reply via a video. It’s the same case for the coaches and managers too. It’s an easy way to engage with fans and help reduce the gap between the club and fans.
When it comes to the actual matchday, there is a lot that players and coaches can do to enhance the experience for the fans. Many clubs will have the players come to the lounges after the game to speak to the fans that paid for a premium ticket. They may also have some family areas before the game that the players can get involved with.
Incorporate More Personality
On the topic of getting the players and coaches more involved, clubs should be looking to try and incorporate more personality. This means personality, both from the club and from the players. A great way of making this happen is by giving fans more insight into what goes on behind the scenes at the club.
Modern clubs will utilize platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to show fans what goes on in between games. Some go further with this concept and will show the tunnel and the dressing room at halftime of a game.
This is a great way for clubs to show their fans what’s happening and showcase a bit more personality within the club. Another great way for clubs to showcase personality is to open the stadium outside of the match through a tour. These tours allow fans to see sections of the stadium that they otherwise wouldn’t see. This is also a great way for a stadium to generate more money, which is a bonus.
Work With Other Clubs
A more unique way for clubs to engage with fans is to work with other clubs. You will see this on social media, where clubs interact with each other, and will do this to try and generate more clicks and engagement.
The club’s social media teams may have already agreed to do this together, or they may be doing it organically and trying to ‘out-do’ each other. Fans love some rivalry, and anything that can make them laugh will be a bonus.
Of course, the club’s social media team will have to be careful with this, as they may do something that paints the club in a bad light. Keep an eye out on social media over the next few weeks, and you will see some of the things we have spoken about being utilized.
