It’s Okay Be a Little Human After a Loss

By Guest On September 30, 2013 In Best Practices, Twitter with 3 Comments

I think one of the most difficult tasks of a team’s social media manager is how to handle a loss. Your fans are a passionate group and this passion increases tenfold during a loss. One miswording can throw them into a tizzy. You have to tread lightly. I get it.

I’ve been following the Twitter coverage of college football teams this season though, and I’m convinced that a loss is an opportunity to show empathy, be relatable and be human. All too often I see tweets that read just like a box score:

Tweets featuring just the final score don’t resonate with fans (as you can see above). So here’s my challenge to anyone who manages a team account, whether it’s football or another sport: When emotions are high after a loss, tap into those emotions and be human.

1. Fans Want to Identify With You
I think Bret Werner of Catalyst PR  said it best when he said, “Avid sports fans are more likely to interact and identify with brands that act like fans.”

Social media is an opportunity to humanize brands and make a connection with fans. The emotional high and lows of sports present the perfect opportunity to make that connection. Pay attention to what fans tweet after a loss. Phrases like “tough loss”, “good effort” and “still love my _____” are all common themes. That is the type of color commentary you want to add at the end of a final score when you lose. Try to resonate with your fans.

2. Emotions Are Contagious
According to Jonah Berger in the book Contagious, content that is positive or negative—is more viral than content without emotion. Want to spread your message? Spread your sentiments.

3. It Works
It doesn’t take much, but a little bit of “human” can make an impact. See what happens when teams tweet a little commentary after a loss (compared to the tweets above with just the scores):

I know there is not a “one size” fits all approach to this. If your team is having a really tough season, the color commentary might get old. Perhaps you need to reserve the emotions to close games, rivalries, championships, etc. You know your fans, so use your best judgment and come up with a plan for your brand voice that works for your team and your supporters.

The bottom line is this though… it’s okay to be a little human after a loss. Try it, you might be surprised with the results.

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3 comments.

  1. While I think there are appropriate times to “identify” with fans, I always have treated the athletics Twitter account as official, and serving the media. However, the marketing accounts, I think, can be more personable with the fan base during these times. I’m trying to get out the information, not worry about how many retweets or favorites it will get. Tweets with all caps and a lot of exclamation points seems like the user is begging for attention. I think you can utilize a strong photo with the important information (i.e. score or stats) and receive the same Twitter follower reaction.

    • Hi Tony,

      I appreciate your insight! This approach might not work for every team and audience, I understand that. If it’s fans you are trying to reach though, I think it’s important to resonate with them. The most important thing is to have a clear and defined audience and objective, which is sounds like you have.

      Thanks again for the comment. I always appreciate a different perspective!

      Jess

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