When you work in sports, it’s a little easy to get jaded or take for granted the shoes you walk in daily. It’s not a bad thing per say. No one in the industry should walk around at work like a fan girl, but it’s also important to take a step back and look at your daily work with a little bit of awe.
You see, perspective is important in social media and sports. In an online world filled with clutter, it’s essential to understand what value your team account can add to fans. One of the values is a front-row seat to the action. Let fans know what it’s like to walk in your shoes, the players’ shoes, the coaches’ shoes, etc. on a daily and weekly basis.
When you are on the ground at an event or practice, find ways to give fans front-row access like they have never had before. Try to find that “extraordinary” in your ordinary. How can you provide them with a new angle, vantage point, perspective? If you approach each day through this lens, then you will create content that wins. It’s all about perspective.
Are you curious what first-hand perspective looks like? Below are three recent examples:
No. 1- From the Dugout
This clip from the Dodgers is a great example of giving fans a front row seat to the game. There’s nothing edited here; it’s just a simple, 14-second clip shared natively on Twitter. The value comes in the perspective. The social media manager has a great spot/angle on the dugout that makes fans feel like they are up close and personal with the team. Remember, great access doesn’t have to be invasive.
#ITFDB pic.twitter.com/GlMRMIvaf0
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 31, 2015
No. 2- Autzen Player Experience
Thanks to technology, Oregon was able to create a 360 video of players walking into the stadium for fans to experience. While this is much more robust than the Dodgers example, it’s a great showcase of how powerful first-hand perspectives can be. If you are looking to push the envelope with content, 360 and/or virtual reality is definitely a great option. And, you can’t get any closer to a front row seat than this.
No. 3- First Look Around
When Manchester City FC signed a new player, they let fans in on the journey as he had his first look around the stadium. The content was simple, unedited video uploaded natively to Twitter (much like the Dodgers). The team shared videos of the player driving to the stadium and walking in. The content wasn’t fancy, but it performed extremely well. Why? Because it gave fans a front row seat to the moment. Good content isn’t necessarily complicated; it just has to provide value or add something different. The two tweets below are great examples of that.
Riding with our new signing over to the Etihad Stadium for his first look around. #welcomeKDB #mcfc pic.twitter.com/QNcBLCC4NA
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 30, 2015
Like what you see, @DeBruyneKev? #welcomeKDB #mcfc pic.twitter.com/PhwA04fS6n
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 30, 2015
If you take anything away from this post, it’s this: Perspective is important in social media and sports. Give fans that front row seat they crave and want. This access is often the one thing you can control and own. Take advantage of it.
What other great examples have you seen of teams giving fans a front row seat? Share them below!
Thanks for reading!
