Should Teams & Leagues Actively Engage With Fans on Twitter?

The other day I watched a wonderful SportsCenter Featured piece on two former high school wrestlers (one of the wrestlers is now a Paralympian) and an unlikely bond they formed with former ESPN producer Lisa Fenn. Since the feature was so compelling, I tweeted out the link. This is what followed:

@WarJessEagle Give us a follow. We’d love to tell you more stories like that of Dartanyon Crockett. Paralympic sport changes lives.

— U.S. Paralympics (@USParalympics) July 8, 2013

I was impressed that I got a response from @USParalympics since I didn’t tag or mention them in my tweet. Their social media team knew the SportsCenter Featured piece was bound to get some traction, so they monitored the link (in all forms, long and shortened) and engaged with those who felt compelled to share the story.  Basically, they were capitalizing on a new, captive audience they had at the moment. Smart move.

Their tweet got me thinking about the importance of listening, engaging and building relationships on Twitter. All too often, brands just push on the platform. No longer is Twitter just a platform to inform; it’s a community where teams and leagues need to engage. 

So, I did some quick research to see if college athletic departments are engaging (not retweeting, but replying and mentioning) with their fans:

I was surprised to find that less than 35% of the top 25 athletic departments on Twitter actively engage with fans (and most that do engage, do so sporadically). And, they aren’t alone… there are many other teams and leagues who aren’t actively engaging (just pay close attention and you’ll see).

In my opinion, this needs to change. The fact that some college athletic departments, teams and leagues aren’t engaging on Twitter is a huge missed opportunity.

So, why is important to respond and and actively engage on Twitter?

1. Builds relationships, brand ambassadors and increases word of mouth.

Repeat after me: Engaging on Twitter is not just about customer service. I think this is important for teams, leagues, etc. to understand. While customer service is a big aspect of engagement on Twitter, there’s also an opportunity to foster relationships and cultivate brand ambassadors on the platform.

When a team / league @replies to a fan on Twitter, they’re encouraging them to be brand ambassadors and igniting their passion. If you work in social media, it’s easy to underestimate what a brand reply means to a fan. To those in the industry, it’s just a person behind a computer screen doing their job; to others, a reply or mention from a brand can have a lasting impressing.  A reply or mention to a fan is a public recognition and thank you, which only encourages them to tweet their love of the team / league even more. Hopefully, they will feel more compelled to spread the brand’s message (TV times, game times, etc.) too.

Additionally, people often retweet brand responses and replies to them.  This is a win, as there’s nothing more powerful than earned media and word of mouth in my opinion.

2. Quite frankly, people expect it. 

From a customer service point of view, studies have shown people expect a reply on Twitter. A survey done by Social Habit found that 32% of social media customers expect a response to their tweet or question to a brand in less than 30 minutes, and 42% expect a response within the hour regardless of the day or time.

When it comes to ticket orders, game times, TV information, etc. it should be a no-brainer…. teams and leagues should always reply, respond and help where appropriate.

3. Allows you to connect with untapped fans.

Social media managers can’t assume all their fans already follow their accounts or know where to find them. Teams and leagues need to seek out untapped fans on social media and engage with them. Capitalize on an untapped audience by monitoring the right keywords, links and hashtags… just as @USParalymics proved. With each passing day, your team or league will build a more dedicated and engaged fanbase.

4. An engaging brand is a more likeable brand.

Every brand wants to be liked, right? Well, the IAB found that 90 percent of consumers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media. I know working for a consumer brand is different than working in sports biz, but I think this statistic still has value for teams and leagues. If people like a team’s presence on social media, then I have to believe they’ll feel more compelled to share their message. Agree?

Now it’s your turn to sound off— do you think teams and leagues should actively engage on Twitter? Why or why not?

 

 

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