When you work in sports, it’s easy for forget about the extraordinary in your ordinary. Everyday you get up and are fortunate to go into the “office”. You’ve seen the locker room, know where coach’s office is and can paint a vivid picture of what the venue looks like in snow, rain and sunshine. You’ve been around the players, aren’t star struck when you see them and could care less what their gameday routine is. To you, this is all just business as usual (as it should be).
This everyday for you, your colleagues and your team is extraordinary for your fans though. They crave this access, inside knowledge and personal insight into their team. As a social media manager, why not try and be their eyes and ears? Tell the story of your team’s “everyday” for them.
There’s no wrong or right in our industry as long as you’re doing what makes sense for your team/brand. I’ve always felt though, that there is a lack of personal content by teams (in general at least). There is so much focus on the scores, the stats and the on-the-field action. There’s not enough focus on the players, personal journey, peek inside the industry quirks of the team and emotional journey.
Fans crave this content because it’s something they never get to see unless you provide it. It makes the team more human, helps to foster a deeper connection and tends to pull at people’s emotions (and people share content that evokes emotion). It’s important for so many reasons.
To be the eyes and ears of your fans definitely takes some planning. It also takes looking at things just a little different. Take a step back and think about all the ways you can bring your team and everyday to life for your fans:
How can you give them access to the stadium/venue? How can you help them get to know the players more? How can you show them what the routine looks like on gameday, both for operations and your players/coaches? How can you tell the story TV isn’t covering? What is it like to be on the sidelines, in the dugout, on the court, etc? What emotions go through a player’s mind on gameday? Are there any superstitions and fun quirks on the team? What’s the celebration like in the locker room after? How does the team get inspired? What personal hobbies, outside of sports, do your players have that they would be willing to share?
There are so many questions you can ask to help you tell a more personal story for your fans, but it all starts with a little planning and a content-first approach. In this busy world of social media and sports, challenge yourself to stop, pause and plan: How can I be the eyes and ears of my fans? How I can I bring the “everyday” of our team to them?
Approach each day through a different lens. Try to find that “extraordinary” in your ordinary. It’s an important story to tell and one that your fans will appreciate.
Do you think it’s important for teams to be the eyes and ears of their fans? How can teams approach content differently? Share your thoughts below.
Thanks for reading!
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