It may not be obvious at first glance, but sports properties are experiencing a seismic shift in how they drive fan loyalty and activation. Sports organizations currently at the top of their game recognize that tomorrow’s fans are engaging directly with athletes on social media, and that’s now the key to winning in sports marketing.
Your players are indisputably the face of your organization and your most influential marketing partners. And surprise: They’re on social media every day. They invest their own time and energy into their online presence. Also, they’re hungry for new content to share with their global followers.
Collectively, your players probably have 2,000% or more fans than all of your official social pages combined. That additional fan reach is incredible and often untapped by the marketing and sponsor teams. And, players’ natural clout makes them the most effective influencers and promotional partners, with goals aligned with yours: to fuel fan engagement and generate more revenue.
But players don’t have enough high-quality media to share and engage consistently with their fans. It’s up to their team or league to provide them with the digital media you capture every day — photos and videos of them in action. Athletes actually feel supported and valued when you offer them this service. Your players want to build their personal brands to forge more lucrative endorsement deals. And every time athletes’ social media activity generates a new follower or impression, your organization gains a halo effect with an array of lucrative benefits.
Athletes Are Your Best Promoters
Here’s our free 3-step plan and insights for activating players as social marketers.
Activating Athletes: Working With Players as Marketing Partners
For nearly a decade, Greenfly has been working with sports leagues, teams, federations and associations of all sizes to help them collaborate with their athletes on social media and digital channels, streamline their media workflows, and get the most out of these relationships. We’ve compiled some of our top insights to help sports marketers and commercial directors collaborate more effectively with players in our Activating Athletes on social media ebook.
Inside the Playbook
- Read success stories from teams and leagues worldwide
- Get 7 key insights: Athletes on social media drive results for sports properties of all sizes
- Review our 3-step plan: Make this digital transformation with athletes as easy as possible
Explore thought-starters for athletes on social media, including:
- How athletes value social media WAY more than you think
- How to nurture your players’ promotional power and steer the narrative
- Why providing media directly to athletes helps, not hinders, ops & athlete relations teams
- How athlete sharing drives your sponsor revenue
Athletes on social media are creating the most exciting marketing opportunities in sports right now. Once you understand how to work with them effectively, you’ll be able to satisfy the needs of your players and other partners. And you’ll simultaneously promote your property with more credibility and vitality.
