Social media for sporting events

Find in this post 5 social media ideas for your sporting event to make the most out of its online presence.

1. Choose a good hashtag

If you don’t have one yet, you must create a hashtag for your sporting event: #MySportingEvent, preferably followed by the year #MySportingEvent2015 (if 2015) or the number of the edition #MySportingEvent9 (if it is the ninth edition). In this brief word or set of words you should reflect your brand name to make it easier for users to mention you in their comments on social media. For details on how to create a good hashtag for your sporting event, take a look at this article.

2. Keep attendees informed

Use social media to monitor your sporting event, for example, show signs of activities, expose the list of participating athletes and recruit participants for your sweepstakes and contests. Share schedules of the tournaments on Twitter, create an album with the best photos of the passes, jumps and poses on Facebook, photograph and upload on Instagram all the participants with their sporting idols… In short, share every single piece of information with your followers so they can better enjoy your event.

How awesome do you want to be this year? #NothingButWiiings http://t.co/Cuzi67vXnY pic.twitter.com/sgAe9JOSry

— Red Bull Miami (@redbullMIAMI) enero 7, 2014

3. Involve attendees

Invite attendees to leave their stories and experiences in your social media. With a brief comment, a picture and even a short video, the essence of your sporting event will be shared and viewed by a large number of people.

#RedBull #StreetBall #RedBullEvents #KingOfTheRock #Basketball #Sport

A photo posted by David Lutsyk (@davidlutsyk) on Jul 4, 2015 at 1:45pm PDT

4. Reuse attendees’ content

Use the content generated by attendees to create viral content. Collect this content, create an animated video based on the experience at your event and show it on your YouTube channel. A viral video is a good element to spread a brand image closer and funnier; it reaches the customer through humor and emotions, inviting them to share it among their friends.

5. From virtual to real

Boost your online presence using offline media:

organize contests and raffles based on social media
share your hashtag on physical goods: posters, wristbands, tickets, VIP cards, t-shirts…
display photos and videos of attendees on the screens of your sporting event