Social networking is now a go-to tool for self- or business promotion in this digital age. It is truly a boon for an athlete. Through social media, athletes may still communicate with thousands of followers without physically meeting them in person. This kind of online involvement is especially beneficial for athletes with busy schedules. In general, social media is the finest thing that could have occurred in an athlete’s life, especially for those who seek constant attention and fandom. Yes, there are certain guidelines to follow to preserve your positive image, and there are also certain safety precautions to take. We’ll examine Ways to Increase Social Media Engagement for Athletes.
Ways to Increase Social Media Engagement for Athletes
Steps to increase social media presence for an athlete
- Share pre-season training
- Pre-match posts
- Post-match posts
- Applauding the teammates
- Create polls to get feedback
- Be the interviewer
- Show glimpses of off-field endeavors
- Recall the past
- Showcase contributions to the community
- Celebrate birthdays
- Inform about injuries
Share Pre-Season Training
Fans highly anticipate the start of a new season. They are aware of the day, time, and itinerary. You can share some tweets, videos, and blogs regarding your preseason preparation as an athlete. The fan is pleased by this. Additionally, the posts ensure that the community is receiving the correct information about your thinking and the mindset of the team. A popular hashtag or social media challenge can be employed. This increases the number of followers while also making the fans happy.
Pre-Match Posts
On game day, all players are required to turn in their cell phones to the team administration. Hence, before the match, a player has the option to upload a video or write a reflection on the game. Declaring that you and your squad are excited about the game is the aim, and the purpose is to instill positive energy around you and your group. Hashtags like #Bringiton, #letthegamebegin, and so forth are acceptable. A player may even post a video of brief excerpts from an interview he did with a TV station before the game.
Post-Match Posts
Now that the game has ended, the outcomes are known to all. Everything is well if you do well. You can submit a team photo, share a moment of celebration, tag your teammates, and more. Conversely, if you’re having a bad day or your team has lost by the slimmest of margins, you will receive a ton of abusive, defamatory, and threatening remarks. Once more, keeping a favorable image is the key.
Thus, never respond to those critical remarks by saying something like, “We’ll give it our all in the next game.” You will become more and more engrossed with trolling the longer you ignore it.
Applauding the Teammates
Many internet users would have seen the players who aren’t on the team tweet about the game and the players on social media. Saying things like “Come on girls,” “Well-played boys,” etc., they will tag the squad. Even though you’re not on the squad, this shows that you have team spirit and builds goodwill toward you. Usually, the person participating in the game does this. However, the impact of a player sitting outside posting something like this is more favorable to his fan base than it is to the person who is playing the game.
Create Polls to Get Feedback
Social media surveys are a hilarious and engaging method for fans to gauge their level of knowledge about their idol. Surveys can cover anything from serious topics to lighthearted topics. Social media surveys stimulate quick fan interaction and convey to the audience that the athlete values what they have to say.
Be the Interviewer
The Indian leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is well-known for his absurd social media posts, which may be hilarious or just quirky. Fans adore him, though. In addition to his leg spinner fame, this man is well-known for his “Chahal TV,” in which he interviews his colleagues either before or after the game. The interview is always conducted nicely and casually as a teammate. Fans are looking for an approach like this. Compared to a conventional interview, this provides more in-depth information about a particular player.
Show Glimpses of off-Field Endeavors
Once his phone is restored, the player can share the video of the hotel they are staying at as well as the one showing the players’ friendship. On a more serious note, you may easily grow your fan base by posting images or videos of yourself working out to the beat of a popular song. You can post some inspirational quotations as a caption to encourage the neighborhood to exercise and maintain good health.
Recall the Past
To commemorate a particular day, players can upload or repost their earlier work. The post by Hardik Pandya is a prime example. Two pictures make up the post: one shows him and his buddies celebrating winning the 2011 World Cup, while the other is a selfie that he took with MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, and Jasprit Bumrah.
“It has been a dream come true #cwc19, from cheering and celebrating India’s World Cup triumph in 2011 to representing #TeamIndia in World Cup 2019,” the post says. Millions of individuals are inspired by posts like this, which gradually increase your fan base and level of involvement.
Showcase Contributions to the Community
Every athlete who aspires to be a star ought to engage in charitable or community service that builds rapport. Helping NGOs and underprivileged children, making relief fund donations, visiting locations devastated by natural disasters, and doing whatever you can to aid them are all options. Fans are encouraged to follow suit since this conveys the player’s awareness of his societal obligations.
Celebrate Birthday
Isn’t this the most apparent? Celebrate your teammates’, families’, coaches’, and staff’s birthdays and share them on social media. It is important to remember that using cake on faces is a waste of cake. Additionally, it conveys your regard for the meal.
Inform About Injuries
Athletes and players are important to fans. Therefore, if you are a player and you are wounded, publish about your treatment, your current state of health, how long you think your recuperation will take, etc. As a result, you and your fans will have a stronger bond, which is directly correlated with fan engagement and fan base growth.
Conclusion
Any celebrity, whether in the entertainment industry or sports, needs to be active on social media. By adhering to a few basic guidelines, such as sharing content frequently, chatting with followers, offering advice, volunteering in the community, refusing to respond to trolling, and—above all—avoiding negative content and contentious situations, you can build a devoted following and enhance social media fan engagement.
So, this was about the Ways to Increase Social Media Engagement for Athletes.
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