Marketing Online: Social Media for Your Sports Facility
Social media can seem overwhelming. There are so many platforms, with such different features from one another. Which ones should your sports facility use?
Each social media platform is unique not only in how its content works but also in how its audience interacts with its content. From platforms focused on video to platforms for connecting, it’s important to learn how these platforms work and what they can do to market your facility and build relationships with your community. Read on to learn about some social media ideas for sports teams and facilities.
Facebook is the largest social platform. However, younger audiences tend to flock more towards other platforms. So, if your target market is younger, other audiences might be a better fit. People mainly use Facebook to connect with friends and family online. This makes it a good site to build loyalty to your brand.
Some ideas:
- Allow customers to check in to your facility locations
- Post success stories about your clients and tag them – their followers will see them and engage with them as well
Instagram is perfect for companies that love visuals. It’s a growing platform, especially for Gen Z users. Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same company, Meta, so they are more connected and you can easily post on both. Reels are becoming a big part of the platform, as well as the new shopping features.
Some ideas on posts for the platform:
- Videos of your clients (especially ones showing success at your facility)
- Updates with images of new equipment or programs
- Behind the scenes of the facility (show your employees off)
LinkedIn fits companies that want to share more professional expertise or company information. It’s especially good for B2B companies. As it is based on networking, you can easily post new jobs or network with clients or other businesses.
Some ideas on how to interact on the platform:
- Create a group for your clients to post, ask questions
- Post jobs or events for your community
- Post insightful messages useful to your clients (tips, advice, or updates to programs)
X (Twitter)
Twitter, also known as X, is a platform mainly for discussion. Most posts are just text of a certain length; very few contain images or videos. Hashtags are a big part of the platform, so make sure to take advantage and use them to join discussions. It has recently changed leadership (as well as name and branding changes). So, some features are still up in the air on whether they will change in the future.
Some thoughts on posts:
- Provide real-time updates (like unexpected closings or events)
- Join discussions in certain communities (is a particular hashtag related to sports trending?)
YouTube
YouTube is great for posting videos. They do offer community tabs to post text content and polls, but most of that type of content is only shown to those who already follow your content. Videos or reels you post on other platforms are good to use here as well.
Some video ideas:
- Videos of your clients playing their sport
- Insightful videos that might be useful to your clients (video explanations of tips and tricks for a sport, for example)
- Behind the scenes/interviews with coaches
TikTok
TikTok is a video platform similar to YouTube, but it relies on short content – usually within three minutes, while YouTube is usually around the ten-minute mark. It’s mainly popular with audiences under 24, so content for older audiences will not be relevant.
Post ideas:
- Follow popular trends as a guideline (a lot of videos are people copying dance moves, for example)
- Create story times from the facility (bad experiences, funny incidents, etc.)
Conclusion
Which social media platform you use for your sports teams and facilities depends entirely on your target audience. Just like other marketing tools, these platforms can help you grow your relationship with your current customers as well as start the process of engaging with new ones.
For more information on marketing for sports facilities, visit our resources here. Also, book a consultation with our experts to learn more about improving your marketing, including new social media ideas for sports teams.
