How can you use social media to promote a sports event on a budget?

Social media is a powerful tool for sports event organizers who want to reach and engage their target audience, generate buzz and excitement, and increase attendance and revenue. However, social media marketing can also be costly and time-consuming, especially if you don't have a clear strategy and a realistic budget. In this article, you will learn how to use social media to promote a sports event on a budget, by following these six tips:

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start posting anything on social media, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your success. Do you want to raise awareness, drive ticket sales, build loyalty, or create a community? How will you track your reach, engagement, conversion, and retention rates? Having specific and measurable goals and metrics will help you plan your content, allocate your resources, and evaluate your performance.

Add your perspective

2 Know your audience and platforms

The next step is to understand who your target audience is and where they hang out online. What are their demographics, interests, preferences, and pain points? What kind of content do they consume, share, and respond to? What social media platforms do they use and how often? By knowing your audience and platforms, you can tailor your message, tone, style, and format to suit their needs and expectations.

Add your perspective

Victor Rivera

Senior Account Manager | 10+ Years of Experience in Sports Sales | Increase Your Ticket Sales | Legendary Customer Service
When I ran my online eBay business, I did pretty heavy promoting on instagram and focused a lot on promoting listings through eBay as well where all my clients were coming from. I also tried to provide relevant content on a day to day basis to keep my followers engaged and also hosted contests, giveaways to keep people as engaged as possible with my instagram page. I also made sure to be very consistent with how I sold making my auctions start every Sunday night. Understanding the best times to sell (promote) your business is very important, to understand when customers are most likely ready to consume your content/make buying decisions. When you get your customers engaged and ready for more, you are then able to see more consistent results
Like

(edited)
Report contribution

3 Create a content calendar and schedule

One of the biggest challenges of social media marketing is creating and posting consistent and relevant content that attracts and retains your audience's attention. To avoid running out of ideas or missing deadlines, you need to have a content calendar and schedule that outlines what, when, where, and how you will post your content. A content calendar and schedule will help you plan ahead, balance your topics and formats, and optimize your posting times and frequencies.

Add your perspective

Gabriel Solomon

Sport Event Manager & Founder at People for Sport Romania | RRCA Certified
In budget-friendly promotion, leverage the potency of organic content. Focus on frequent and consistent posts to cultivate an engaged audience. Overcome daily creativity challenges by dedicating time to plan and schedule posts in advance. Boost your impact by crafting multiple posts simultaneously, tapping into bulk creativity. Identify recurring themes to maintain audience interest. Example: introduce a weekly series like "Monday Medal" for participants to share race medals. This creates engagement, anticipation and a cohesive narrative.
Like
Report contribution

4 Use visuals and videos

Visuals and videos are essential for capturing and conveying the excitement and emotion of a sports event. They can also increase your reach, engagement, and conversion rates, as they are more likely to be noticed, liked, commented on, and shared by your audience. You don't need to have a professional camera or a large production team to create stunning visuals and videos. You can use your smartphone, a tripod, and some free or low-cost apps and tools to edit and enhance your images and clips.

Add your perspective

5 Leverage user-generated content and influencers

User-generated content (UGC) and influencers are two of the most effective ways to boost your social media presence and credibility, as they provide authentic and trustworthy testimonials and endorsements for your sports event. UGC is any content created by your audience, such as photos, videos, reviews, or stories, that showcases their experience or opinion of your event. Influencers are people who have a large and loyal following on social media, and who can influence their followers' behavior or decisions. You can encourage UGC and influencers by creating hashtags, contests, challenges, or rewards, and by reaching out to relevant and reputable influencers who share your values and vision.

Add your perspective

Drishti Bagla

Sports and Mental Health Enthusiast | Forensics - Deloitte | Sports Unplugged | Content Creator | Ex-KPMG | Young India Fellowship | York University - Canada
Leveraging user-generated content is a cost-effective approach. Encourage fans to share experiences, stories, or even predictions related to the event using a specific hashtag. For example, in cricket, during the Indian Premier League (IPL), fans shared videos imitating famous shots of their favorite players with specific hashtags, creating a buzz around the event on social media without significant marketing expenses. This user engagement can significantly boost event visibility and excitement.
Like
Report contribution

6 Monitor and interact with your audience

The last tip is to monitor and interact with your audience on social media, as this will help you build rapport, loyalty, and advocacy. You should monitor your mentions, tags, comments, messages, and feedback, and respond to them promptly and politely. You should also interact with your audience by asking questions, conducting polls, sharing stories, or inviting them to participate in your event. By monitoring and interacting with your audience, you will show them that you care about their opinions and needs, and that you value their contribution and support.

Add your perspective

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Katy Blake

Social Media & Content Strategy Consultant
Sports events aren't all the same - and so your social strategy shouldn't be, either. Consider what you need to achieve at each stage - for example, your first priority might be maximising awareness, and then ticket sales, and then impressions and engagement of the event. Plan your activities to align with your goals. Utilise different techniques, such as partnerships, behind-the-scenes content, working with the sports stars involved, running ads, collaborating with other accounts, working with local councils and venues... there's lots you can do, and plenty is achievable on a budget!
Like
Report contribution
Gramada Vitalie

⚽ In charge with Marketing & Communication ➡ FC Milsami Orhei
Mastering the art of anticipation and playing on the fear of missing out (FOMO) can turn an ordinary event into an eagerly awaited show. From captivating countdown posts and exclusive sneak peeks into event preparations to engaging polls and interactive challenges, every social media tactic contributes to the excitement, crafting an irresistible narrative for our followers. The use of dedicated hashtags and Instagram Story Highlights ensures that countdown is reinforcing the anticipation as the event date approaches. In this era of digital connectivity, building excitement is not just a prelude; it's an integral part of the event experience itself. The countdown is a magnetic pull that ensures no fan wants to miss the magic that awaits.
Like
Report contribution

How can you use social media to promote a sports event on a budget?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your goals and metrics

2 Know your audience and platforms

3 Create a content calendar and schedule

4 Use visuals and videos

5 Leverage user-generated content and influencers

6 Monitor and interact with your audience

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sports Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Sports Management

More relevant reading

How can you use social media to promote a sports event on a budget?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your goals and metrics

2 Know your audience and platforms

3 Create a content calendar and schedule

4 Use visuals and videos

5 Leverage user-generated content and influencers

6 Monitor and interact with your audience

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sports Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills