This week we’re all going to hunker down, buy some chips and salsa, crack open a drink or two, and take part in a longtime American tradition of screaming at the tv while one of the largest sporting events in the world unfolds before our eyes. Whether you’re in the Bay Area watching nervously with your friends, eating some famous Kansas City BBQ to try to stay calm, or just watching from anywhere with no dog in the fight, make sure to also check in on social media where there is always a frenzy going on.
The NFL, it’s players, and sponsors do an amazing job taking advantage of social media to build on top of the hype and expand their brand name. With the big game is just a few days away, let’s dive into a few fun facts about how all this excitement can be experienced on social media.
The best social media marketers are waiting en garde with their phones in hand during the game. A well timed tweet, Instagram post, or Facebook post can quickly go viral and get you unbelievable traction. Opportunities and events like this only happen a few times a year, so make sure to take advantage!
The NFL itself is always trying to take advantage of the latest social media trends as well. Here are some less ‘known’ ways that the NFL stays on top of the game (no pun intended!) and tries to reach new audiences.
Twitch is one of the biggest platforms for livestreaming videogames. On average, over 15 million people use twitch on a daily basis to feed their gaming appetite. In fact, many twitch content creators, also known as streamers, make their livelihood through Twitch.
Back in 2017, NFL did a collaboration with Twitch to stream all games from NFL – from week 4 onwards for free. By allowing users to watch streams through Twitch, and being able to communicate with each other over the wireless network, the NFL actually managed to make fans fall more for the brand. As of this year, there are over 14 thousand loyal users on Twitch that follow their main account.
The NFL did not hesitate to jump on the latest social trends to reach new demographics. With the Twitch userbase being mostly people under the age of 50 years old, the NFL continues to grow into platforms that can reach new audiences.
Reddit is one of the biggest platforms for people to discuss and share news on the internet. Reddit often times holds events called AMAs (Ask Me Anything) where popular celebrities offer fans a chance to ask them anything, and they will reply to their questions.
The NFL seasonally holds AMA threads on their subreddit (www.reddit.com/r/NFL). This gives fans to talk directly to their favorite players. Here is a recent AMA with the Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/e8h9tw/im_aaron_rodgers_12_on_the_green_bay_packers_and/
NFL is quick to understand the growth of social media, and how social media can affect business & brand growth. TikTok is the latest viral short video sharing platform where users make small videos that potentially gets them famous. NFL has quickly grabbed a multi-year partnership with TikTok, and its global userbase of over one billion users.
NFL casually uses TikTok to deliver highlights and behind-the-scenes footages, most of which are exclusive to the platform. This allows them to gain a lot of fan-base. They even started the #WeReady hashtag campaign, that got Gen Z users all riled up. NFL has over 53 million likes on the TikTok platform, with 2.3 million loyal followers.
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