Doha: Powerful, does not begin to describe the impact Social Media has made on our world. These days, Twitter and Facebook have become the source to share. Even in its relative infancy, Social Media has already proved itself to be an effective tool in sports to boost fan interaction, forge connections between teams and leagues and their fans, sell tickets and merchandise, and help drive TV viewership.
Social Media is changing the way sports administrators go about conducting sports business. A new generation fired up by the Arab Spring is trying to drive home the message the positive returns from Social Media efforts, one of them is Fadi Khater of www.netizency.com.
It is time to bridge the generational gap between the old and the new way of doing sports business using innovative ways using Social Media, he says.
“Sports is a social currency, it is a conversation starter and something that people tend to get very passionate about. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, blogs and LinkedIn are conversation amplifiers; whereby users share a passion or point of view which spirals to their community and beyond.”
Netizency is a Qatari Company specializing in social brand building which was formed in May this year. It is participating at Aspire4Sport 2011 in order to help create sports fans in Qatar and promote the local sports events to the world utilizing social channels.
“We have offices in Qatar only but we service the entire MENA region, we are already working with a few clients in the UAE,” he adds.
Social Media, Fadi says is an ideal venue for the communication for sports events which Qatar seems to be focused on as part of its 2030 vision.
Qatar’s residents are among the most connected internet users in the Middle East, says a recently released Qatar Digital Media Report 2011 published by ictQatar. The report said overall internet penetration stands at 82 percent in Qatar, with emailing, downloading music and movies, watching videos, and researching goods and services representing the most popular usages.
Social Media he says has allowed fans to engage and connect with their favourite sports stars much more than they would have in the past.
“Sports is an intrinsic part of what we all share on Social Media ranging from our favorite teams, to games, scores, goals, and news – it is very rare not to find an status update, video, or image about any of the above in one’s newsfeed every day. Given that sports is something people like to discuss and share on Social Media, it would be very easy for sports brands, events, and organizations to pick up traction on the likes of Facebook and Twitter,” he adds.
In the world of sports there remains nothing close to a one-size-fits-all approach for effectively leveraging Social Media. Rather, many different strategies have been pursued by sports properties, often in concert with traditional media extensions.
Some clubs have been slow off the mark while some are now making the effort to use Social Media to promote their brand, recognizing the unique opportunities that it brings.
It’s no secret that professional sports teams are finding tremendous value in engaging in Social Media these days.
“We at Netizency see a need for Qatar to create sports fans, in order for the public to embrace and promote its vision, in addition to filling up its stadia. Since becoming a fan is achieved though addiction, passion, and recurring conversations, we see Social Media as one of the best platforms for creating fans; and hence expect a surge in Social Media adoption amongst the leading Qatari Sports brands, events, and organizations,” adds Fadi, who had earlier worked on launching Eurosport Arabia.
“We achieved 1million pageviews on the Eurosport Arabia website in two days using Social Media during the Egypt vs Algeria football game,” he adds.
“At Netizency we believe in promoting brands through conversations as opposed to ads and have three offerings- Social Brand Strategy: Creating a competitive analysis, defining social objectives, and developing a social content theme for brands. Social Brand Management: Includes setting up brand presence on Social Media, creating and posting content on brands’ behalf, and answering customer queries. Social Application Development: We also develop applications for use on the likes of Facebook and Flickr including competitions, games, and surveys and beyond,” he adds.
“Social Media does not require a big budget and you don’t need millions of fans to see a positive return from your Social Media efforts. If you could put a few more people in the stands at your games or sell more merchandise at your team store without it costing you anything, wouldn’t that be worth your time,” he questions.
“Every team has fans. Some are more loyal and engaging than others, but every team has a fan base that wants to see your program succeed. What Social Media does is give you the tools to engage with your fan base and turn them into advocates that will help you achieve your goals. The only thing you have to do is provide value. The challenge is to focus your efforts on and how to use the tools in a way that provides value for your fans. For many teams, the first step is where to begin.
“And, yes, value can be defined in a number of ways. It doesn’t mean you have to give away something that costs a lot of money. Value can simply be providing your fan base with something that they normally wouldn’t experience such as access to behind the scenes action, exclusive offers on tickets and merchandise and creative online contests that encourage participation.”
And Fadi says a day will not be far when Qatari clubs and associations will use the innovative combination of live webcast, twitter, Skype chats with fans, live auctions and call-ins to connect to fans.
“What is clear to me is you have to be vigilant with updating your Social Media platforms and maintain regular dialogue with your fans,” adds Fadi.
