I love soccer. And as many of my coworkers have learned these past few weeks, (much to their dismay) I rarely pass up an opportunity to talk about it. With the World Cup in full swing (Go USA!), what better time write a blog about two of my favorite things? Soccer and social media.
A well-timed tweet or message regarding a trending topic can garner a substantial amount of additional exposure for a company. So it’s no surprise that many brands have been cranking out tweets and posting Facebook statuses relating to the games during the World Cup.
There is a lot of social media hype surrounding these types of events. Take, for instance, the USA vs. Portugal game on Sunday: 8 million tweets about the game were sent out during the 90-minute match. Cristiano Ronaldo was mentioned 1.5 million times and Clint Dempsey was tweeted about 465,000 times. A similar situation was unfolding on Facebook: 10 million people were discussing the match on the platform. That’s a potential audience of roughly 18 million people for brands who opt in to participate in this conversation. It’s highly unlikely that all 18 million will see it, but a couple thousand people viewing and engaging with a message that took 10 minutes tops to create, isn’t too bad.
This method of sending out off-the-cuff status updates in order to reach new audience members is becoming more and more prominent on social media outlets. Even Luis Suarez’s now infamous biting incident during the Uruguay vs. Italy game has earned several brilliant last minute tweets from brands on social media- with some pretty hilarious results.
Sometimes referred to as “culture-jacking”, brands often use popular pop culture and sporting events to their advantage. Sending out tweets, Facebook messages, Instagram photos, etc. relating to an event or trend that is blowing up on social media provides a brilliant way for brands to increase brand awareness and consumer reach. Although, these types of posts sometimes receive backlash (ie: Celeb Boutique’s mix-up regarding the Aurora shooting and Kim Kardashian’s dress), a well thought-out post can see substantial success.
Oreo is king when it comes to culture-jacking on social media. Not only have they been sending tweet after tweet about the World Cup games, they were also able to position themselves into conversations on both Facebook and Twitter about the royal baby, the Superbowl, Orange Is The New Black, and True Blood at vital times in the past year, connecting and engaging with audience members from all over.
Allotting for culture-jacking in your social media plan can increase brand exposure and awareness, building a connection with potential customers. A strong social media strategy includes tracking trends, and contributing to the conversation when appropriate. If you’re interested in discovering how Glint Advertising & Design can help your brand refine it social media presence and increase exposure, give us a call at (817) 616-0320, or shoot us an e-mail at digital@glintadv.com.
