It’s just two weeks until the release of our third annual #SportOnSocial (26 March 2019) – THE Report that analyses the social media performance of all 35 Olympic International Federations (IFs).
Previously, we reviewed the 2018 Report. Now we look at the trends that have transformed the world of social media over the last year, and note how essential it is for IFs to keep up with the constantly evolving landscape.

Discipline and event-specific platforms

Many IFs have decided to develop event- or discipline-specific pages, enabling content to be better targeted: FIFA World Cup page (event specific) had a huge number of engagements in 2018, as did the FEI when it created 7 discipline-specific Facebook pages.

Video

Video generates the highest level of engagement across all platforms: the past 12 months have seen live video secure its place as the most dominant social media trend. Whether it’s IGTV or Facebook Live, IFs can – and have – taken advantage of their ability to provide live-event coverage.

Instagram Stories

Creating personal content to engage social media audiences has been on the rise. While the introduction of Instagram Stories isn’t new, IFs have increasingly used them for content creation. Unlike online content that can be stored forever, Stories have a 24-hour lifespan: their content is produced and received instantaneously, allowing fans to feel a part of the action.
The introduction of Instagram Stories ensures fans check their social media platforms more frequently in case they miss out on any of the latest information.

Creative Campaigns

There are IFs out there getting the hang of this social media malarkey. A key trend last year was greater use of creative campaigns for events, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down in 2019. These campaigns enable a brand narrative to be established, while simultaneously creating anticipation for an event(s); for example, ITF’s Davis Cup recently launched the #ShowYourColours campaign. Engaging your audience is vital. Humanise your brand and make the audience part of your journey.

Social Media as a Direct Sales Tool

Historically, social media has been used for building communities – an environment IFs create in order to unite fans. An important point: platforms such as Instagram have now implemented functions that can create a great e-commerce platform for brands.
Where will your Federation rank? The countdown is on…
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