The use of visual content and social media channels are critical when attempting to capture the attention of college students. Online marketing agency, fishbat, discusses how college sports teams can increase campus engagement using Instagram.
College students are surrounded by an alarmingly high amount of social media content on a daily basis. This fact makes it extremely difficult to capture their attention, let alone ensure they engage with a brand or team they follow. However, with the proper approach, branding, and incentive programs, Instagram users can be ready to engage with any sports team at any time. To help further explain, below are 5 ways college sports teams can increase campus engagement using Instagram.
Publish photo-based imagery. Instagram is a photo-based app, which is something that should be kept at the front of the mind when choosing content to publish on this platform. Many Instagram users prefer to share photos of their day-to-day activities in their stories or feeds rather than illustrations, and sports teams should do the same. It is best to keep content as photo-centric as possible with high-quality photos and videos of the players and game day events. Users expect this type of content on the platform and are more likely to engage with the same type of posts that they would share themselves.
Keep engagement going on game days. When looking to drive engagement with fans, it is important to remember that they will be spending time on Instagram before, during, and after the game. Offering a specific game day hashtag for fans who are either in the area or watching from another location will encourage users to share photos highlighting their favorite game moments, ask and answer team related questions, and interact with other fans throughout the game.
Utilize user-generated content. There is nothing quite like the raw emotion depicted in a fan’s face as their favorite team pulls out a win during a close game. These are the moments that both fans and players love to see shared on Instagram on a regular basis. Not only will this type of content resonate with users due to the realistic nature of the post, but it will also encourage users to reach out to the team via Instagram. By collecting user-generated content and crediting the photographer, fans may feel inspired to share their own photos with the team for a chance to be highlighted on the page.
Leverage Instagram Stories for Game Day Content. Many invested fans will not be able to attend every game, but they will still want to be updated. Be sure to share the final score and game highlights in real time using Instagram Stories to allow fans to feel like they are in the arena themselves. Take engagement one step further by adding a link to the team website so users can visit and read through game highlights.
Humanize the team. College sports teams are full of campus celebrities – students know their faces and most likely want to know more about them. Creating a “who’s who” series which introduces the athletes individually and gives users more insight about their fellow students lives, will allow fans to feel more connected to the team and their players. Encouraging athletes to repost, like, and comment on the team’s official Instagram content will not only increase engagement but also improve the teams reach via social media.
About fishbat
fishbat is a full-service digital marketing firm that takes a holistic business approach to their clients’ digital marketing programs. The fishbat team understands the importance of business principles just as well as the nuances of the latest digital technologies. Digital marketing agency fishbat offers every online marketing service available from digital marketing research and planning to brand development to website and asset creation through social media management and search engine optimization programs – all custom calibrated for both B2B and B2C businesses.
My name is Ivy Heffernan, and I am interested in a wide range of professions.
Economics and politics at the age of 18 is easy when your father has a Ph.D in economics, i have been taught to put together technical analyst and stay up to date with the changing markets as well as what is happening in the political world.