Are you a sports marketer who's interested in learning more about social media? This free, downloadable ebook was made to help people just like you. Covering topics such as creating your social media sports marketing goals, identifying your online target audience, understanding your sports fans needs and online behaviour, creating your social media sports marketing funnel phases, coming up with content ideas your sports fans will love to consume, using hashtags in social media and real-time sports marketing.

1. Social Media Marketing
For Sports
Wednesday, August 20, 14

2. Overview
Social media marketing has changed the way
we communicate. As a result, we have to
change the way sell.
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3. Social Media Sports
Marketing Guidelines
Workbook Contents
• Social Media Goals
• Online Target Audience
Identification
• Sports Fan Needs
• The Social Media Sports
Marketing Funnel
• Content Sports Fans Like
To Consume
• Hashtags
• Real-Time Marketing
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4. Guideline #1
Where Should You Start?
Before you can do anything, you need to figure out what you want to
accomplish at the end of the day. Write down some of your social media goals:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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5. Example Goals
Increase the size of my online fan base
1. ________________________________________
2. ________________________________________
Increase my online engagement rates
3. ________________________________________
Increase my bottom line
4. ________________________________________
Strengthen my sports brand
5. ________________________________________
Become a leader in the sports industry
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6. Who Are Your Ideal Target
Audiences?
Gender: __________________
Age: _____________________
Education: ________________
Geographic Location: __________________
Job Title: _____________________________
Parental Status: _______________________
1
Gender: __________________
Age: _____________________
Education: ________________
Geographic Location: __________________
Job Title: _____________________________
Parental Status: _______________________
2
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7. Target Audiences
Continued...
Gender: __________________
Age: _____________________
Education: ________________
Geographic Location: __________________
Job Title: _____________________________
Parental Status: _______________________
3
Gender: __________________
Age: _____________________
Education: ________________
Geographic Location: __________________
Job Title: _____________________________
Parental Status: _______________________
4
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8. Guideline #2
How Can You Give Your Fans Value?
In today’s marketplace, people need to witness your value before they’ll believe
you have any. There’s too many self-proclaimed experts out there that really
aren’t experts at all. To do this, you need to identify your target audience’s
pain points:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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9. What Do Fans Need?
Education
Entertainment Excellence Ego Boost Engagement
Messaging should
be informative
Messaging should
be controversial
Messaging should
be well-written
Messaging should
compliment
someone else
Messaging should
be conversational
Content should
teach the audience
something new
Content should be
dramatic
Content should be
top-tier quality
Content should be
appealing
Content should
have calls-to-action
Speak the same
language as your
audience
Be an opinion
leader to your
fans
Romance your
listeners
Give your sports
fans raw talent
Make your sports
fans laugh, cry,
cheer, lash-out &
advocate
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10. Guideline #3
Understand Online Consumption Behavior
Are you familiar with content optimization? This is how people find you online.
It happens when you use keywords and keyword phrases they know and
understand because they’re using them too. What are your keywords and
keyword phrases?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, August 20, 14

11. Guideline #4
The Social Media Marketing Funnel Phases
There is no longer a one-size-fits-all marketing funnel. Now, funnel phases
have to be customized because messaging is personalized. Create five “interest-in-
you” levels and describe what each sports fan interest-level looks like:
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, August 20, 14

12. Create Your Social Media
Marketing Funnel
Acquaintance
Friends More Than
Friends
Almost Doing It Doing It
Visited your
website less than
3 times
Visited your
website 3-7 times
Visited your
website 7-10 times
Visited your
website 10-15
times
Visited your
website +15 times
Follows you on 1
social network
Doesn’t engage
with your content
Follows you on
2-3 social
networks
Follows you on
3-5 social
networks
Follows you on all
your social
networks
Follows you online
& offline
Likes and
Retweets your
content once in a
while
Likes, comments
& shares your
content quite a bit
This fan is a
hard-core
advocate for you
& all that you do
This fan has your
back when
something bad
happens
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13. Guideline #5
What Content Types Does Your Audience Like To
Consume?
As you immerse yourself in social media, you will begin to see that a content
piece will perform better on one platform than it will on another. Describe the
the purpose(s) content will serve within the following platforms:
LinkedIn: _____________________________________________________________
Facebook: ____________________________________________________________
Twitter: ______________________________________________________________
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14. Content Fans Like To
Consume
Reading
LinkedIn Post Video Podcast ebook SlideShare
• _________________
Blog Post Game Highlights A Public Speech Mobile App Breaking News
•__________________
•__________________
• _________________
•__________________
•__________________
Watching
•_________________
•_________________
•_________________
• _________________
•_________________
•_________________
Listening
•_________________
•_________________
•_________________
• _________________
•_________________
•_________________
Downloading
•_________________
•_________________
•_________________
• _________________
•_________________
•_________________
Sharing
•_________________
•__________________
•__________________
• _________________
•__________________
•__________________
Wednesday, August 20, 14

15. Guideline #6
Increase Your Chances Of Getting Found
Hashtags increase the chances of your content getting found in Twitter,
Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram. Do you know which hashtags you should be
using? Write down some popular hashtags for your specific sport(s):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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16. Popular Hashtags
In Football
#MLSallstart
#Football
#Soccer
#UEFA
#FIFA
#mufc
#MLS
#CristianoRonaldo
#DavidBeckham
#Ronaldo
#Neymar
#Futbol
#FIFA15
#EPL
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17. Guideline #7
Publish Content In Real-Time
Creating and publishing content, as well as having conversations in real-time
has made major sports events like the World Cup successful in terms of online
reach and engagement ratings. In which ways can you create and publish
content, as well as converse with your fans on social media in real-time?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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18. Contact Leah Dyck
ca.linkedin.com/in/leahdyck
@Leah_Dyck
leah.dyck@snhu.edu
Wednesday, August 20, 14