The effective use of social media communication for sports clubs

Absztrakt (kivonat)

One could argue that the most challenging competition sports clubs are fighting nowadays is not on the field for a trophy, but rather online, for the attention of athletes, fans and supporters. In this fight it currently seems that sports clubs – especially small ones in niche sports such as rowing – stand to lose, as their social media activity is lagging far behind the standards users experience from other brands. The current thesis aims to close this gap by exploring how a rowing club in Hungary can effectively use social media to generate more brand awareness, attract new members and improve attendance. First, this thesis provides an overview of the relevant literature in the field of social media and its sports-related use, followed by the analysis of the design and implementation of a social media experiment at a Budapest-based rowing club. The experiment took place over the course of two months, aiming to increase the number of followers, the engagement and reach of the club’s social media account on both Facebook and Instagram. The experiment’s results demonstrated that the execution of a strategic and consistent content plan could significantly improve the above-stated metrics and accomplish the ultimate goal of attracting new members to the club. In addition to providing an in-depth inquiry on how to effectively use social media in sports communication, the thesis also provides a practical guide for small sports clubs on how to create an impactful social media strategy and what to keep in mind for crafting a compelling post.