Use Humor To Engage Fans During the Offseason

Humor plays a large role in sporting events across the world, on and off the playing field. From the antics of players and coaches to humorous performances by fans on the jumbotron, humor is everywhere on gameday.

As sports properties look to produce new content to engage fans during the offseason, they should consider creating a viral piece that highlights humorous moments on and off the court throughout the season (or over the course of a tournament/event day). From television broadcasts to video board footage, this could actually be a relatively easy task for many teams to compile and produce.

Enclosed below a recent clip from an unofficial source that highlights all the hilarious moments from the 2011 Wimbledon tournament. The clip generated 80,000+ views in less than 2 weeks on YouTube, signaling the fact that fans enjoy consuming this type of content.

Check it out below:

Using the Power of Social Media to Drive Merchandise Sales

Sports organizations looking for new ways to drive merchandise sales should benchmark a recent tactic that major retailers across the nation are adopting. Realizing the success of the Groupon model, Walmart and other retailers are launching special offers that are determined by the number of "likes" they receive via social media.

Walmart recently unveiled a Crowdsaver app on their Facebook page that unlocks a discount price when enough consumers opt in to "like" a product. The promotional offer encourages consumers to share the deal with their friends, family, and colleagues, in an effort to eventually benefit from purchasing said product at a lower price if enough people "like" it.

Walmart tested the promotional pricing model by offering a $500 plasma television at a discount rate of 18% if 5,000 consumers "liked" the product on Facebook and the company received an overwhelming response in less than 24 hours.  

Sports organizations can consider creating a similar application/pricing model on their Facebook pages and team websites to drive merchandise sales, ticket sales (if they are in control of inventory), and concessions items. While the model would need to be tested, teams could offer "Deals of the Day" and "Deals of the Week" and where fans can purchase apparel and other merchandise items at a discount price if "X" number of people "like" the item. This promotional model could serve as a great way to drive repeat traffic to social media sites, new interest in apparel and promotional items, drive group ticket sales, and provide new means of value for consumers.

Consider implementing a similar "If the deal gets enough likes, the price drops for everyone" model within your organization!

Are You Looking to Connect with Sports Fans Online?

Are you looking for a one stop shop to engage with consumers in the online sports marketplace? Are you looking for ways to reach a mass group of fantasy sports players and sports social media users?

Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV) is quickly becoming one of the most dominant forces in the sports social media space. The company recently aligned with RotoHog, Watercooler, and Sky Social Media - moves that will enable FSV to offer marketers an assortment of opportunities to engage with consumers in the online and mobile social media space.

With 400+ fantasy websites, the RotoHog.com platform, and hundreds of team-based fan communities on Facebook (through the Watercooler partnership),in its arsenal, FSVoffers a collection of assets to help brands tap into sports' flourishing online business.

What does all this mean for brand marketers?

When it comes to targeting online users, FSV's portfolio will quickly rank among the likes of Yahoo!, ESPN, and Fox Sports with 11MM+ users per month. Look for the company to dramatically enhance its clientele roster (which currently includes Coke, Sprint, Gillette, Coors, and Wendy's) in the coming months.

Check back soon for more ways to capitalize in the online sports marketplace!