How you can use March Madness to your benefit over social media
March is a glorious month for marketers and sports fans alike. Not only does the month mark the end of winter and beginning of spring, but it also means that college basketball teams nationwide will be competing in the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament. This is a wonderful opportunity for social media marketers to join in the March Madness conversation as means of promoting their brands. Facebook and Instagram have noticed that such trends surrounding things like the Oscars, the Superbowl, March Madness, and Valentine’s Day have provided excellent opportunities in 2017 for marketers to shine, and bring attention to their brands by joining in on the conversations surrounding these holidays and events.
Last year in 2016 alone, the number of conversations over Facebook surrounding March Madness grew by 40%. This is a hot topic of discussion and debate, and it truly couldn’t hurt to join in on the conversation. So, just exactly how does one join in on the March Madness conversation as means of boosting their small business? We’re so glad you asked! Here are some of our top ideas for using March Madness to boost exposure for your brand.
- Start a contest: Several local newspapers and businesses find that March Madness provides a fun time to start a contest. While the basketball players are duking it out on the court, you can let customers try to predict who will win each game. You can offer the prize of your choice for the lucky person who wins each bracket.
- Choose a team: There’s no better way to spark engagement than to pick a team to root for, and post content surrounding your favorite team. Perhaps you will create some custom graphics, or post videos and photos of your favorite team and players. All of this is sure to strike some emotion driven comments, whether viewers agree or disagree with your choice of who to root for.
- Start a debate: One of the best ways to spark exposure and engagement over social media is to have
an opinion, and to post content that expresses your opinion. Having an opinion about who is going to win a game, or the entire March Madness tournament is all it takes to begin a debate. When it comes to college sports, many people are passionately emotional about their favorite teams. - Post updates: If you’d rather stay out of limelight when it comes to voicing your opinion, simple updates after each game will suffice in providing your audience many opportunities to get involved in a conversation about a game. You may even want to start a conversation by asking your followers who they think will win an upcoming game and why.
- Be a good sport: No matter who wins or loses each game, it is important to represent your brand by showing excellent sportsmanship. Reacting in anger over social media over a sporting event may not be the best image you want to portray to your followers on behalf of your brand. Keep things civil and congratulate each team who wins, and you will be projecting a fabulous public image for your business.
Are you interested in using upcoming events to boost your social media exposure for your brand? Would you like help developing an overall digital marketing strategy? Our social media experts would love to help you. We’re a local San Diego website design, email marketing, PR, social media and search engine optimization firm. It is our mission to make our clients more successful. For more information, or a detailed quote, call (619) 291-8181 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.
