How TikTok Has Become King
Social Media Marketing | 3 min read
In today’s digital age, there’s an ever-growing focus among pro sports teams on growing brand value and establishing a social media presence. With the rise of global users across all platforms, social media has proven a key method of reaching sports fans worldwide and increasing engagement with fans of any age group.
Not every pro sports team has nailed their approach. Most sports social media is struggling to fully grasp its potential. Today’s blog will highlight five teams across football, basketball, and soccer that dominate social media marketing through creative strategies.
Athlete Influencer Marketing can unlock your brand potential. Find out how you can implement some of these social media strategies and reach other fans at the end of this blog!
Video Source: @acmilan | Instagram
A key part of social media management is staying on top of trends, and using them at the right time to draw attention. AC Milan is a clear example of how to execute social trends.
The Italian soccer giants announced their latest signing, Tammy Abraham, through a TikTok video of him saying the viral catchphrase “There We Land,” coined by 12-year-old aspiring sports journalist-slash-TikTok star, Winner Tshipa.
Tshipa’s catchphrase for announcing an official transfer became so viral that he reached one million TikTok followers in one month and landed a gig at Sky Sports on Transfer Deadline Day, the biggest stage for a soccer journalist. For AC Milan, this meant four million views, over 600,000 likes, and 3,000 comments in just five days for their trendy video.
AC Milan has heavily invested in content creation in recent years, including the birth of their own in-house media studios. Their constant efforts have led to over 16 million global followers on TikTok, and became the fastest brand value growth among European soccer clubs from 2021 to 2024.
@acmilan ❤️🖤 THERE WE LAND ✍🏻 Abraham #acmilan #tiktokfootball #tiktokcalcio #sempremilan #seriea ♬ suono originale – AC Milan
Video Source: @acmilan | TikTok
In the sports industry, social media can be a great platform to solidify the relationship with fans due to its accessibility worldwide, and maximizing this opportunity can prove to be a game changer. Chicago Bulls have the highest TikTok engagement rate of any team across seven major North American pro leagues so far in 2024, with a 13.87%.
The Bulls’ VP of Content, Luka Dukich, credited their success to differentiating their sports content to stand out in the crowded sports landscape, and continuing to build their online presence. “We just really want to be present in our fans’ lives every day, we want to be relevant, we want to be interesting, we want to be different,” he said in an interview with Marketing Brew.
Video Source: @chicagobulls | Instagram
Dukich discussed the evolution of the game: “You have to do stuff that’s not just covering the basketball team. People can go a million different places to get the score of the game last night, or to get the highlights and photos of the game.” The takeaway here is to expand the content you provide on your social media platform, beware of the competition, and differentiate yourself from the rest.
Video Source: @bennythebull | Instagram
With over 500,000 YouTube subscribers, the Philadelphia Eagles have the highest engagement rate in the NFL across all social media platforms, constantly executing various content across socials.
Sarah Zangrilli, Director of Digital and Social Strategy, attributes their success to authenticity, claiming it is critical, and that “highlighting the team’s personalities and celebrating the city and our incredible fan base is a large part of our success.”
As of late 2023, the Eagles led all NFL teams in social media value, with $118 million. The lesson here is to keep your content authentic. Users value it deeply, and it forges an emotional connection between a brand and its consumers.
Video Source: @philadelphiaeagles | Instagram
People look up to athletes as role models, and it’s no coincidence that some of the most followed people on social media are athletes. After signing global superstar Lionel Messi in 2023, Inter Miami CF saw their TikTok followers grow by 8x, their Instagram followers by 15x, and their Facebook followers by over 1000%—in just the first three months!
This growth continued in the following months, and a large reason for this is the club’s efforts to produce high-quality content, such as behind-the-scenes and exclusive videos, with its star players at the forefront. The likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets have a massive online presence, so highlighting them as athlete influencers on social media is a huge boost to the club. This increased traffic inevitably led to a surge in sales, and a rise in international exposure, a testament to the social power athletes can contribute to brand value.
Video Source: @intermiamicf | Instagram
Whether due to their back-to-back SuperBowl wins, or simply the power of Swifites, the Kansas City Chiefs have seen a massive boost in following recently. They’re currently the most followed NFL team on TikTok, and despite their tremendous growth over the past season, the Chiefs have ambitions to cultivate an even larger, international fan base.
After the success of last season’s Virtual Tailgate Event, which had over one million viewers around the globe, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to renew the event. Their CMO and EVP of Marketing announced it will feature live tailgate-themed games, as well as pre-recorded segments with players.
In an interview with Marketing Brew, Krug reiterated this event was designed with a young audience in mind, and that the team plans to use content from the event to populate their social channels for weeks to come. “We have ambitions and dreams of becoming the world’s team”, Krug said. “At the end of the day, I believe our social channels are the entry point and the engagement point with consistency with our fans.”
Of course, it’s a lot easier to promote your brand and sporting events when Travis Kelce is in your corner—there’s no denying that. Luckily, you can work with elite names in the sports world through our Athlete Influencer Program.
Image Source: @chiefs | Instagram
Our roster includes players from the NBA, NHL, NFL, and so much more! Find out how you can have access to professional athletes across the world who are ready to endorse your brand and promote your products.
Amplify brand awareness to your campaign’s target audience by working with the world’s best, because you deserve nothing less. Contact us today to see how sports marketing can be your key to reaching new audiences!
Social Media Marketing | 3 min read
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