Last year, athletes and professionals in the sports industry hoped that day-to-day life would soon get “back to normal” and sports fans would fill stadiums once more. However, the transition back to live sporting events has been slower than optimists anticipated, and marketing has had to adapt to reach across the new digital divide. In fact, the challenges COVID-19 dealt the sporting industry have led to greater progress and growth than anyone could have predicted.
Sports marketing is evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly digitized world. Is your team or franchise struggling to keep up? Let’s look at a few specific ways in which sports marketing is evolving in 2022 and modern tools that you can leverage to keep up with this ever-changing marketing landscape.
1. Influencer Marketing
Every industry is taking advantage of influencer marketing, and with the current push into digital sports marketing, the athletics industry is no exception. With the built-in perk of already having celebrities on the payroll, franchises have come to realize the benefits of their superstars engaging with fans through social media.
In 2022, athletes are using social media to express their most authentic selves, and audiences are loving it, feeling a closer relationship with both players and their teams. Growing social media platforms like TikTok allow athletes to showcase their personalities through humorous, engaging content and cultivate a highly personalized connection with fans.
In 2022, teams also have the potential to partner with other sports influencers like commentators, cheerleaders, or even armchair analysts who have a dedicated following. By diversifying their partnerships, franchises can reach new audiences and expand their fanbase ever outward.
2. Esports and Fan Experience
Recently, even traditional sports are adapting to the demands of digital transformation, going online in an attempt to captivate wider audiences. As a result, the esports industry is expected to grow dramatically in 2022, reaching anywhere from $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion in revenue this year. Unlike many other sports ventures, esports entertainment was able to flourish amid the pandemic. As this trend continues to occupy a significant chunk of the market, sports teams are proactively forming partnerships with esports brands in an effort to raise awareness and increase engagement.
3. Marketing Automation
As the sports industry makes the shift to digital platforms, marketing automation plays a crucial role in facilitating their outreach to new and current fans alike. Marketing automation streamlines the process of creating and distributing campaigns, so franchises can foster better communication with fans and easily keep their teams top-of-mind — even in the off-season. With marketing automation software, sports organizations can curate a personalized customer journey across multiple channels, helping expand and revive their fanbase in the wake of the pandemic.
Transform Your Sports Marketing with Factoreal
The sports industry is feeling the effects of digitization, and it’s time to consider ways that your organization can use this to your advantage. If you’re interested in increasing fan interaction and engagement, the marketing automation solutions from Factoreal can make it easy to create an effective and more rewarding customer experience.
Our all-in-one customer engagement platform enables you to take complete control of your marketing strategy from conception to execution. An omnichannel solution, Factoreal integrates with all of your marketing efforts, from email and social media to SMS. Plus, you can track campaign success with all your metrics in one convenient place.
For marketing automation that will help you launch, analyze, and manage each marketing campaign, look no further. At Factoreal, we make marketing automation affordable and easy-to-use, so your team can get the most out of every campaign.
