The sports calendar never really stops. Even when it is the off-season, sports marketers can keep fans engaged with drafts, free agencies, Olympics, World Cups, trades and more.
Now that fans can access their favorite sports, teams, and players 12 months a year, the pressure is building for those leagues, teams, and athletes to continually generate compelling stories. Throwback Thursday, or #tbt, might be the most popular way for sports marketers and athletes to keep their fans interested, but it is not the only way.
We recently put together a Sports Marketers Guide to Visual Storytelling. Here are 5 sports marketing stories your team needs to read right now to beef up your storytelling strategy:
1. 7 Pro Sports Social Media Giants Share Their Secrets
It might be ease of access to the internet that has shaped the modern sports marketing landscape, but it is social media that has connected fans directly to their sports icons, or indeed to the programs they take. Some may show the world when they go on their yoga training goa trip, whilst others will highlight other parts of their day. This articles dives into how seven teams, including the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Twins, generate interest from their dedicated fanbase and even their rivals on gameday and in the off-season. It is a must-read that will help you brainstorm how you can use social media creatively to reach your fans.
2. A Step by Step Look at the Colorado Rockies Real-Time Social Media Workflow
“I’d say that’s one thing that sets us apart from other clubs is the quick access to our photos and sharing photos in real time,” says Julian Valentin, Assistant Director of Digital Media & Publications for the Rockies.
That says it all, right there. If you can go from getting that potential Iconic Image to your fans newsfeed in seconds, then your community of fans is buzzing about your brand in real-time. Isn’t that the definition of “going viral”?
3. How Super Bowl XLVII Made the Baltimore Ravens’ Visual Storytelling Workflow More Efficient
In 2013, The Baltimore Ravens photo database was only accessible inside the office. Not only was it getting more difficult to access photos from home and from the stadium, the problem came to a head when the Ravens secured a spot in Super Bowl XLVII.
When Erin Herbert, the Ravens Digital Media Coordinator at the time, left for New Orleans for the Big Game, she tried to predict what she would need and uploaded as many photos as she could to a hard drive to take with her. When she got there, she started getting requests from her own team members and from outside media for images they didn’t have with them. Before the game, she emailed her team members who were still in Baltimore for help, but when there was no one left in Baltimore, she had to tell reporters she didn’t have what they needed.
Since then, the Ravens — and much of the world — have moved to the Cloud. But you would be surprised how this change created a world of possibilities for the team to enhance their visual storytelling.
4. 5 Ways Professional Sports Teams Use Digital Asset Management
Corporate partnerships are often both exciting and challenging. They can give sports marketers creative opportunities to try out new marketing techniques or they can stump your team for original ideas that pop. But when your team has the right tools and minds, these corporate partnerships can be as much fun as gameday.
5. The ROI of the Sacramento Kings’ Cloud-Based Visual Media Library
The Sacramento Kings are the only major league sports team in California’s capital city, so the team has legions of loyal and proud fans. Living up to their name as the Most Innovative Company in Sports, the Kings have found new ways to connect with fans, including the #SacramentoProud social media campaign, 360-degree videos to announce new jerseys, and lightning-fast visual storytelling during games.
Get the Sports Marketers Visual Storytelling Guide
We’ve put these 5 stories and several more together into an awesome Sports Marketers Guide to Visual Storytelling. Bookmark that page and come back to it for inspiration, or share it with your team!
Cover photo by Matt Dirksen, Colorado Rockies.
