The Olympics are approaching fast, and we at Supercool Creative are getting increasingly excited to watch. The Games are fascinating for all, but for fans of social media, there’s a lot you can observe, play with, and learn when it comes to the Olympics. We recently posted 4 Social Media Marketing Lessons to Learn from the Olympics, and we’re back with 4 more lessons!
1) Create opportunities to bring your fans together (or tear them apart)
Besides the Fourth of July, is there anything that makes Americans more patriotic than the Olympics? Even countries that usually lack a strong national identity spend two weeks rallying behind their athletes, waving flags, painting faces, and bursting with pride. Marketing centered around this team fervor, such as Team USA Coca-Cola cans, capitalizing on supporters’ loyalty and zeal, is a surefire way to produce conversions.
Create campaigns that bring people together over a common cause or interest. Utilize existing loyalties to sports teams, celebrities, or favorite flavors, or create new “teams” with which followers can ally. Furthermore, create divisions that allow customers to choose a side and throw their full support behind it. For example, when working with Capcom to market their game Street Fighter x Tekken, we used social media and online contests to play up the rivalry between Street Fighter fans and Tekken supporters and pump followers up about the upcoming video game release.
2) Keep your fans updated in real time
The face of breaking news is rapidly evolving thanks to social media. Twitter in particular has been the go-to news source for many major world events and will majorly impact how fans watch the Olympics this year. The most up-to-date and detailed information can be quickly found on Twitter via a quick hashtag search, meaning enthusiasts can keep up with scores, medals, and exciting moments without even taking their eyes off the computer screen.
Keep your followers similarly updated about your brand’s news via Twitter and other social networks. Take advantage of trending hashtags and popular news topics. Just as people will go to Twitter to search for Olympics news, they’ll also be searching for current information relevant to your brand. Sales? New products? Special promotions? Keep your followers updated and gain new customers in the process.
3) Globalize (and localize) your social media campaigns
Social media has taken water cooler talk to a whole new level, including when it comes to the Olympics. Rather than discussing last night’s Olympic events around the office with colleagues or at a bar with friends, people are immediately connecting with others via social media to discuss the highlights of the Games. What’s most remarkable about this is the ability to instantly connect with people all over the world is that suddenly, your water cooler circle includes people 8000 miles away.
When marketing with social media, keep in mind the vast potential for reaching audiences overseas relatively easily and inexpensively. Social media isn’t restricted by borders, so make your campaigns international. Keep in mind, however, that when doing so it’s essential that you pay attention to your audiences abroad and localize certain aspects of your campaign. I discuss five important things to keep in mind when doing international social media marketing in this article.
4) Incorporate many social networks – but keep them relevant
Beyond the social media marketing run by brand sponsors and national television networks, the International Olympic Committee has devoted itself to widely promoting the Games across a variety of platforms. Between their official Instagram account, four Tumblr blogs, Foursquare badges, 1.1 million-follower Twitter account, and 2.9 million-likes Facebook page, the IOC is optimizing its social media outreach.
When marketing your brand, always be on the lookout for up-and-coming social networks to employ. Make the most of the established, popular ones. Essential, however, is ensuring you utilize the tools that specifically fit your brand’s identity and demographics. Give your brand a wide social media reach, but also be careful not to spread yourself too thin across platforms that won’t appeal to your customers. Focus your efforts and creativity on the networks that will impact your audience most.
What aspect of the Olympics are you most looking forward to? What social media marketing lessons are you learning from them?
