Whether you’re a sports celebrity or your career is just getting started, you can benefit from using social media the RIGHT way. Discover how-to here.
We all like to talk about sport, whether it’s on the pitch, on the sidelines, in the car on the way home or over a celebratory pint in the clubhouse. Social media is another way for people to have a conversation about sport. It can be daunting to kick off your presence, but it can be an incredibly useful way for your club and its players to communicate if it’s used in the right way.
National Governing Bodies now recognise the need for guidance and training around the use of social media. For example, the FA now includes social media in its overall code of conduct and has stated that clubs need to support players in understanding social media policies set by both the FA and their individual clubs. Click here to view.
Contents
Achieving Success
The trick for success is to maximise the potential for engagement and minimise the element of risk and this can be achieved by undertaking social media training and having a social media policy in place. Sports clubs and players can and do use social media very effectively to raise awareness and generate income via sponsorship.
Sports clubs and celebrities can now connect with fans via the social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Twitter enables you to follow your sporting idols, giving you an insight into the life of a high-profile athlete. With the Rugby World Cup underway, our national squad players have a real opportunity to use this as a platform to increase participation and interest in the sport.
Avoiding Negativity
The negativity around social media and sport are from high profile stories in the press, for example, the notorious John Terry racism row was broadcast all over social media platforms. This is why it is important that training provides guidelines on how to express thoughts and opinions, in a positive and respectful manner. Communicating via social media should be treated no differently than having a face-to-face conversation, you should behave appropriately, whether online or offline.
Players and sports professionals such as coaches, need to create a distinction between their personal and public life to maintain privacy and limit potential social media controversy. Personal accounts should be kept separate and strict security settings adopted. Clear parameters around this need to be determined in the Club’s social media policy, but this document should not only be read but it should be fully adopted and become part of the Club’s ethos.
In Summary
Clubs need to offer training and support to ensure that social media is controlled in a way that allows engagement but prevents negativity to the club and their reputation.
To find out more about social media for sports training click here.
