The best practices to use when marketing a soccer team on social media

Using effective practices is vital when successfully marketing a soccer team on social media. These practices vary depending on which social media platform is being used.

Research shows that the best time to post on Facebook is Thursday and weekends, due to higher user interaction. This time frame aligns perfectly for teams trying to promote their pages as most games are played on weekends. It also allows time for clubs to post during the build-up to their games, as most fans would be looking out for who has been named in the match-day squad or current team news before watching them play on the weekend.

Although Facebook has the highest user interaction on Thursdays and weekends, Twitter doesn't have a conclusive period as such. While there is no specific day or time of the week where Twitter has the most user interaction, studies say that the best time of day to tweet is in the afternoons. Teams could capitalise on this by tweeting competitions to win tickets or releasing discounted items from the club store during afternoons as a means to keep fans interacting with the team on weekdays.

It is also important for soccer teams to post on social media frequently but not too often. Even though it is important to connect with fans as often as possible, constantly filling their news feed can deter people from following an account. The recommended number of times to post a day is twice. Two posts a day is a good number because it isn't excessive but it still allows clubs to connect with fans daily.

Despite the importance of using these beneficial practices, it is equally as important for teams not to succumb to bad social media marketing either. Some of the key practices to avoid when trying to market a soccer team include, is making your writing formal or too detailed. People will want a concise amount of information without having to read a large amount of text as users may become uninterested. Another practice that is important to avoid is the use of too much jargon. If soccer teams use too much jargon to promote their accounts, then it'll deter and confuse people who are unfamiliar with the sport.

If teams correctly apply the best practices and avoid poor marketing tactics, it will increase their brand. Although applying these practices can improve a clubs brand, it can also help expand the fan base too. Connecting with fans as well as increasing the brand of the club, will maintain a healthy balance between keeping fans happy and creating revenue for the team.

Manchester United's Twitter page excels in keeping their content concise but informative, with the use of imagery and minimal text.

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