Being a business, you inevitably have to reach out to your consumers and grow your customer base. The same applies to football clubs. Through expanding their brand internationally, clubs can increase profitability and therefore hope to perform better during the season. Social media provides the perfect platform to do just this.
In 2018, 79% of the 18+ UK population were in fact users of Facebook (Battisby, 2019), and the numbers are similar in most developed countries. It is obvious that by exposing your brand online, there is unlimited opportunities for expansion due to the huge consumer base out there.
Every season football clubs appear to increase their online presence, particularly on social media. On a day to day basis, an individual club will post hundreds of pieces of content, ranging from interviews to match highlights, in a bid to engage fans. It has been found that “greater customer activity through social media can be deemed attractive and can increase spectatorship” (Nisar, 2018) which is an obvious objective for any team in any sport.
Not just from a consumer perspective, but also in terms of recruitment, social media can be a hugely powerful tool. “The use of social media positively relates to corporate reputation, which in turn is positively linked to intentions to apply for a job” (Sivertzen, 2013) and taking this into account, it is in clubs’ best interests to portray a positive online image in order to attract the best footballing talent.
Wherever the future of football is heading, social media is certainly going to be a significant part of it.
The Shift in Football from Sport to Business 