Fantasy sports games are inherently social. Sports Geek argues that the boom of fantasy sports online can be seen as the first wave of social media. Publishers with a fantasy sports game will have a lot of opportunities to engage with players on social media.
Let’s see how the biggest names in Daily Fantasy Sports use social media.
Share valuable insights and advice
Fantasy players consume more sports news and content than the average person. You should be offering useful and practical content that helps in picking the best possible lineup.
This can be done by highlighting a player’s performance in a visual or through a short 1-minute video breakdown. Injury updates and transfer news are worth telling, but the biggest added value will be to dive a bit deeper in the (fantasy) stats. Your fantasy sports software provider will be able to help you with that (Fan Arena does!). If you have limited in-house resources to do this, you should work together with external experts, journalists and insiders.
Example of FanDuel discussing NBA player Blake Griffin with DailyRoto co-founder Drew Dinkmeyer.
Blake Griffin has had a high usage rate in his last five games. Is he worth the $9,400 price tag tonight?@MariaCMarino and @DrewDinkmeyer discuss on FanDuel Hurry Up. pic.twitter.com/fa1WvqXNoq
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) 4 februari 2019
ESPN Fantasy uses Facebook Live to answer fan questions.
Scorrd gave some transfer tips after the group stage of the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
Create polls and ask questions
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel on social media. Asking a question is super easy, but effective if it’s about a trending topic and accompanied by a good visual and hashtag for shareability.
NBA Fantasy regularly asks which player you would pick for each position in their “Top 4s Thread”.
Top 4s Thread!
6-game @FanDuel slate – who are the best options at each position?
Starting out at PG, who you got tonight in #NBA DFS?#NBAFantasy
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) 4 februari 2019
Hold sponsored contests
Holding a contest is a way to spark interest and engage your followers. Keep in mind that some platforms like Facebook impose rules on contests. Involving a sponsor can improve participation and reach.
A sponsored ranking (for a specific gameweek, match, etc.) or game mode in your fantasy game is a creative way to give an existing sponsor more exposure or to attract new ones. More on sponsorship revenue in our blog post “Creating new revenue streams for publishers with fantasy sports”.
Be nostalgic
Nostalgia is a remarkably compelling force in marketing communication. Every fan has experienced memorable moments or has a favorite player from back in the day. Use those bittersweet emotions in your social media posts. Some ideas: compare high-scoring performances from previous years, “on this day in …” posts, etc.
This FanDuel post is a throwback and a poll in one!
Dan Marino’s birthday has us thinking… which QB would you take in his prime?
RT: Marino
Like: Brees pic.twitter.com/zOb74bcpHw— FanDuel (@FanDuel) 15 september 2018
Subtly promote your products
Do you have an e-commerce website or a shop attached to your main website? Then you should consider to subtly make the link between your products/services and the fantasy sports game.
Dick’s Sporting Goods made a fantasy football inspired Facebook post with jerseys you can buy in their online shop.
Celebrate successful fans
Fans love to hear what it takes to be successful and winning a fantasy league. Give your champions a podium to let them tell which path led them to glory.
Fantasy Premier League had 5.9 million participants during the 2017-2018 season. Winning that is an epic achievement and more than deserves getting credit.
Ladies & Gentlemen, your 2017/18 #FPL winner…Yusuf Sheikh from Tanzania 🏆
Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/7i2okhV2u2
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) 13 mei 2018
Banter, banter, banter
Don’t take everything so seriously and make some banter posts from time to time.
The UK is probably the best banter nation in the world. Unsurprisingly The Sun’s Dream Team FC amassed a big following on social media with their funny posts and videos.
Conclusion
Fantasy sports are an ideal topic to engage fans on social media. Make a content calendar to keep posting on a regular basis. If you don’t have the manpower, seek help from your fantasy software provider. Fan Arena helps all its clients with a content marketing strategy. One of the tools of the Fan Arena Admin is an automatic content generator to make social media visuals with 1 click of a button.
