Virtual Engagements Rely on Immediacy for Greater Impact
In these challenging Covid times, forward-thinking sports marketers are discovering that online fan promotions and virtual events can have an immediacy that brings the fan right into the action — and their marketing campaigns.
With the ability to deliver targeted content at the peak moment of fan interest, be it a game or other team event, virtual engagements are a sure way to keep loyal fans involved and excited, enhancing the event experience and strengthening the bond between franchise and customer. And virtual engagements afford sports marketers the opportunity to showcase sponsor-partner’s brands, providing a much-needed revenue source.
Cloud-based marketing platforms such as CTMi’s VIP PaaS virtual audience activation solution offer the flexibility to precisely time content delivery for maximum impact, whether during in-game moments to bring remote fans directly into the arena or real-time online promotions. The key is using Fan-Generated Content (FGC) framed in the host organization’s brand to build fan interest. Immediacy stimulates participation and maximizes the impact of the outreach.
How immediate? In just seconds fans can text their selfies to a VIP PaaS campaign and arrive on a sponsor-branded, personalized microsite placing the fan in the heart and the heat of the action. The fan’s microsite, framed in the sponsor’s brand, becomes a marketing media hub forhosted videos, special offers, surveys and registrations, social media sharing, promotions,and other web connections, creating opportunities for teams and their ad partners for further marketing messaging and an ongoing conversation with their followers.
Leveraging mobile technology to collect and channel content in real time, fans can be anywhere, and yet still taking part in key game moments, just as if they were present in the arena or stadium. Placing the fan’s own image at the center of the branded content personalizes the connection, making the fan the star of the moment in the team’s owned media and onsite.
FGC-based individual fan microsites create, on average, an additional 5 times more marketing touches and opportunities for team/sponsor exposure. Meanwhile, fan microsites and virtual fan galleries that aggregate fan photos generate even more enthusiasm and excitement for games lacking full attendance. Now THAT’S immediacy with impact.
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